Mainland medals for Wairau crews

Marlborough rowers returned from last weekend's South Island Club Championships at Lake Ruataniwha “feeling sore, tired and extremely proud”.

Rowing in the Wairau Rowing Club’s colours, a large contingent of students from MGC and MBC were kept busy over the two days, many earning coveted spots in A finals.

The Marlborough Girls’ College contingent contested 16 finals on day two, producing plenty of excitement, some encouraging performances and three medals.

Leading the way were Anna Hurren and Paige Wentworth who took out the gold medal in the club coxless pair, prevailing by nearly two seconds in a determined finish.

Bronze medals were claimed by Maggie Clark, Casey Twidle, Ruby Lindstrom, Kate Young and coxswain Hayley Sutherland in the women’s intermediate coxed four, plus the under-16 coxed four of Charlie Bennett, Maisie Shenfield, Poppy Fernandez, Emma Eyles and Hayley Sutherland.

Other notable finishes came from the U17 coxed eight who finished fourth in the A final, especially as this is an U16 crew, plus the novice double of Lena Bailey and Julie Mackay who placed third in the B final.

Also impressing were the intermediate coxed quad of Hana Sluiter, Michelle Ponder-West, Libby Pitts, Isla Muir and Molly Hoban, who came fourth in the B final; the intermediate coxed four of Poppy Fernandez, Amelia Hardy, Libby Pitts, Emma Eyles and Elijah Flight, who raced to fourth in their A final; plus the novice coxed quad combination of Georgina Musgove, Lena Bailey, Laura Anderson, Julie Mackay and Annabel Rea, second in their B final.

The MBC contingent also struck gold, the men’s club quad of Aidan Bennett, Zac Jenkins, Logan Flight and Hunter Marfell winning both their heat and the final in impressive fashion. The same lads claimed silver in the men’s club four.

Also bagging silver was the men’s intermediate coxed quad of Blake Marfell, Ollie Saggers, Max Skehan, Tom Dunn and cox Harry McKendry, plus the boys U15 coxed quad comprising Saggers, Billy Hurren, Sam Shenfield, Nico Bailey and McKendry. Picking up a bronze medal was the men’s novice coxed four of Isaac Coleman, Max Skehan, Ned Bowron, Cooper Murray and Dion Crafar.

MBC coach Clayton Lindstrom said the club quad’s efforts were impressive, the gold coming on the back of a tight turnaround between a fourth placing in the premier pair (Bennett and Jenkins), and a silver medal in the club four, stretching the endurance of the quartet to the limit.

Clayton also mentioned the second-placed under-15 quad, who “were looking really promising”.

“We have one guy who has been rowing for a year, the rest are novices”, he added.

He rated the under-17 quad and four crews as “unlucky”, suggesting, “I have high hopes for them over the next month or so”.

“Overall, I am really happy with the results overall – last year we came away from the South Islands with no medals, this time we got five.”

Next stop for the young rowers is the South Island Secondary Schools regatta in Twizel 5-8 March, followed by the big one – the Maadi Cup regatta, also at Twizel, from 23-28 March. The men’s club quad will travel to the national champs in a few weeks.

Wairau results

Medals

Women’s club coxless pair (A Hurren, P Wentworth) GOLD

Men’s club quad (A Bennett, Z Jenkins, L Flight, H Marfell) GOLD

Men’s club four (A Bennett, Z Jenkins, L Flight, H Marfell) SILVER

Men’s intermediate coxed quad (B Marfell, O Saggers, M Skehan, T Dunn, H McKendry) SILVER

Boys U15 coxed quad (O Saggers, W Hurren, S Shenfield, N Bailey, H McKendry) SILVER

Girls U16 coxed four (C Bennett, M Shenfield, P Fernandez, E Eyles, H Sutherland) BRONZE

Women’s intermediate coxed four (M Clark, C Twidle, R Lindstrom, K Young, H Sutherland) BRONZE

Men’s novice coxed four (I Coleman, M Skehan, N Bowron, C Murray, D Crafar) BRONZE

A finals

Girls U15 coxed quad (M Clark, L Bailey, M Neylon, J Mackay, A Rea) 10th

Women’s senior single (Grace Straker) 4th

Boys U15 octuple sculls (L Planthaber, W Hurren, H Spencer, S Shenfield, N Bailey, M Campbell, F Mehrtens, G Hoban, E Flight) 6^th

Girls U17 coxed eight (C Bennett, M Shenfield, R Lindstrom, D Lindstrom, C Spencer, C Twidle, P Fernandez, E Eyles, H Sutherland) 4^th

Boys U17 coxed four (M McLeod, J Taylor, J Englefield, P Girling, H McKendry) 5^th

Boys U17 coxed quad (M McLeod, B Marfell, J Englefield, P Girling, H McKendry) 7^th

Men’s premier pair (A Bennett, Z Jenkins) 4^th

Men’s U19 coxed four (H Marfell, L Flight, J Taylor, B Pitts, E Flight) 5^th

Women’s club coxless quad (C Bennett, A Hurren, T Rose Locke, P Wentworth) 9^th

Women’s intermediate coxed quad (C Twidle, P Fernandez, A Hardy, K Young, H Sutherland) 5^th

Men’s intermediate coxed four (B Marfell, B Pitts, I Coleman, T Dunn, D Crafar) 4^th

Boys U15 double (O Saggers, W Hurren) 4^th

Women’s U19 coxed four (C Spencer, D Lindstrom, A Hurren, P Wentworth, M Hoban) 6^th

Men’s novice coxed quad (I Coleman, M Skehan, W Hurren, N Bowron, E Flight) 6^th

Women’s intermediate single (M Ponder-West) 7^th

Women’s club coxless four (A Hurren, C Spencer, P Wentworth, T Rose Locke) 5^th

Girls U16 coxed four (R Lindstrom, D Lindstrom, D Clark, K Young, M Hoban) 5^th

Men’s novice coxed eight (I Coleman, M Skehan, N Bowron, C Murray, F Mehrtens, M Campbell, G Hoban, H Siriwardhana, E Flight)