Macleans College eight snatches Maadi Cup silver

by Times Online on 19 Apr 2006 Thursday, 13 April 2006

Macleans College’s girls U17 eight snatched a silver at the Maadi Cup national secondary schools rowing championships at Twizel this month and St Kentigern College picked up three bronzes.


From left Macleans College national schools silver medallist rowers hyping it up are Monique Lunt, Sarah Williams, Nicky Johnston, Matthew Lunt (coxswain) Marie Venter, Alex Bayes, Zoe Shaw, Kim Thompson and Madeline Seaman. Times photo Wayne Martin
In just its fourth year of rowing, it was Macleans first national medal, capping a strong overall showing from a team emerging as Auckland’s most successful girls.

The runners-up crew comprised Madeline Seaman, Sarah Williams, Monique Lunt, Alex Bayes, Zoe Shaw, Marie Venter, Nicky Johnston, Kim Thompson and coxswain Matthew Lunt.

In beating two highly fancied South Island crews, Macleans timed their finishing run to near perfection.

Seaman, Williams, Bayes and Lunt backed up to win the U17 fours B final.
Shaw, Venter, Pia Naera, Ana Holt and Matthew Lunt made the novice four final and Leigh Brown and Lauren Hunter joined Seaman, Williams, Venter, Shaw, Lunt and Bayes in making the U18 eights final.

Holt, Naera, Elizabeth Denekamp and Kim Thompson were U17 fours finalists.The first three were joined by Catherine Eason in making the U15 fours final. Anna Harder was coxswain in both races.

St Kents were third in the boys U18 four, the U18 lightweight four and U17 eight.

Hamilton Boys were convincing winners of the U18 coxed four. But the St Kents crew of Nick Bixley, Robert Kidd, Tom Blampied, Hayden White and cox Sam Gosgrief finished strongly to be a tick behind Wanganui Collegiate.

Kidd’s talent won recognition with his selection in the New Zealand junior squad.

Bethlehem College rowed perfectly to win the U18 lightweight four from Hamilton Boys, who pipped St Kents’ Scott Porter, Richard Carter, Duncan Jessep, Brendan Everett and Cosgrif by a canvas.

That margin also separated the U17 eight from second in a race won convincingly by Christ College from Tauranga Boys.

'A second would have been nice but the boys did well to beat Kings who beat them at the North Island champs,' said coach Geoff Perry.

The St Kents U18 quadruple sculls was fourth to slick South Island crews and Kidd and Pohlen were fifth in the U18 coxless pair.

Christ College, Kings and Hamilton Boys all bettered six minutes when dominated a thrilling U18 eights final. The winners rowed 5m 56s.

Rotorua was fourth and St Kents fifth ahead of last year’s silver medallists, Wanganui Collegiate.

Source: www.times.co.nz

See repport on Macleans website: www.macleans.school.nz/events/2006/07_04_06.htm