GISBORNE CREWS FOR KARAPIRO : N.Z. TITLE MEET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22872, 16 February 1949, Page 9

GISBORNE CREWS FOR KARAPIRO : N.Z. TITLE MEET

For the first time since the war disorganised the sport in this district the Gisborne Rowing Club will be represented at the annual championship regatta sponsored by the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association, to be held at Lake Karapiro on February 28. Entries have been forwarded for four events, comprising junior, lightweight, maiden and youth fours. Principal interest will centre upon the prospects of the lightweight four, which will be identical with that which won the lightweight division of the district association’s regatta in Wairoa on February 5. Second place behind Gisborne, on that occasion, was taken by the Napier crew which had won in open company at Wanganui a week previously. Oarsmen of the Gisborne club are not inclined to place too much weight upon a single performance of real merit, but the quality of their own crew in the lightweight division is at least sufficiently good, they feel, to warrant a trip to the championship regatta. The composition of the Gisborne four is K. Russell, str.. R. Sinton, K. Simpson and P. Pollard. > Good Dividends Experience

For the junior event at Karapiro the Gisborne club has entered N. Mills, str., T. Muirhead, K. Norman, and J. Kane, a fairly solid combination including three of the men who represented the club in the senior fours at Wairoa.

Napier won that race with a class exposition of watermanship, and should do well at KarapiroGisborne’s entry is a speculative one which should return good dividends in experience for four young oarsmen. The maiden entry will probably comprise N. Mills, R. Sinton. K. Simpson and J. Kane, while in the youth fours Gisborne will be represented by three of the lightweights—Russell. Simpson,, and Pollard—and R. Leaning, who' will take No. 3 seat in place of Sinton, who is just over the 21-year age limit for this event. Replacements in the nominated crews are permitted by New Zealand championship rules, and the personnel may be varied or altered by the club according to conditions.

This will be the first regatta of championship status held on . Lake Karapiro, and the venue is not too far from Gisborne for crews to travel. The district oarsmen will truck their boats to the course on Thursday, February 26, and will have a day’s relaxation before taking part in the title events.