By Ian Stockwell

Otago, with wins in the women's outdoor basketball, judo, cross-country, badminton, table tennis and a first equal in the women's hockey, totalled 62 points to retain the Tournament Shield.

Auckland was second with 48, followed by Canterbury on 42. Victoria, after wins in fencing and golf, finished fourth with 35 points.

Massey was the only other team to score, registering nine points, with Waikato and Lincoln again sharing that symbol of sporting inadequacy, the Wooden Spoon.

One unfortunate feature was the fact that of the 25 tournament trophies, only eight were available for presentation, the others not being found.

It seems a great pity that rugby cannot be included in Winter Tournament.

Undoubtedly a large number of students do play this sport and it is, after all, the game for which we are renowned internationally.

It was unfortunate that the universities skiing competition clashed with the National Championships at Coronet Peak. Otago, as a result, was unable to send a fully representative team as their best racers were competing at the Nationals.

Vic had its greatest success of Winter Tournament in the Drinking Horn.

Ably led by the President for 1969. the Vic men showed devastating prowess in winning the teams' event and providing five of the six fastest individuals.

Shooting

Victoria did better than expected to take third. First was Canterbury followed by Auckland.

Victoria also contributed two to the NZU team, Norm Robieson and Sue Lothian, the only woman competitor in the event. D. Kent and J. Adlam (Victoria) were reserves.

Wellington (1977.147) beat NZU (1953-128) in their match. The top University shot was W. Grave (Canterbury), who scored 199.18. Next was T. Mulvey (Auckland), who recorded 199.16.

Mulvey ended the three days of shooting, during which 10 cards were shot, with an aggregate of 994.70.

Second was Grave with 987.71.

Squash

In the team competition, Auckland and Victoria tied with 37 games each. Initially Auckland, Victoria and Massey had each won four matches, and on a count-back of sets all were still level.

However, examination of the individual games revealed that Massey had won only 36 while both Auckland and Victoria had won 37.

Of the 14 points allocated to the team event Auckland and Victoria each took six and Massey two.

Auckland won the individual section, thereby winning the title, with Victoria finishing in second place, followed by Canterbury.

Stewart Perry and Frank Wilson, from Victoria, were in the NZU team which was beaten by Wellington 4-2 The Victoria members were the only ones to win games.

Soccer

Vic did well to gain eight points and finish in second place to Auckland. Otago was third.

Vic had the misfortune to meet Auckland in the first game and went down 2-3. Then followed wins against Massey (5-2), Otago (7-2). Lincoln (3-0) and Canterbury (2-0).

Four Vic players. Bob Howell, Mike Peters, K. P. Too and Rod Lingard were included in the NZU team which made a short tour of the southern half of the North Island during the second week of the holidays.

League

Auckland, with wins over Canterbury (24-7), Victoria (59-10) and Otago (20-15), clinched the competition. Otago was second with Victoria in third place.

Victoria did not perform up to expectations, losing to Auckland and Otago (49-26). Their only win was against Canterbury (19-15).

One Victoria member, G. Rasmussen, was a member of the NZU team which went down to Wellington 25-10.

Indoor Basketball

As expected both the men's and women's teams from Victoria encountered strong opposition. Both finished in fourth place.

In the women's section, Vic scored only one win, against Auckland (39-16).

Both finals were all-South Island affairs, with Canterbury heading Otago in each instance.

The highlight as far as players were concerned was the men's final, with Canterbury sneaking home 48-45.

The only Victoria players to make NZU teams were M. Schoenberger in the women's and J. Hall in the men's B team.

Harriers

As expected Robertson of Massey easily won the race being half a minute ahead of Bcath of Otago. The teams race was won by Otago for the fourth year in succession.

The first 4 Victoria runners (G. Seconi (4), R. Titcombe (7). L. Watson (18), I. Stockwell (19)) ran Massey close for second place.

However in the Shackle-ford Cup for the top North Island team, the first five home counting, Victoria, with the addition of D. Bullock (20) turned the tables on Massey to win 65 points to 71.

Seconi and Titcombe were selected for the NZU team which competed against Wellington Provinces.

The race, at Queen Elizabeth Park, Paekakariki was won comfortably by NZU with Roger Titcombe turning in a good performance to finish second to Robertson.

Table Tennis

This turned out to be one of Vic's weaker sports. Otago, Auckland and Canterbury took the places.

Interest was added to the inter-varsity competition by the participation of an Australian Universities team who competed on an unofficial basis.

Two of Vic's players. B. Coley, and C. Loo were selected for NZU men's and women's teams respectively which competed against Wellington.

The former Hutt Valley player G. B. Murphy (Otago), a son of the former British Empire champion boxer, Bos Murphy, won the men's singles title.

He beat T. Quinn (Auckland) in the final but in combination with K. Jackson, went down to Quinn and M. Eng in straight sets in the doubles event.

Murphy and the triple national junior titleholder Miss M. Fogarty (Otago) won the mixed doubles.

The women's events were a triumph for the Australians. Miss C. Vick beat Miss Fogarty to take the singles crown, and then partnered Miss J. Bailey to success in the doubles against Miss Fogarty and Miss J. Tourell.

Golf

Victoria's team did extremely well here to come out on top. Otago was second with Massey and Canterbury third.

Victoria won the stroke play from Otago with Canterbury third. Their respective totals were 933, 946 and 982. Massey returned 984, Auckland 987 and Lincoln 1031.

Victoria's R. Barltrop, the Wellington provincial match play champion produced the best individual score, carding 299 for the 4 rounds; eight strokes ahead of his nearest rival.

Otago's Freyberg Rose Bowl player, P. R. Adams turned the tables, in the individual beating Barltrop one up in the semi final.

Adams beat another Victoria representative, J. S. Ingle who had earlier beaten R. Ballard (Massey), 5 and 4, in the final.

Fencing

This was the second sport in which Vic showed itself clearly superior to the others. Minor placegetters were Auckland and Otago.

Victoria, after beating Auckland 9-7, had a resounding win in the men's foil section. Victoria in its earlier matches had easily accounted for Canterbury 14-2 and Otago 13-3.

Although Victoria won the men's foils, J. Gaudin (Auckland) won all his 12 bouts.

The surprise of the foils were the losses of the NZU Captain P. Ring (Otago).

Ring, an Olympic trialist lost to Gaudin and his Auckland team-mate R. Gayfer and the Victoria foilsman R. Hayman.

In the sabre Victoria beat Canterbury 13-3. Otago 15-1 and Auckland 10-6. The sabre placings were Victoria, Auckland and Canterbury 3rd.

The women's foil saw Victoria beat Massey 15-1 and Canterbury 16-0.

• Roger Titcombe (Victoria) about to pass W. Allison (Auckland) in the cross-country race. Roger went on to finish second in the NZU-Wellington Province match.

However. Auckland 8 beat Victoria 8 on a countback; Otago 8 lost to Victoria 8 on a countback.

G. Stratogopolous and Viv-ienne McLean, were the only Victoria players to gain NZU selection.

Hockey

For Victoria an all-time low appears to have been reached in winter-varsity competition, with the men failing to gain a place and the women managing only a third equal with Canterbury.

Although the women had a new coach this year, their final placing was below that of last year's team.

The dominant team overall at Tournament was Auckland who finished first in the men's section and first equal with Otago in the women's.

Auckland narrowly won the men's section from Canterbury. The southern team. needing to beat Auckland in the deciding match could obtain only a 1-1 draw.

The only Victoria players to achieve NZU selection were J. Scott and Sue Lavin, J. Broad was reserve for the women's team.

Both NZU games against Wellington ended in draws, the men's scoreless, and the women's, 1-1.

Badminton

Although Victoria's team was greatly weakened this year by the loss of several key players, Vic's representatives competed exceptionally well to finish second to Otago with Auckland filling the third berth.

This was one of the few sports in which Waikato University participated.

However, the opposition proved too strong with Otago (16-0), Victoria (16-0), Canterbury (15-1), Masey (15-1) inflicting severe defeats.

Good form was shown by the Victoria players when besides their big win over Waikato they trounced Canterbury (16-0) and Massey (16-0).

Basketball

Otago, as expected won by beating Canterbury 35-12 in the final. Victoria was third.

Further confirmation of the South Islanders' superiority was provided when South beat North 42-7 in an inter-island fixture.

Marian Evans (Victoria) was a reserve in the NZU team which beat Wellington under-20 representative side 31-16.

Judo

This sport seems to have reached a low ebb as far as inter-varsity competition is concerned with Vic failing to gain a place or provide any members for the NZU team.

The three placegetters were Otago, Canterbury and Auckland.

The NZU team beat a Wellington invitation judo team 3-2.

Tournament Shield Points

Tournament Shield Points