 “Elliott Jenkins was the guy to beat. He set the fastest times in the heats. I hadn’t raced him until the final, but I knew when I did I had to go full-tilt from the start and make him stress.” Bradley Leydon explains of his strategy before the Under-18 Singles sculls final at the Maadi Cup regatta.
Such an assertive strategy won Leydon the Charlie Stapp Trophy by nearly four seconds. “I went as hard as I could over the first 250 and managed to get a good lead. He gained half a length at the 750, but I dug deep and held on. Elliott is a great rower. I am stoked with the result.” Leydon enthuses. Later Leydon was at it again in the under-18 double sculls, claiming the bronze alongside Lochie Bain. Such success seemed unlikely four years ago when a clueless Leydon joined the sport. “I couldn’t tell you why I took up rowing. It was four years ago and I went down to the Otago Rowing Club looking for something to do. I am a border from Wakatipu so I guess I wanted to make some new friends and it’s grown from there.” Leydon says. This leisurely approach didn’t last long. After a period of trial and error in the under-15 and 16 seasons, Leydon struck medals at Maadi in 2016. “I won bronze in the Under-17 single and double sculls. I won the doubles with my mate Alex Timmins. It was then I thought I could take this seriously, even more so when I realised the top two single scullers from 2016 were leaving school.” Leydon reveals. In order to become top dog himself, Leydon was forced to overhaul his entire technique. “My coach Jock Jolly noticed a lot of flaws in my technique which were holding me back. He basically taught me how to row again. I competed for the Wakatipu Rowing Club in the lead up to Maadi just to get more time on the water.” Leydon admits. Leydon won the South Island title and his performance at Maadi has earned him selection for the New Zealand Junior squad. “I fly up to Cambridge on Friday for a four day camp. It’s going to be intense, but I can’t wait. I would sit in any boat if I had a silver fern on my chest.” Leydon says. A good performance in Cambridge could lead to international meets. Leydon is also in contention for a scholarship to Harvard University in the US. “It’s pretty prestigious and competitive the US University since. There are more Kiwis going over there so it would be great to have a chance at that.” explains. Impressively Leydon, a former basketball and rugby player, has overcome injured knee ligaments to flourish in rowing. In the little spare time he has Leydon enjoys photography.  The New Zealand Junior Rowing Team is coming home with one silver medal and some valuable racing experience from the World Rowing Junior Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. The junior champions for 2017 were decided today on the waters of Lake Galve, including three New Zealand crews facing A finals and three facing B finals. The junior men’s four asserted themselves as the second-fastest in the world with a confident silver-medal performance. Daniel Williamson, Thomas Russel, Matthew Macdonald and Ben Taylor were strong contenders after a solid performance in yesterday’s semi-final. Today Great Britain dominated the race to take gold, but New Zealand stayed calm and collected to maintain their silver medal position down the course.  New Zealand stayed hot on the heels of the British, winding the pace up in the last 250 metres and leaving Romania and Croatia tussling for bronze. Romania eventually managed to get one up on Croatia to round out the podium. “We just said go in the last 500 metres. They (Great Britain) are a class crew, and this is a really special environment.” said crew member Matthew Macdonald, who is competing at the championships for the first time. The nerves were high in the men’s pair A final, with a false start from Sardor Tulkinkhujaev and Alisher Turdiev of Uzbekistan forcing a restart. New Zealand’s Sam Jones and James Hall finished fifth in the hotly-contested event. Jones and Hall started conservatively while Stefan Constantin-Berariu and Florin-Sorin Lehaci of Romania, brothers Patrik and Anton Loncaric of Croatia and Turkey’s Ayden Sahin and Ismail Ali Bekiroglu made a breakaway. Unable to bridge the gap, Jones and Hall were fourth equal with Uzbekistan at the 1500 metre mark but were beaten to the line by less than a second. Croatia took gold, Romania silver and Turkey claimed bronze. Grace Loveridge, Kate Haines, Grace Watson and Kate Littlejohn finished the regatta as the sixth fastest junior women’s four in the world. The four couldn’t quite match the absolutely rocketing pace in the A final, hanging on gallantly but unable to move up through the field despite best efforts. Croatia won gold with a commanding lead while Romania held second for silver and USA took bronze.  Single sculler Bradley Leydon finished his world championship campaign with a sixth place in the B final
Leydon charged out of the blocks, leading in the first half of the race before running out of gas and dropping back through the field. Janis Timbors of Latvia claimed the victory with Jonas Juel of Norway in second and Fabian Baranski of Poland in third. Grace Holland and Rosie Ireland put in a powerful sprint finish to claim fifth in the women’s pair B final. Rachel Heap and Celia Matthews of Great Britain took a convincing win, followed by Belarus and the USA. Holland and Ireland dug deep at the 1000 metre mark to move from sixth to fifth and put in an impressive sprint on the line, finishing in a time of 8:08.50. Finn Jenkins, Mark Taylor, Luke Brady and Sam Monkley took sixth place in the men’s quadruple sculls B final. The New Zealanders were sitting in fourth place at the 500 metre mark but by the mid way point all crews were within a length and a half of each other and the fight to the line was on. It looked to be anyone’s race with crews ramping up the ratings in a final bid for victory however USA snatched the win in 6:17.89 with the Czech Republic taking second and Australia third. The regatta concludes the season for the New Zealand Junior Rowing Team, who will now return to New Zealand before the domestic season begins later in the year. Full results are available at worldrowing.com 6/8/2017 Finals line up confirmed Three New Zealand crews will race for world championship honours at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Lithuania. The final line ups were confirmed after a thrilling day of semi-final racing on Lake Galve in Trakai. With crews needing a top-three finish to secure a berth in the medal race the pressure was on and the pace was high. Sam Jones and James Hall fought their way into the A final after a very tight men's pair semi-final which saw less than a second separating second and fourth. Romania took a comfortable win while New Zealand, Uzbekistan and Italy were all bowball to bowball coming in to the finish. Jones and Hall managed to nudge ahead to take second while Uzbekistan forced Italy into the B final by claiming third. The women's four will also race for a medal in tomorrow’s A final following a third place finish in their semi-final.  Grace Loveridge, Kate Haines, Grace Watson and Kate Littlejohn crossed the line just behind China and the USA in a sensational race. The New Zealanders held off a flying charge for the line from Great Britain to retain third place, with just 0.6 seconds separating the two boats. The men's four of Daniel Williamson, Thomas Russel, Matthew Macdonald and Ben Taylor will also face an A final after a comfortable and confident second place in their semi-final. For the length of the course the four put pressure on leaders Great Britain with a clear water advantage ahead of third place Germany. Britain claimed the win a canvas ahead of New Zealand and Germany retained third. Bradley Leydon will line up in the men's single sculls B final after finishing sixth in his semi-final. Moritz Wolff of Germany shot into the lead and left the rest of the field scrambling to chase down the course. Leydon started conservatively in fourth place but couldn't hold the pace and dropped behind the field to cross the line in sixth. Grace Holland and Rosie Ireland faced a tough women's pair semi-final, also finishing in sixth place. The Greek pair of Margarita Geogoudi and Christina Boumpou were untouchable, powering down the course to take a convincing win with Germany and Lithuania taking the other A final berths.  Holland and Ireland will contend tomorrow's B final.
It was a fast and furious race in the men's quad semi-final. Finn Jenkins, Mark Taylor, Luke Brady and Sam Monkley slipped from fourth to fifth as frontrunners Switzerland unleashed a blistering performance. Italy and Denmark rounded out the top three. The fifth place finish means the New Zealanders will contest the B final tomorrow. Gus Olifiers and Manawa McLaughlin concluded their world championship campaign with a sixth place finish in the men's double sculls C final. The duo were the fastest crew in the C/D semi-final earlier in the day but couldn't find the same speed in the flying final won by local favourites Titas Masanauskas and Paulius Cernevicius. Olifiers and McLaughlin crossed the line in a time of 6:53.180. Veronica Wall and Sydney Johnson finished a very tight women's double sculls C final in sixth place with a time of 7:31.82. Wall and Johnson held a strong mid-field position down the course but a late dash for the finish line saw them overtaken by the USA and Denmark. Skyla Froebel and Taylor McCarthy-Smith of Australia claimed the win in a time of 7:24.250. Racing concludes tomorrow with A and B finals. Full results, schedule and live commentary at worldrowing.com  The New Zealand Junior Rowing Team will compete at the Junior World Rowing Championships, beginning tonight (NZT) in Trakai, Lithuania.The team includes 21 athletes in eight crews. Six of these athletes are returning rowers from the 2016 Junior Team who bring valuable experience to their crews. The regatta runs from 2 - 6 August on Lake Galve, Trakai. Lake Galve was the host of the 2013 Junior World Rowing Championships, and the 2012 Under 23 World Rowing Championships.  New Zealand Junior Rowing Team 2017, to attend the World Junior Rowing Championships Lake Galve, Trakai, Lithuania 2 - 6 August 2017 Junior Women's Coxless Four Kate Littlejohn Grace Watson Kate Haines Grace Loveridge Nick Barton (coach) Junior Women's Double Scull Veronica Wall Sydney Johnson Bruce Jones (coach) Reserve Junior Women's Coxless Pair Rosie Ireland Grace Holland Nick Barton (coach) Junior Men's Quadruple Scull Sam Monkley Luke Brady Mark Taylor Finn Jenkins Ian Bright (coach)  Junior Men's Coxless Four Ben Taylor Matt Macdonald Thomas Russel Daniel Williamson Tony O'Connor (coach) Junior Men's Coxless Pair James Hall Samuel Jones Tony O'Connor (coach) Men's Single Scull Bradley Leydon Bruce Jones (coach) Reserve Junior Men's Double Scull Gus Olifiers Manawa Mclaughlin Ian Bright (coach) Team Manager Janey Wackrow  Kate Littlejohn on right and Grace Watson on the left. Rowing or netball? Netball or rowing? Until recently, year 13 St Paul’s Collegiate School student Kate Littlejohn has juggled both at the same time to a high level.
But her recent selection in the New Zealand team for the Junior Rowing World Cup in Lithuania from 2-6 August means she is prioritising the water over the court over the next couple of months at least. As well as rowing, Kate is one of New Zealand’s leading secondary school netballers, having been selected earlier this year in the NZSS netball squad and until recently - when she had to pull out - was in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Beko Development League squad. “This year I have done the seasons backwards, I was playing netball through the summer and now I will be rowing though the netball season,” she told College Sport Media. “I’m training for rowing at the moment. We go into camp on 28 May at Karapiro and then start preparing for the Junior World Cup.” Kate will be in the Junior Women’s Coxless Four in Lithuania. Kate is in the stroke seat setting the tempo and the pace with her St Paul’s Collegiate teammate Grace Watson, Kate Haines from Auckland Dio, and Grace Loveridge from Christchurch Girls’ High School all behind her. Kate, who started rowing in year 10 and was sculling last season, qualified for the Junior World Cup following trials and after a fantastic Maadi Cup as part of the St Paul’s Girls U18 pair, the Girls U18 four and the Girls U18 eight. “We won the four and won bronzes in both the pair and the eight.” Grace, who is also in the NZSS netball squad, was Kate’s partner in the pair and also in all three boats. St Paul’s punched well above their weight at the Maadi Cup. “The little story behind that is that St Paul’s has a very small rowing squad, We only have 13 rowers, four of whom are novices [first season rowers], so for us to have an eight in the pinnacle event and then to medal is pretty cool.” The winning team that won the coxed four Dawn Cup at Maadi Cup was Kate, Grace, Olivia Warlow, Jasmine Fountaine and cox Victoria Chanwai. They beat second placed Nelson School for Girls by over 3 seconds, with 2016 winners Diocesan School for Girls in third. James Stevenson was the Dawn Cup-winning St Paul's coach, while Nick Barton was the St Paul's head coach and also coaches the Junior World Cup coxless four crew. The NSSS netball team gets named in July, following the NZ U17 Championships. Kate said she has still made herself available despite not being in a position to put herself in front of the selectors. “When we return from Lithuania I’ll be concentrating on netball again and hopefully help my school team qualify for the NZSS Netball Championships for the first time.” Last year St Paul’s finished ninth at the Upper North Island Championships, the top six qualifying for the nationals. “That was the highest that St Paul’s has finished. It was a bit disappointing but we had a tough draw playing three of the top four teams, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, Rotorua Girls’ High School and Saint Kentigern College.” They only lost to St Kent’s by two goals, who went on to win the national title in Lower Hutt in October. “This year we have relatively the same team, so things are looking promising.” Kate’s position is goal defence/goal keep, while Grace is at the other end of the court at goal attack/goal shoot. How do the two sports relate to each other? “The team aspect is huge in both sports. I find that particularly in rowing where you have to work together in order to move the boat fast. In netball there is an aspect of it that is individual like shooting the goals or chasing the intercepts, but in rowing you must work as a team to win.” Do the two sports complement each other in training? “I found that because I was doing mostly netball throughout the recent rowing season I had to learn to cross train. So effectively it’s the netball training that got me now to where I am in rowing.” Academically, Kate prefers the science and maths subjects in class. She isn’t sure of what she’s going to be doing next year when she finishes school, but there’s a fairly good chance much of her time will be spent either on the water or on the court. To help fund their trip to Lithuania, Kate and Grace have set up a Givealittle fundraising page at: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/graceandkate 2/5/2017 NZ Junior Rowing Team 2017 Named PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR The New Zealand Junior Team to attend the Junior World Rowing Championships in Trakai, Lithuania, has been announced.
New Zealand Junior Rowing Team To attend Junior World Rowing Championships Trakai, Lithuania 2-6 August 2017 Junior Women’s Coxless Four Kate Littlejohn, St Pauls Collegiate Grace Watson, St Pauls Collegiate Kate Haines, Diocesan School for Girls Grace Loveridge, Christchurch Girls High School Nick Barton (coach) Junior Women’s Double Scull Veronica Wall, Ashburton Rowing Club Sydney Johnson, St Peters School Bruce Jones (coach) Reserve Junior Women’s Coxless Pair Rosie Ireland, Diocesan School for Girls Grace Holland, Tauranga Girls College Nick Barton (coach) Junior Men’s Quad Scull Sam Monkley, Cambridge Rowing Club (Waikato RPC) Luke Brady, Nelson College Mark Taylor, Oamaru Rowing Club (Southern RPC) Finn Jenkins, Whakatane High School Ian Bright (coach) Junior Men’s Coxless Four Ben Taylor, St Andrews College Matt Macdonald, Auckland Grammar Rowing Club (Auckland RPC) Thomas Russel, St Andrews College Daniel Williamson, Kings College Tony O’Connor (coach) Junior Men’s Coxless Pair James Hall, Kings College Samuel Jones, Westlake Boys High School Tony O’Connor (coach) Men’s Single Scull Bradley Leydon, John McGlashan College Bruce Jones (coach) Reserve Junior Men’s Double Scull Gus Olifiers, Trident High School Manawa Mclaughlin, New Plymouth Boys High School Ian Bright (coach) Team Manager Janey Wackrow  PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE MCARTHUR St Andrew’s College on their way to winning gold in the boy’s under-18 coxed eight. Ben Taylor (stroke), Zackary Rumble, Thomas Russel, Mitchell White, Sam Paterson, Oliver Bailey, Flynn Dijkstra, Hamish Veitch + Tom Flavill (cox) "It was pretty emotional. The First XV and pipe band met us at the airport on Sunday to perform a haka and yesterday at Assembly the entire school did the haka. It's pretty special to win Maadi for the first time in our 100th year." Ben Taylor acclaims of St. Andrew's College’s (STAC) rowing success.
The likelihood of such a spectacular outcome appeared unlikely until only recently Taylor admits. "Last year we made the final which was our goal, but the quality of the North Island boats was a big wake up call. We started this season a bit ropey, but winning the South Island champs and finishing second to Hawke's Bay at club Nationals was a huge step forward for us," he says. A month before the regatta St. Andrew's was training 11 times a week. The morning sessions on the Avon River where all the leading Christchurch contenders, including defending champions Christ's College, assembled were particularly beneficial. "We would start at 7:30am and miss the first two periods of school. Generally we would concentrate on our own things, but there was a bit of rivalry and we had a good relationship with the Christchurch Boys' crew." Taylor reveals. Taylor is the stroke of the boat, determining the timing of the paddlers and communicating regularly with the coxswain. St. Andrew's plan was clear and well rehearsed before the race and the weather conditions proved favourable at Lake Karapiro. "There was a little head wind which would favour the heavier crews of which we were one. Our strategy was to try and get a good start and win each 500 metres. We managed to win the first 500 which was the best possible start." Taylor explains. Predictably Christ's rallied and St. Andrew's fell a canvas behind with 600-metres to go. With 300-metres left it was time to make a move. Taylor captures the climax. "We had no choice but to up the stroke rating to full speed. It was a really close race. Only five seconds separated the first five boats. We edged Christ's College and Hamilton Boys' in third." In addition to winning the Maadi Cup, Ben was stroke on the Under-18 coxless fours winning boat. For the first time in 34 years St. Andrew's won the prestigious Springbok Shield and Ben emulated his father Andrew Taylor in winning that prize. "That was a real special win for us because we have been together our whole time at school. Dad is the reason I got into rowing so to do something he did is awesome." Taylor says. In winter Taylor plays rugby and was a lock in the St. Andrew's First XV last year. His place in the 2017 team will be determined by his performance in the New Zealand Junior rowing trials. Rugby is another sport that has given Taylor a significant national trophy. He was involved in the St. Andrew's Development XV which won the Moascar Cup off Scots College by 20-10 in 2015. "We found out about a month before the match we could be playing for the Moascar Cup. None of us really knew what it was until an Old Boy visited the school and explained its significance. We got pretty excited after that." Taylor recalls. St. Andrew's managed to retain the Cup for two defences in 2016 before relinquishing it against Timaru Boys' High School in an ultimately disappointing season. Taylor is hopeful for brighter things. "We've got all the forwards returning plus some good backs. Last year we lacked a bit of experience so I think we will be stronger." Taylor concludes.  A huge congratulations to the boys and girls selected to attend the junior trial. Has been a huge week at Maadi and this is a great step for so many young aspiring Olympic Rowers.
Girls Clora Quinlan-Thompson, Columba College Gabrielle Hannen, Nelson College for Girls Grace Watson, St Paul's Collegiate Grace Wilson, Ashburton College/ Ashburton Rowing Club Grace Holland, Tauranga Girls College Grace Loveridge, Christchurch Girls' High School Isla Blake, Hamilton Rowing Club/ Waikato RPC Kate Haines, Diocesan School for Girls Kate Littlejohn, St Pauls Collegiate Laura Feinson, St Oran's Lower Hutt Laura Pinnell, Christchurch Girls' High School Madeline Parker, Huanui College Mahalia Shand, Nelson College for Girls Olivia Hughes, St Margarets College Penny Young, Villa Maria College/ Ashburton Rowing Club Rebeka Frood, Tauranga Girls College Rosie Ireland, Diocesan School for Girls Sophia Meldrum, Baradene College Sydney Johnson, St Peter's School Cambridge Veronica Wall, Ashburton College/ Ashburton Rowing Club Boys Ben Taylor, St Andrews College Bradley Leydon, John McGlashan College Cole Brann, Saint Kentigern College Daniel Ward, Wellington Rowing Club/Central RPC Daniel Williamson, Kings College Elliott Jenkins, Whakatane High School Ethan Blight, St Kentigern College Fergus Ritchie, Lindisfarne College Finn Jenkins,Whakatane High School Gus Olifiers, Trident High School Jacob Jones, Westlake Boys High School James Hall, Kings College Joshua Wade, Christs College Liam Zinzley, Sacred Heart College Auckland Luca Kirwan, Sacred Heart College Auckland Luke Brady, Nelson College Manawa Mclaughlin, New Plymouth Boys High School Mark Taylor, Oamaru Rowing Club/Southern RPC Matt MacDonald, Auckland Grammar Rowing Club/Auckland RPC Mitchell White, St Andrews College Regan Bernasconi, Pukekohe High School Sam Monkley, Cambridge Rowing Club/Waikato RPC Samuel Jones, Westlake Boys High School Thomas Russel, St Andrews College Thomas Woelders, Christchurch Boys High School Zackary Rumble, St Andrews College  Photo credit: Steve McArthur/RowingNZSt Andrews College's under-18 coxed eight celebrate after winning the Maadi Cup On a day when the sport paid tribute to former Olympic champion and large-than-life rowing personality Dudley Storey, the crews did not disappoint on a thrilling final day of action at the 2017 Aon Maadi Cup on Lake Karapiro. St Andrews College made history in a rip-roaring battle for the 2017 Maadi Cup by clinching their maiden victory in the iconic race. Yesterday their "awesome foursome" crushed the opposition to land the Springbok Shield and with all five triumphant crew members returning to bolster the eights the "Scotsmen of the South" delivered in the marquee event. St Andrews held a third-of-a-length lead at 1000m but leading into the final quarter Christ’s College had inched ahead and the defending champions appeared poised for victory. Yet somehow they responded to haul themselves past Christ's College to pulled off an historic 0.98 second victory from Christ's - the 11-time former champions - who on this occasion had to settle for silver. Bronze went to Hamilton Boys High - the winners of the Star Trophy as most successful overall school in the regatta - in 6:04.41. Today, however, was all about St Andrews and their momentous success. St Andrews coach Dale Maher was elated at their success and added of the winning crew: "We have a stern four (who won yesterday';s Springbok Shield) who are so strong and passionate and dare I say it, mongrels. Seven of them have been together since they were 15, they have a real bond and would do anything for each other. As a coach, all I need to do is gel them together. "I started to falter a little bit at 1500m because with you can never underestimate a Christ's crew. This is huge (for the school). It is the first time we've had an extremely competitive eight and the first time we've won Maadi. I don't think the boys have quite realised yet what they have done." Surprisingly St Andrews were only a "third priority boat" as recently as January behind the four and the pair but after the crew "pulled out a blinder" at the South Island Secondary Schools Championships this changed the school's thinking. Diocesan School for Girls mounted a perfectly timed successful defence of the Levin Jubilee Cup with a performance forged in sheer class. The Auckland-based school trailed St Margarets by a canvas at the 1500m mark but a searing late push for the line delivered a momentous victory by a margin of exactly three seconds in a time of 6:55.09. In a spellbinding final, early leaders St Paul's Collegiate - winners of yesterday's Dawn Cup - held on in lane eight by a brave bronze in 6.58.81. Yet today was once more all about Diocesan School for Girls who 12 months ago claimed their maiden Levin Jubilee Cup. Triumphant Diocesan School for Girls head coach Rachel Williams was elated with the successful defence. "I was excited for the girls because they just nailed that race. When we let them go in the boat park they were in the best head space I'd seen them all season and I knew they had it in the last 500m. "Winning today was just as good (as last year). In 2016 we went the season undefeated, but this time we've only won three times - at North Islands, in the heats and today because all summer we've been struggling to find the right combination. I would say winning this year is equally as good it is just we have taken two different paths for the same result." Stupendous sculler Veronica Wall completed the "awesome foursome" today with victory in the under-18 single sculls and quadruple sculls earning her a magnificent four gold medal haul. The Ashburton College student who at the 2016 edition of the Maadi Cup also banked four gold medals once more served notice of a superstar potential. After yesterday claiming wins in the under-18 double sculls and under-17 single sculls. She opened her quest today with an utterly dominant display in the under-18 single sculls final as she stopped the clock in an impressive 7:50.28. In the race for the minor medals, Sydney Johnson of St Peters School claimed silver in 8:02.35 with Ruby Leverington third in 8:06.84. Later Wall showed her versatility in the quad sculls final to stroke the crew, which also contained Olivia Gibson, Grace Wilson, Mollie Gibson and cox Emma Jansen, to the gold medal. Taking the initiative in the second quarter the race victory then became a mere formality as Ashburton College crossed the line first in 7:10.26. Behind, Tauranga Girls College (7;14.67) earned silver with Nelson College for Girls out in lane eight picking up bronze in 7:16.62. An elated Wall said of her efforts this week: "It's awesome, there was definitely added pressure from last year. I’ve been around at Maadi for four years and it was definitely good to come here and finish it off. I've had some really good experiences at Maadi." Kings College capped a medal-laden regatta with gold in the under-17 quad sculls - the day after the same crew triumphed in the under-18 equivalent. In one of the most predictable results of the week the Kings quintet - complete with bucket hats - of James Hall, Daniel Williamson, Sam Cummins, Matt Caro and cox Alex Sutcliffe proved far too strong to claim a comfortable win in 6:43.44. Behind, Shirley Boys High produced a highly creditable performance to claim silver in 6:46.92 while in a desperate scrap for bronze a late surge by Cambridge High School left Roncalli College a heartbroken fourth – the crews separated by just 0.15. It was a particularly sweet regatta for Hall and Williamson, who also landed gold in the under-18 pairs and under-18 quads, to both secure triple gold plus a bronze in the coxed four. The President's Scull, awarded to the top sculling school, went to St Peter’s School in Cambridge, while Hamilton Boys High took out both the Executive Cup for the top sweep oar school as well as the Star Trophy. A full wrap of the final day's highlights is available at www.maadi.co.nz Full results can be viewed at www.rowit.co.nz  photo credit Steve McArthur/RowingNZ - Auckland Diocesan School claim the Levin Jubilee Cup for the second year running 31/3/2017 Fireworks at Maadi Finals Saint Andrews College claim their first Springbok Shield victory in 34 years. Photo credit: Steve McArthur/RowingNZ There were plenty of fireworks on the first day of finals at the 2017 Aon Maadi Cup.
Perfect rowing conditions greeted athletes hoping to snare one of the prestigious medals up for grabs at New Zealand's largest rowing regatta. The action-packed day of racing also saw two of the premier trophies awarded, the Dawn Cup and the Springbok Shield for the under-18 coxed quad. St Paul's Collegiate struck a blow for the small schools to clinch their maiden Dawn Cup victory with a dazzling display to conclude a mouthwatering first finals day. The Hamilton-based school, who only have approximately 150 female students to draw from, were rewarded for an aggressive and fully-committed display to cross the line first in the coxed four event in 7:15.52, defeating silver medallists Nelson School for Girls by an impressive 3.40 seconds. Putting up a stout defence of their title Diocesan School for Girls wound up in bronze in 6:20.07 but today was all about the performance of stroke Grace Watson, Kate Littlejohn, Olivia Warlow, Jasmine Fountaine and cox Victoria Chanwai. Watson, who is only a second season rower and a New Zealand Secondary Schools netball representative, said in the wake of winning: "It's unexplainable. It's amazing. We just wanted to do the best we could, we knew we had a chance if we pulled off the best performance of our life and I think it's safe to say we did." St Andrews College claimed their first Springbok Shield success for 34 years to provide a rousing finale to the boys' action on first finals day at the 2017 Aon Maadi Cup. The Christchurch-based team of Ben Taylor, Zackary Rumble, Mitchell White, Thomas Russel and cox Tom Flavill lived up to their pre-race billing as overwhelming favourites to produce an imperious performance and maintain a stunning three-year unbeaten run as a crew in the coxed quad. Bursting out to a full-length lead after just 250m it was then a demonstration as St Andrews produced one of the all-time great Springbok Shield performances to win by a huge margin of more than seven-and-a-half seconds in 6:33.82. For stroke Ben Taylor it was an unforgettable moment after his father, Andrew, featured in the previous St Andrews Springbok Shield-winning crew in 1983. "It was pretty big for me and definitely emotional," said Ben. "We were pleased with the heats and we just wanted to back that up and put in a performance. We have been together for fourth seasons and we have worked hard for this." In a tight scrap for silver, Westlake Boys (6:41.57) edged St Kentigern's College in the all Auckland battle by 0.93 to complete the podium positions. With her outstanding haul of four gold medals at the 2016 Maadi Cup Veronica Wall was the star of the show 12 months ago and the Ashburton College once more excelled to claiming double gold on first finals day of the 2017 edition. Wall, who made history last year by claiming an unprecedented under-16, under-17 and under-18 single sculls treble plus coxed four gold, started her day by winning the under-18 double sculls alongside Grace Wilson. The gold medal-winning duo were prepared to play the waiting game before powering past St Peter's School with 300m remaining to clinch a comfortable win in 7:29.44. St Peter's had the consolation of silver in 7:33.67 with Tauranga Girls third (7:38.88). Wall later completed her golden double by securing a routine victory in the under-17 single sculls by a monster margin of more than nine seconds. For the first half of the race Kathryn Glen of Villa Maria College bravely challenged, before Wall, powered by her long rhythmic stroke, eased clear to win 8:09:23. Glen earned the consolation of silver with bronze bagged by Andrea Fick of Westlake Girls (8:23.62). "It's been a really good day," said Wall at the halfway stage of her quest to win four medals. "It was definitely nerve-wracking today. My double partner, Grace, and I have been racing since we were novices and we really wanted to go out there and row well. "There was some pressure because my name is out there, but I'm comfortable with who I am and what I do." Wall returns tomorrow to compete in the finals of the under-18 single and under-18 quad. Gus Olifers took pride of place as the winner of the opening final - the boys under-17 single sculls - at the 2017 Aon Maadi Cup. The Trident High School student produced a dominate display as he grabbed control of the race from halfway to claim a race win for a victory margin of 1.76 in 7:48.06. It was an impressive performance by the Matt Hill and Graham Watt coached athlete out of the powerful Whakatane stable of school rowing, who only took up the sport two years ago because "I was a bit unfit and needed to do a sport." In a titanic tussle of silver Manawa McLaughlin of New Plymouth Boys High in 7:49.82 edged Fergus Ritchie (Lindisfarne College) by 0.34. Saturday marks the final day of racing. The six-day regatta will conclude with the two premier events - the Maadi Cup and the Levin Jubilee Cup for the under-18 coxed eights. Racing can be viewed live at maadi.co.nz, and results, schedule and start lists can be found at rowit.co.nz. |
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