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Salient: Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Vol. 32, No. 5. 1969.

Rowing hopes

Rowing hopes

Prospects look good for Vic to repeat its success of the last two years in the rowing at Easter Tournament.

At the trials held early in the term there was a considerably bigger turn out than usual and a number of talented newcomers have joined the club.

Offset against this is the loss of Olympian John Gibbons, who has been a mainstay of the club for a number of years.

A look at the eight reveals that it has considerable potential and if the varying styles can be moulded together before Tournament it should be capable of preserving Vic's record of not having been beaten in the eights since 1965.

The crew is built around the solid nucleus of O. R. Gilbert, C. Gamble, T. Castle and W. Sharp — all members of last year's crew.

Gilbert, who has been a member of the NZU crew for the last three years, was this season in the crack Wellington Club senior eight which convincingly won the New Zealand title at the national championships.

Gamble, also a NZU rep, was this year in the Hutt Club's senior eight, and Castle and Sharp were in the Star junior eight.

Newcomers to the scene include J. Kay from the Waikato Club, with in excess of thirty wins to his credit during the club season; D. Lock from the highly successful Petone maiden eight; and H. Gamble and C. Adam, both from the Hutt club, the latter having had two wins in the novice class at the New Zealand championships.

The crew is again fortunate to have as coach Dick Joyce, the stroke of the gold-medal winning Olympic four.

The standard of college fours looks to be higher than usual this year and in C. Brugh, R. Allot, R. Clendon and S. Gibbons, the club would seem to have a powerful crew capable of being in the first two.

Several novice crews are also in training, but it is difficult to assess their chances as it often happens that after an initial burst of enthusiasm at the start of the season the effort seems to fall away.

Where Vic could miss out at Tournament is in a lack of strength in the sculling events and to offset this disadvantage it will need to build up a sufficient points lead in the eights and fours to see them again finish on top.