NZ Junior rowers feel Waikato influence

by Gifford Lee, Waikato Times on 25 Apr 2006 There is a distinct Waikato flavour to the New Zealand junior rowing team named to contest the World Championships in Amsterdam in August after a week of trials at Lake Karapiro.

Hamilton Boys' High Springbok Shield winning rowers Jared Pehi and Josiah Lester have made the junior men's eight while Waikato regional performance centre head coach Brett Crow will mentor the squad.

Former Sacred Heart Girls' College student Rachel Arbuckle, still young enough to be classed as a junior, is part of the women's four. Arbuckle is the only returning member to the squad from last year and this will be her last chance in the age group. Her former school coach, David Thompson, has been named to oversee the crew.

Sacred Heart's Kate Reymer has been selected in the junior women's quad.

Hamilton Boys' Bradley Ross and Josh Payne have been named as reserves should any injuries arise.

Rowing New Zealand's high performance manager Andrew Matheson said most of the national squad were in their first year of international competition but showed much potential.

'The talent is equal to what we saw last year when we won medals in the junior women's single and junior men's double,' Matheson said.

'We've also got one of the best coaching teams with Dave Thompson, who is a successful high school coach with international experience, and Brett Crow, an Athens Olympic coach.'

Meanwhile, a Waikato-laden North Island under-18 squad has beaten its South Island equivalent in the annual event at Lake Karapiro over the weekend.

North Island team manager Bruce Lodder said his team 'scraped home by the skin of their teeth' with the regatta decided only on the last race on Sunday.

The North Island boys' eight won both of their races where Hamilton Boys' rowers Jason Kirk and Nick Burrows were reserves.

The girls' eight lost on Saturday but their win on Sunday was the clincher, allowing the North Island to win overall 74-66.

That team featured St Peter's School's Abbey Wilson, Precilla McIntosh and Annaliesse Devoy of Sacred Heart, and Waikato Diocesan's Sarah Keene and Phillippa Summerville. St Peter's Hillary Hennessy was a reserve.

The boys' quad races were won by the South Island. North's team included St Peter's Alex Graham and Josh Snodgrass and Cambridge High's Shane Gerritsen.

The girls' quad was taken out by the North where Waikato Diocesan coxswain Ainsley Skinner appeared.

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