Bankstream NZ Champs concludes
Emma Twigg once again proved the cream of the domestic women’s single sculling scene as the 2014 world champion claimed her seventh national premier title in her speciality event.
The Auckland RPC athlete produced an accomplished display to comfortably defeat a high-class field containing reigning double sculls world champions – Zoe Stevenson and Eve MacFarlane – and defending champion Lucy Spoors by a victory margin of 5.03 seconds to regain the crown she won for six successive years from 2009 to 2014.
In an absorbing tussle for the minor medals, Spoors just edged the silver medal by 0.35 from Stevenson, who clinched victory yesterday in the premier women’s double sculls. MacFarlane further underlined the talent on show by taking fourth in 7:53.17.
Yet this was to be Twigg’s day as the 28-year-old took an important step on the road to delivering her ambitions for the Rio Olympics.
“We have fantastic depth (in New Zealand) so to finish five seconds ahead of those girls is really pleasing,” says Twigg, who spent some time away from the Rowing NZ High Performance programme last year. “But I’m certainly aware that the rest of the world will be working hard and the standard that I will face (later in the year).
“When I come back Gary (Hay) and I set a few goals and I’m really happy with the race today.”
Waikato RPC lived up to their billing as pre-event favourites to seize a hat-trick of men’s premier eight titles with an explosive performance on Lake Karapiro. The winning crew boasting three members – Shaun Kirkham, Alex Kennedy and coxswain Caleb Shepherd – of the New Zealand men’s eight team, which placed fourth at the 2015 World Championships, and further bolstered by the power of world and Olympic pairs champion Eric Murray proved too strong to clock 5:46.13 for the title.
Auckland RPC put up a brave fight but had to be satisfied with silver in 5:49.36 with Central RPC claiming the final spot on the podium in 5:53.09.
In the women’s premier eight a high quality Central RPC crew romped to victory to halt Southern RPCs recent domination of the marquee event. The Central team stocked full of world and Olympic medallists including three members – Kerri Gowler, Ruby Tew and Rebecca Scown - of the World Championship silver medal-winning eight crew recorded 6:23.94 to finish 5.40 seconds clear of Southern RPC – the champions of the previous five editions. Auckland RPC completed the medal podium with bronze in 6:32.22.
The race was of special significance to victorious 17-year-old coxswain Lucy Bird, who only hopped in the boat for the first time a week ago.
“It’s pretty cool to win my first Red Coat and my first gold medal,” says Bird, whose father Andrew was the coxswain for the 1988 Olympic bronze medal winning coxed four team.
“It was pretty scary to work with these girls at the beginning but it has been a great experience. They have helped me out and I have learned so much from them.”
Closest race of the weekend was served up in an exhilarating men’s club double sculls final as the Mercer Rowing Club duo of Finn and Eli Murphy took the title by just 0.01 from the Southland-based Waihopai Rowing Club (Scott Barnsdale and Tim Yaxley).
A Wairau composite team proved too strong for the rest in the men’s senior quadruple sculls final. The crew which included senior men’s single sculls champion Troy O’Reilly recorded a time of 6:22.40 to finish more than two-and-a-half seconds clear of Aramoho-Wanganui Rowing Club.
Hannah Osborne completed a hat-trick of national titles at the 2016 Bankstrean New Zealand Rowing Championships with victory alongside Luka Ellery in the women’s under-22 double sculls final. The Waikato RPC double finished more than six-seconds clear of Auckland RPC (Lexi Kerr and Amy Mills) with Osborne having also secured gold in the women’s under-22 single and quadruple sculls earlier in the regatta.
Tom Clyma and Hugo Elworthy led home a Southern RPC one-two in the men’s under-20 coxless pairs while Veronica Wall (Ashburton Rowing Club) was a clear winner of the women’s club single sculls final.
Waikato region crews finished one-two in the women’s senior coxed eight as Hamilton Rowing Club defeated Cambridge Rowing Club by more than six-and-a-half seconds to strike gold.
Nelson Rowing Club executed a great race to take a decisive victory by more than six-and-a-half seconds in the women’s under-19 coxed four. Canterbury Rowing Club duo Jack Lopas ad Angus Foster were the class of the field to take the gold medal in the under-19 double sculls.
The Blenheim composite team claimed a memorable win in the penultimate race of the 2016 Bankstream New Zealand Rowing Championships by taking the prestigious men’s senior eight title. The crew proved too good with their nearest pursuers a composite team from Aramaho-Wanganui more than four seconds further back. For Ollie Stephens – a member of the Blenheim composite team - it represented a perfect climax to a championship having triumphed in the very first final of the championships – the men’s under-20 single sculls.
A series of prestigious awards were handed out at the conclusion of the regatta with World champion in the pair Eric Murray taking the Clarrie Healey Cup for Male Rower of the Year and world lightweight single sculler Zoe McBride awarded the Champions’ Cup for the Female Rower of the Year. Gay Hay was given the Lud Brooker Memorial Salver for Coach of the Year.
Both the Centennial Oar for the most successful club in all events and the Centennial Scull awarded to the club with the most points in the sculling events was presented to Waikato Rowing Club. Meanwhile, the Hallyburton Johnstone Rose Bowl for the top association in eight boat events was awarded to the Waikato Rowing Association. The top performing regional performance centre at the 2016 Bankstream New Zealand Rowing Championships was Waikato RPC.