Sporting briefs

Rowers shine on world stage: Wairau rowers have made their presence felt at the world junior (under 19 and under 23) championships at Lake Varese, Italy over the past week. In the under-23 champs Kobe Miller finished fourth in the single sculls C final, ranking him 16 in the world for the age group. Finishing in the same position was the lightweight double crew of Reuben Cook and Logan Docherty. At the under-19 champs Emily Bowden and Orla Fitzgerald reached the A final in the eight, finishing fifth, Charlotte Lightfoot was part of the quad that came home sixth in the B final, Ashley James Fitzgerald’s quad were third in the C final, with Ned Botherway and Dylan Burton finishing second in the D final in the double.

Callum fifth at Games: Marlborough track cyclist Callum Saunders has finished fifth in his favoured keirin race at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Callum was the best-performed of the three Kiwi riders who competed in the event, making his way to the final ride-off with second placings in both his preliminary races. In the decider he made a bold move to take the lead with three laps to go but was run down by his rivals on the final lap.

Hockey battle: Marlborough face an uphill battle if they are to retain hockey’s Pope Shield. A 4-2 loss to Nelson last weekend means Marlborough’s women must beat West Coast in Blenheim on Saturday, beginning at 1pm, then hope the Coasters can down Nelson on Sunday. Marlborough were down 3-0 at halftime against Nelson and, although they won the second half, Emily Wallace and Emma Allison scoring goals, they had to bow to a better team on the day. The Marlborough B team were beaten 2-1 by their Nelson counterparts.

Golfing glory awaits: A Marlborough Golf Club combination has qualified for the Tasman district final with a narrow win in the local pennants competition. The team of Debra Nicholls, Lynn Dowler, Lucy Jefferis, Jane Anderson Bay, Angi Beard and Kirsty Hardy Boys took out the five-round series on Monday, July 25, at the Awatere course in wet, challenging conditions. Three teams - Marlborough, Kaikoura and Blenheim - finished with 32 points but Marlborough, having secured four wins on the day, claimed the trophy on countback. The Marlborough golfers now travel to Nelson’s Totaradale course in late August to play a 54-hole final against the three other Tasman district winners.