Girls have a tough day at the Races

by Rowing-World on 31 Mar 2006 The first day of the Finals of the 2006 AON New Zealand Secondary School Rowing Championships, got underway today after a delay of almost two and a half hours, due to a dense blanket of fog which was covering the racecourse when the rowers arrived this morning.

Most of the interest during the day was centred on the U-18 events – unless of course your nearest and dearest was racing – in which case THAT was the Main Event - and all the rest were just supporting acts.

In the Girls U18 Pair, the interest was focused on St Margarets and Rangi Ruru, the powerhouses of Girls rowing, and whether they could put their stamp on the Senior Girls events in the regatta.

Gisbourne Girls were having none of that and led from the start pursued by two crews from Rangi Ruru. The first crew from Rangi Ruru came at Gisbourne with 500 metres to go, but Gisbourne responded magnificently and extended out to a length and a half ahead.

The second Rangi Ruru crew had a few challenges on their hands in the closing stage of the event, and compounded their woes by catching a crab within striking distance of the finish. Waikato Diocesan pounced, and missed, as Rangi Ruru regained their composure to hold on for the bronze medal.

The Girls U-17 Eights event turned into a back-alley knife fight with no-one giving an inch right from the start of the race.

For much of the 2000 metre course the eight boat field was covered by just half a boat-length, with Baradene being the early leaders in Lane 2 from Westlake, further out in lane 4, just two or three metres behind.

Then it was the turn of the big guns to move just after the 1000 metre mark as Rangi Ruru came grinding their way through to lead from MacLeans and St Margarets.

With 300 metres left to run, it was all tied up between these three, when Christchurch Girls made a move to lead by half a metre from Rangi Ruru and a further half metre to Macleans.

NOw, the front runners were covered by just a single metre, with all trying to make moves on the other two. In the last drive to the finish Christchurch Girls lit the afterburner and pulled out to a half boatlength to lead Macleans and St Margarets.

There was no love lost in the Dawn Cup, the ultimate event of the day, for the Girls U18 Fours.

Gisbourne Girls started where they had left off in the U18 pairs and ripped out of the start, rowing in the outside lane, and led by two or three metres from Wanganui Collegiate. The east coast North Island crew hung in there at the 500 metre mark with Waikato Diocesan and St Margarets lurking behind Wangunui Collegiate.

Approaching the 1000 mark it was still Gisbourne Girls who had eased out to a three quarter boat length lead over St Margarets who had snuck through Wanganui.

Going through the magic 1000 metre mark, where all the obvious moves are pulled, St Margarets continued to grind Gisbourne down to just a half boat length lead, with Wanganui a similar amount astern.

St Margarets continued their relentless pursuit at the 1250 metre mark, cutting Gisbourne’s lead to just a quarter of a boatlength, with a length back to Wanganui Collegiate and a further length back to the St Margaret’s second crew.

With 500 metres left to run St Margarets drew level, while Gisbourne seemed to be locked.

Then the moves began as Gisbourne responded, and the two moved back to level. However it was soon all over as St Margarets lifted their rating to 35 strokes per minute and went again at the 250 mark, extending to the narrowest of leads and then out to half a length. Gisbourne seemed to have no answer, knowing the silver was in the bag. St Margarets put the hammer down again to work out to a lead of a boat length by the finish, and to regain the Dawn Cup.

The St Margarets crew were a picture of stunned, exhausted relief after the crossed the line and knew they had regained the trophy and title they had last won on these waters in 2004. Gisbourne Girls had put up a fantastic fight to take second place, with Wanganui Collegiate taking the bronze medal.

Results for GIRLS U18 2- Sponsored by MacKenzie Pharmacy Limited

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A Final Results

	Club	Finish	1500	1000	500	Crew
1st	GISBORNE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 2	8:05:60	-	-	-	Anna Revington Matilda Halley
2nd	RANGI RURU GIRLS SCHOOL 1	8:09:61	-	-	-	Alexandra Burnside Lucinda Paterson
3rd	RANGI RURU GIRLS SCHOOL 2	8:10:76	-	-	-	Anna Dawson Sophie Spiers
4th	WAIKATO DIOCESAN SCHOOL 1	8:13:40	-	-	-	Megan Holden Phillippa Summerville
5th	TAURANGA GIRLS COLLEGE 1	8:14:22	-	-	-	Lillian Clayton-Greene Kensie Phillips
6th	ST MARGARETS COLLEGE 1	8:21:53	-	-	-	Dayna Aubrey Josie Springford
7th	NELSON COLLEGE FOR GIRLS 1	8:25:75	-	-	-	Shannon Bane Hannah Rutherford
8th	RUDOLF STEINER SCHOOL 1	8:26:25	-	-	-	Carraldo Fougere Evona Lee

Results for GIRLS U17 8+ Sponsored by Twizel Four Square

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A Final Results

	Club	Finish	1500	1000	500	Crew
1st	CH-CH GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 2	7:08:47	-	-	-	Emily Sullivan Emma Hubbard Jessica Molony Lucy Spoors Cara Platts Alice McKay Suzie Pottinger Meari Ono Cox Anna Jamieson
2nd	MACLEANS COLLEGE 1	7:10:83	-	-	-	Kim Thompson Nicky Johnston Marie Venter Zoe Shaw Alex Bayes Monique Lunt Sarah Williams Madeline Seaman Cox Matthew Lunt
3rd	ST MARGARETS COLLEGE 1	7:11:22	-	-	-	Isla McNeice Hannah Howard Emma Symon Olivia Faull Jessica Loe Tessa Page Courtney Paterson Rosa Thomas Cox Charlotte Rowland-Jones
4th	RANGI RURU GIRLS SCHOOL 1	7:11:71	-	-	-	Olivia Cooper Lucy Peterson Rachel Whiteside Alex Thorpe Lucinda Paterson Sally Spackman Maryam Spagnuolo Alexandra Burnside Cox Rosie Ulrich
5th	WESTLAKE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 1	7:16:66	-	-	-	Kirsten Smith Sophie Nicholls Sophie Jones Judith Quinlan Heather King Carolyn Davies Victoria Moss Olivia Wylie Cox Ella Davy
6th	MARLBOROUGH GIRLS COLLEGE 1	7:19:95	-	-	-	Emma MacKenzie Tamara Bright Lauren Swift Charlotte McInnes Brittany Stove Hannah Giles Ella Monahan Laura Tester Cox Annaliese McAlpine
7th	BARADENE COLLEGE 1	7:20:39	-	-	-	Teressa Agnew Chloe McCleary Anna Churton Stephanie Everett Anthea Stembridge Sigrid Davis Elizabeth Joyce Nichola Considine Cox Stacey Lithgow
8th	WAIKATO DIOCESAN SCHOOL 1	7:22:15	-	-	-	Frances Haycock Charlotte Spratt Louise Dymock Danielle Street Hannah Cameron Brylee Haywood Aynslee Rodger Courtney Jefferis Cox Ainslee Skinner

Results for GIRLS U18 4+ Sponsored by Banklink

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A Final Results

	Club	Finish	1500	1000	500	Crew
1st	ST MARGARETS COLLEGE 1	7:38:46	-	-	-	Dayna Aubrey Tessa Page Jessica Loe Rosa Thomas Cox Emma Fechney
2nd	GISBORNE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 1	7:41:81	-	-	-	Tessa Murphy Courtney Fox Anna Revington Matilda Halley Cox Megan Chatfield
3rd	WANGANUI COLLEGIATE SCHOOL 1	7:44:62	-	-	-	Georgina Baker Georgia Cottrell Rebecca Hughes Harriett Austin Cox Sarah Lyons
4th	ST MARGARETS COLLEGE 2	7:49:06	-	-	-	Lucy Acland Meagan Maher Courtney Paterson Josie Springford Cox Anna Farquhar
5th	WAIKATO DIOCESAN SCHOOL 1	7:53:51	-	-	-	Juliet Anderson Phillippa Summerville Megan Holden Charlotte Spratt Cox Kirsty Black
6th	ST MARYS DIOCESAN SCHOOL 1	7:57:58	-	-	-	Bailee Stratton Kate Shearer Christina Clement Jillian Pitman Cox Zoe Dwyer
7th	TIMARU GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL 1	7:57:96	-	-	-	Lydia Dockrill Hayley Mawson Amy Spurdle Pip Allan Cox Aleeshia Wilson
8th	TAURANGA GIRLS COLLEGE 1	7:59:28	-	-	-	Tracee Scott Lillian Clayton-Greene Kensie Phillips Rosie Potter Cox Jordyn Sullivan