Sporting briefs

Rowing success: Marlborough rowers were among the medals when the World Cup III regatta wound up in Poznan, Poland on Sunday night (NZ time). Leading the way was Blenheim’s Tom Murray, a member of the NZ four which turned in a hugely-impressive performance to win the A final, their last hit-out before heading to the Olympics in Paris. Robbie Manson, formerly from the Wairau club, teamed with Jordan Parry to claim a bronze medal in the men’s double.

Hill signs on: Former Marlborough sportsman David Hill will continue his association with the All Blacks. David, who represented the province at both rugby and cricket before going on to a lengthy career in first class rugby has retained his job as All Blacks’ kicking coach in Scott Robertson’s extensive coaching team. A prolific pointscorer during his playing career, David has been involved with the team’s kickers since 2017, in a part-time capacity, and in a regular contracted role since 2019. He represented the All Blacks in 2006 and has built an impressive coaching CV since hanging up his boots, including stints at the chiefs, Blues and NZ U20s.

Judo contingent shines: The Blenheim Judo Club contingent of six judokas came away with a glittering haul of medals from the recent Canterbury Open championships. A standout was Tom Etheredge, fighting in the fourth kyu junior section, who claimed three gold medals. Andras Kovacs, a fourth kyu orange belt also fought well, bagging one gold medal and two bronze. Solomon Panoho, a third kyu green belt, gained some valuable experience during the competition, according to club coach David Foley, and picked up a bronze medal. Blake Foley, in his first competition, also showed promise, picking up two bronze medals, while Rawiri Turu won his first fight, a battle that went to golden score. The other Blenheim fighter was Hiko Izumisawa, a fourth kyu orange belt, who benefitted from the chance to test himself against higher competition.