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Tournament Teams Better Prospects

Victoria's chances at this year's Winter Tournament in Dunedin look a little brighter than last year. Although many key players are not available we should improve on last year's three first places—men's fencing, men's basketball, men's hockey.

Only one of the five Victoria fencers who went to Australia with the NZU team earlier this year will be available to defend the Otago Shield. Victoria has won the shield 11 times in the last 12 years. Top NZU women's fencer, Lorna McKenzie is available, but she will have trouble beating Janet Grieve and Rosemary Lee, of Canterbury.

NZU fencers Richard Peterson (captain), Malcolm Woods and Richard Hall are not available. However, David Huxley and Tony Black (foil) and Doug Ellis and David Lind Mitchell (sabre) have good prospects. Several players should have a chance of making the NZU team to play Otago-Southland at the end of the tournament.

The men's hockey team will be a strong one, despite the loss of two of its leading players, Denis Paget and Peter Byers, who are in Australia with the NZU team. Other universities are even harder hit-Canterbury with six. Otago four overseas.

Wellington representative Craig Wallis captains the side. NZU cricket representative and Wellington left half Alistar Botting is Vice-Captain. Des Meades and R. Rosemergy play in Wellington's senior grade, the rest of the team is drawn from the senior reserve side.

Ten of the 13 members of the women's hockey team are drawn from the senior team. Form players include Caroline White, who is in the Wellington second eleven. Leon Stewart and Jan and Anne Atkins. Toughest opposition will probably come from Otago and Canterbury.

Eight harriers will represent Victoria in Dunedin. Although the club has not done especially well this year, a little solid training could produce a reasonable result. Veteran of the team is Roger Clark, who has been to five Winter Tournaments. Other members include Michael Casey. Dave Eddy (who has now recovered from injuries received pushing a bed to Palmerston North), Graham Page, John Meade, John Pearce and Mike Reynolds.

Only one member of last year's three man squash team is available this year. Brian Christie. NZU player in 1961 and 1962 will captain the team, which has not been selected. The new squash courts in Wellington have given the team more practice—prospects look better than last year.

The Judo Club sends 18 to Dunedin. For the first time a women's team will be competing, provided other universities bring a team. Top members of the men's team are Tony Guzzwell (NZU champion 1961) and Gordon Hewitt, also a NZU representative. These two hold the blue belt. Top woman is Susan Fitchett, whose blue belt rating is unusually high.

The table tennis team will be a young but experienced one. Captain Robert Armstrong, member of the universities A team will be backed by Brian Prendergast, Vic Stubbs and Brian Neale. The women's team is, at the time of writing, unselected, but if it maintains the standard of the men's team, Victoria is certain of being placed.

Soccer will send eight members of its top team to Dunedin. The team contains four NZU representatives—Chris Ryan. Rex Sharman, George Wall and Jeff Allison.

Venue for the ski-ing this year is Ruapehu, where the snow conditions are the best for several years. The three events are the Downhill, a speed event; the Slalom and Giant Slalom—turning and general control. The North Island teams may have some advantage being used to the wet, heavy snow which is unusual down South.