Coxless four makes encouraging start

Press, 7 September 1989, Page 29

Coxless four makes encouraging start

NZPA London New Zealand’s newlyformed coxless four made an encouraging start by qualifying for the semi-finals from its heat at the world rowing championships in Bled, Yugoslavia yesterday. The quartet, comprising Campbell Clayton-Greene, lan Wright, Bill Coventry, of Waikato and Tauranga’s promising Alistair Mclntosh, finished just .56sec behind the powerful East German crew in heat three of the qualifying rounds. With the first three from each heat automatically going through, New Zealand now avoids the repechages

i and the team manager, Ivan Sutherland, described the i team’s display as “quite pleasing.” 1 “It’s the first time they’ve ■ had a hard race, but (coach) • Sam Le Compte and I are quite pleased. There's one or ; two things to iron out but i we’re quite confident of this f crew. 5 The Kiwis led the 2000 , metre race until the final' 1 500 m. There was little bei tween the crews at the quar- > ter mark, New Zealand going through in 1:30.37, ,66sec i ahead of the East Germans r with Czechoslovakia close 1 behind. s At 1000 m New Zealand had

marginally increased its advantage and at 1500 m the Kiwis led by fractionally under two seconds. However, the East Germans put on the pressure on the run home to win in 6’26.33, with New Zealand at 6:26.89 and France qualifying third in 6:29.18. In the other heats, the United States recorded the best time in the choppy, blustery conditions, 6:25.81 in winning heat two, while Austria won the opening heat in 6:29.52. Other countries to qualify automatically were Great Britain, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and Australia.