The Telegraph-Journal, Saint John, N.B., July 7, 1976

Kennebecasis Advances At Canadian Henley Regatta

ST. CATHARINES - The Fredericton Rowing Club didn't win at the Canadian Henley Regatta championships here Thursday but they did get what they set out to accomplish.

The Fredericton entry participated in only the straight pairs competition Thursday and in their only heat, finished fifth just ahead of Leander Rowing Club of Ontario. New Brunswick's other entry in the Canadian Henley, the Kennebecasis Rowing Club won their straight pairs heat (they were in the same heat as Fredericton) but lost in the straight fours final to St. Catharines.

Top Two Advance

As a result of Thursday's play, Kennebecasis advances to the straight pairs final scheduled for teday. The top two finishers in each of the three heats advance to the final. St. Catharines won two of ten Junior finals Thursday, the second day of the Henley competition. It won the open four and Wayne Dick and Brian Murphy combined to win the 145-Pound double sculls. St. Catharines also had two second place finishes and a third to move into first place in the standings with 85 points.

University of Western Ontario, London, was second with 41, followed by Toronto Argonauts with 36 and Minnesota Boat Club of St. Paul and Hamilton Leanders, each with 33 points.

Other winners Thursday included Ecorse, Mich. Boat Club in the cox pair, Argonaut's Jim Ingram in the 155-pound single, Mike Buzenski of Wyandotte, Mich. in the 135-pound, single and Brian Elliott of Ridley Graduate Boat Club, St. Catharines, in the open single division.

In discussing Frederictan's performance, Bob Uvely, a member of the team said Thursday, "we knew we wouldn't win against the other clubs from Canada, the United States and Mexico but we did get some experience and an idea of what it is going to be like next year. That's what we set out to accomplish and I think we were successful."

Qualifying for today's straight pairs final in addition 50 Kennebecasis and Leander (from the first heat) were St. Catharine's and Thunder Bay from the second heat and another team from Kennebecasis and Syracuse, New York from the third heat.

In the straight fours final, St. Catharines recorded a time of seven minutes, 14 seconds to defeat Kennebecasis by only three seconds. Keith Ratcliffe, coach of the Kennebecasis team, said he was pleased with his squad's performance in the straight fours competition. "St. Catharines didn't win by much. We challenged them from the 1,000 to 1,500 meters and it could have gone either way,"

Lively added: "There are some members of our club just here to watch and get some idea of what to look for next year. I do feel that we'll have a good shot at winning next year. The Regatta's scene is certainly an exciting one."

Twenty-three heats and ten finals are scheduled for today.