Success at SI rowing champs

Marlborough rowers returned from the recent South Island championships at Lake Ruataniwha with a swag of medals.

The large contingent, which included athletes from Marlborough Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges rowing under the Wairau club banner, picked up four gold medals, four silver and nine bronze.

A highlight at the top level was the effort of Fred Vavasour, who claimed a meritorious third placing in the men’s premier single sculls. He also picked up two more premier bronze medals, in the quad and the double alongside Logan Docherty, this time rowing in Oamaru RC colours.

Wairau had plenty of success at the club level, four club rowers merging with four Marlborough Boys’ College oarsmen to take out the men’s club eight title. Dylan Locke, Zac Jenkins, Liam Collins, Joe Hughes, Hugh Straker, Liam Kirkland, George Lindstrom, Shane Henry, plus coxswain Blake Pitts combined superbly for a well-deserved and decisive victory.

Wairau coach Mark James said he was especially happy for the club trio of Collins, Hughes and Kirkland who have joined Wairau from Porirua this season. They not only picked up their first medal in the eight, but also added a silver in the club four and a bronze in the club quad alongside the more-experienced Straker.

“From a healthy standpoint for the club and young people that success was just tremendous,” said Mark. “Their hard work is certainly paying off … they are training much harder than they have in the past.”

Also striking gold was the boys under-15 octuple sculls crew, comprising Willem Rowe, Aiden Bennett, Logan Flight, Toby Randall, Hunter Marfell, Drew Materoa, Luke Bown, Bronson Blissett and cox Blake Marfell.

The women’s club eight of Grace Straker, Sophie Saggers, Brooke Harper, Mila van Rensberg, Izzy Brick, Hazel Glover, Ella Barnes, Bella Rayner and cox Molly Wilkes battled to a narrow win in their final, while the girls under-16 coxed four, comprising Straker, van Rensberg, Harper, Saggers and cox Grace McKendry, were much more convincing as they also picked up a second gold.

MGC coach Sean O’Neill said the regatta had proved one of the most successful in recent times for his charges. He said a highlight was seeing Wairau’s three big boats - the octi, then the men’s and women’s club eights - picking up three consecutive golds in a row on finals day.

Next up for the Wairau contingent is the New Zealand champs, also at Lake Ruataniwha, on February 14-18. They will field eight club rowers as well as two members of the NZ summer squad - Kirstyn Goodger and Kobe Miller.

Wairau results from the SI champs:

GOLD

Boys U15 octuple sculls – Willem Rowe, Aiden Bennett, Logan Flight, Toby Randall, Hunter Marfell, Drew Materoa, Luke Bown, Bronson Blissett – Blake Marfell cox

Men’s club eight – Dylan Locke, Zac Jenkins, Liam Collins, Joe Hughes, Hugh Straker, Liam Kirkland, George Lindstrom, Shane Henry – Blake Pitts cox

Women’s club eight – Grace Straker, Sophie Saggers, Brooke Harper, Mila van Rensberg, Izzy Brick, Hazel Glover, Ella Barnes, Bella Rayner – Molly Wilkes cox

Girls U16 coxed four – Grace Straker, Mila van Rensberg, Brooke Harper, Sophie Saggers – Grace McKendry cox

SILVER

Men’s senior single – Tristan Gregory-Hunt

Boys U16 coxed four – Hamish Lindstrom, Jock Flanagan, Louis Girling, Blake Campbell – Jack Shaw cox

Men’s club coxless four – Hugh Straker, Liam Collins, Joe Hughes, Liam Kirkland

Women’s intermediate coxed four – Izzy Brick, Charlotte Thomas, Bella Rayner, Harriet McLauchlan – Tessa Unwin cox

BRONZE

Men’s premier single – Fred Vavasour

Women’s club coxless pair – Brooke Harper, Sophie Saggers

Women’s novice eight – Elizabeth Bowron, Iris Vavasour, Georgette Herkt, Abby Craig, Lily Smith, Ana Bailey, Georgia Marfell, Ebony Howes – Lilly McMillan cox

Boys U16 coxed quad – Hamish Lindstrom, Jock Flanagan, Louis Girling, Oliver Wakelin - Jack Shaw cox

Men’s club coxless quad – Liam Collins, Hugh Straker, Joe Hughes, Liam Kirkland

Men’s novice coxed quad – Walter Wickham, Willem Rowe, Aiden Bennett, Henare Panaho – Blake Pitts cox

Women’s novice coxed four – Elizabeth Bowron, Iris Vavasour, Abby Craig, Katie Fenwick – Jemima Soper cox

Men’s club coxless pair – Dylan Locke, Zac Jenkins

Girls U17 coxed four – Bella Rayner, Ella Barnes, Izzy Brick, Hazel Glover – Molly Wilkes cox