Mon, Jan 18, 2021 7:00 PM
Peter Jones
The Marlborough contingent picked up a string of top placings during the abbreviated Canterbury Rowing Championships at the weekend.
Staged at Lake Ruataniwha, high winds saw the champs cut short on Sunday, but there was still time for the large collection of rowers from the Blenheim, Wairau and Picton clubs to make their mark.
Next on the rowers’ agenda is the South Island champs on January 30-31, followed by the NZ champs, also at Ruataniwha from February 16-20, then the Maadi Cup which runs from March 22-27.
MGC head coach Sean O’Neill was pleased with the efforts of his 29-strong contingent, who rowed under the Wairau banner, especially the novices who were experiencing their first major regatta.
“The first time [at Twizel] can sometimes be quite daunting, even overwhelming, but they had an outstanding regatta.”
Three of his novice crews won their heats, then unfortunately missed a chance to row in an A final, but showed enough to suggest they will be quick improvers.
He also mentioned the girls’ under-15 coxed quad of Poppy Lane, Ella Barnes, Grace Straker, Hazel Glover and cox Cleo Ingram who placed third in their A final.
“This is a challenging event involving some first-year rowers and also some second-years, so to get a third in that company was a really good effort.”
The women’s club eight of Daisy Vavasour, Lexi Timpson, Meg Flanagan, Liv Theodore, Holly Feltham, Maggie Lane, Lily Crawford, Paige Materoa and coxswain Lara Bacchus bagged silver in their final, coming up against a top Rangi Ruru crew, and showed considerable improvement on day two.
Mike McManaway, Andrew Blake and Stella Blake are helping coach the Wairau students, with O’Neill praising the input of a “very supportive” parents group.
“Overall, across the board, I was very happy with how the girls went in their first hit-out for the year.”
Also wearing Wairau colours at Ruataniwha were four more-experienced rowers, coached at this event by Mark James.
Tristan Gregory-Hunt rows this season with Logan Docherty, formerly from Oamaru. Docherty won the senior single, then combined with Gregory-Hunt to claim second in the senior double, suggesting they will be strong contenders at the National Champs in February.
Bridgitte O’Leary, a recent arrival from Wanganui Collegiate, stroked the Wairau/MGC club quad to fifth place and was fourth in the club single heats.
Former national rep Phoebe Trolove took out the senior women’s single.
The Marlborough Boys’ College crews, rowing in Blenheim RC colours, claimed four medals.
Topping the list were Shane Henry and George Lindstrom who won the under-15 boys double. The men’s open octuple sculls of Korban Chevis, Kiarn Collins, Hunter Nelson, Aden Hall, Reuben Dempster, Charlie Renner, Blake Fitzgerald, Fergus Campbell and Tyran Carter finished second in the final.
The Picton contingent also got among the medals, the Gaudin brothers Ryan, Keiran, Hayden and Shae combining for second place in the men’s premier four.
Results
Wairau
Men’s senior single (Logan Doherty) 1
st
in A final
Women’s senior single (Phoebe Trolove) 1
st
in A final
Girls under-15 coxed quad (Poppy Lane, Ella Barnes, Grace Straker, Hazel Glover, Cleo Ingram) 3
rd
in A final
Women’s club eight (Daisy Vavasour, Lexi Timpson, Meg Flanagan, Liv Theodore, Holly Feltham, Maggie Lane, Lily Crawford, Paige Materoa, Lara Bacchus) 2
nd
in A final
Men’s senior double (Tristan Gregory-Hunt, Logan Doherty) 2
nd
in A final
Women’s club pairs (Meg Flanagan, Holly Feltham) 3
rd
in A final
Girls under-16 coxed four, women’s novice quad, women’s novice coxed four – all won their heat but finals were cancelled.
Picton
Men’s premier four (Kieran Gaudin, Ryan Gaudin, Hayden Gaudin, Shae Gaudin) 2
nd
in A final
Blenheim
Boys under-15 double (Shane Henry, George Lindstrom) 1
st
in A final
Men’s open octuple sculls (Korban Chevis, Kiarn Collins, Hunter Nelson, Aden Hall, Reuben Dempster, Charlie Renner, Blake Fitzgerald, Fergus Campbell, Tyran Carter) 2
nd
in A final
Boys under-17 double (Ashley-James Fitzgerald, Mason Henderson) 3
rd
in A final
Boys under-16 coxed four (Shane Henry, Zac Jenkins, Jack Stevens, Lochy Gilmour) 3
rd
in A final
Men’s club pairs (Dylan Burton, Fred Vavasour) and men’s intermediate single (Ashley-James Fitzgerald) both won heat but finals cancelled.