Rowing Championships - Friday Finals 1

Close call - but Drysdale and Twaddle win the pair

Mahé Drysdale and Nathan Twaddle had to work hard to take their first title at the BankLink New Zealand Rowing Championships at Lake Ruataniwha this morning.

Racing in the Men’s Championship Coxless Pairs event – Mahé Drysdale (West End) and Nathan Twaddle (Auckland) emerged with victory – but were made to work exceptionally hard for it.

The pair were only third at the first five hundred metre mark behind the Southern RPC pair of Hamish Bond (North End) and Carl Meyer (Canaviron) and the fast-starting Waikato crew of Eric Murray and James Dallinger.

As the race progressed it was the Southern RPC crew that went with the Auckland men and with 500 metres to go, Drysdale and Twaddle came under fearsome pressure as Bond raised the rate continually in pursuit. There were only a few feet between them as they crossed the line, but the verdict went to Auckland RPC.

“It was a close race and a tough one, but that’s what people want and it’s always enjoyable to win one like that,” said Twaddle, who will be back with Drysdale for a crack at their second and third titles of the day later in the Double Sculls and Coxless Fours events.

In another nail-biting finish in the Men’s Under 21 Double Sculls, Central RPC’s Matthew Adam and Joseph Sullivan came through to defeat Southern RPC’s Jade Uru and John Storey by just 1 metre.

Still on the lightweights, the Uru brothers had to settle for another silver when Storm followed Central RPC’s Duncan Grant (Wairau) home. The field contained the best of New Zealand’s men’s lightweights.

Tauranga Rowing Club’s Lillian Clayton-Greene won Women’s Club Sculls by a comfortable margin in a quality field. Anna Reymer of Cambridge RC took second and Invercargill’s Sarah Barnes the bronze. Women’s Under 21 double sculls was won by the Union Boat Club crew of Anna Stantiall and Harriett Austin racing for Central RPC.

In the Men’s Novice Double Sculls Auckland boys Ben Schubert and Martin Berka showed skill beyond their one year’s experience to win, and were chased home by Alex Sims and Tyler Smith of Port Chalmers. Wakitipu Rowing Club’s crew of James Harvey and Todd Adolph scored a popular third place – taking the club’s first ever medal at the National Championships since 1971.

ENDS

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