Day Two 2018 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships
Continued rain didn't dampen spirits on day two of the 2018 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships
Athletes were back out on the water for day two of the 2018 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships, attempting to secure spots in finals with a full schedule of repechage races. Light rain throughout the day and flat water delivered ideal racing conditions with athletes on the water across 65 events.
The women's novice double sculls repechage made for a remarkable watch with the top four spots securing a place in the semi-finals. Jessica Grant and Piper Taylor (Hawkes Bay) placed first with a time of 9:11.44, out in front at a comfortable pace. Elizabeth Rine and Tracey Bates (Wellington) powered through securing second place (9:15.76) with Kaezi Reade and Alana Butler (Clifton) and North Shore fighting it out for third place. In the end, Clifton took it away (9:30.55), with North Shore securing fourth place and a spot in the semi-finals despite experiencing steering difficulties.
The men's club coxless quad sculls first repechage also made for great viewing with a very close fight for second place. Jason Nel, Patrick Griffin, Rokko Lassey and Edward Clarkson of Cambridge took first place in a time of 6:52.09, with Waikato and Avon battling it out for second place. Despite Waikato lifting at the 1750m mark, Avon secured second (6:53.78) and Waikato placed third (6:56.01). Repechage two saw Callum O'Connor, Caleb Turnbull, Jake Haywood and Hayden Milne (Waihopai) take first place in a time of 6:56.76 with Aramoho Whanganui (7:00.45) and West End (7:03.02) taking second and third place respectively. All six crews move on to the final.
The repechage for the women's club single sculls saw Stephanie Kidner (Te Awamutu) comfortably secure the top spot in a time of 9:25.82, while North End (9:32.29) and Hawkes Bay (9:38.04) seized second and third place respectively.
Mahe Drysdale and Stephen Jones (Auckland RPC) raced in the men's premier coxless pair repechage, securing first place in a time of 7:05.97. Michael Brake and Cameron Webster, also of Auckland RPC, took second place in 7:07.33 and Martyn O'Leary and Patrick McInnes of Waikato RPC were close behind for third place in 7:09.61. Despite a strong crowd of Irish supporters on the banks, Shane O'Driscoll and Mark O'Donovan of Skibbereen Rowing Club Ireland placed a disappointing fifth in a time of 7:11.47. Two Auckland and two Waikato RPC crews move on to the final.
Anna Gallaher and Leen Gorissen (Waikato) offered a strong, united front in the women's club coxless pair repechage , crossing the line first and 7 seconds ahead of second place, Waihopai (8:11.62) and West End came in third with a time of 8:13.32.
The men's club coxed four provided strong competition. A force to be reckoned with, repechage one saw Erik Koefoed, Blake Koefoed, Hamish Horne, Cameron Patten and Harry Molloy (cox) of West End fighting strongly to take first place in a time of 6:53.95 with Avon placing second in 6:58.77. Waikato struggled to maintain third place in the last 250m in a surprise sprint race bought on by an advance from Hawkes Bay, but ultimately secured the spot in 7:01.03. In repechage two, the first three boats to finish were reasonably clear of the rest of the field. Sam Cook, Heath MacEwan, Ali Henderson, Brooklyn Elliot and Jakeb Stent (cox) of Waikato finished first in a time of 6:57.37. Wellington's Star Boating Club composite placed second (6:59.81) and a second Waikato crew secured third place (7:01.87) with the first three crews in each race moving into the final.
Three crews were eliminated from the women's senior coxless pair across two repechage races. Claudia Mecchia and Danika Caton (Waikato) secured the top spot in repechage one by a matter of milliseconds, finishing in a time of 7:43.11, just ahead of St Pauls Collegiate who crossed the finish line at 7:43.42. Wellington also move forward to the finals. In repechage two, Stefanie Baker-Burns and Anna Delong (North Shore) had a comfortable finish securing first place in 7:42.78. Whangarei (7:54.42) and Star Boating (8:02.30) placed second and third respectively.
The men's club single sculls drew a strong crowd interest across three repechages. Eamon Power (Wairau) won repechage one in 8:19.07, followed close behind by Whangarei (8:19.22). Only a millisecond separated third place Auckland (8:36.07) from Cambridge (8:36.08). Repechage two was a close battle between the first three boats to cross the finish line, with a strong South Island lead of Matthew Rae of Ashburton taking first place (8:08.80) and Oamaru taking second (8:11.43). Cambridge crossed third in a time of 8:15.33. Liam Cox of Clifton dominated repechage three, crossing the line first in 8:07.73, well ahead of the next two boats. A battle ensued for second place between Timaru and Ashburton, with Timaru taking the spot in 8:17.77, and Ashburton taking third place in 8:23.54.
The first women's premier single sculls repechage proved to be another tight race with Jackie Kiddle (Central RPC) crossing the line first at 8:20.26 with Luka Ellery of Waikato RPC crossing over ahead of Amy Robson of Auckland RPC (8:23.65 and 8:34.61 respectively). The second repechage was a faster race, with the first three boats finishing before Kiddle's time. Zoe McBride of Central RPC came out ahead in a time of 8:02.63, with Sam Voss of Waikato RPC (8:07.35) and Amy Mills of Auckland RPC (8:15.44) taking second and third place respectively.
Skibbereen Rowing Club Ireland made a comeback in the men's premier single sculls with Paul O'Donovan finishing the first repechage at 7:23.32, 7 seconds ahead of the Southern RPC second place John Storey (7:30.72). Both move into the A final. Repechage two saw a strong performance from Waikato RPC, with Jordan Parry and Joshua Earl also moving into the A final with a time of 7:18.59 and 7:27.13 respectively.
Semi-finals begin tomorrow in an expected break of fine weather.