Otago, Dunstan Arm clubs prominent

SEVERAL Otago clubs were among the medals at the Otago rowing championships during the weekend.

Canterbury and Southland clubs also made the trek to Lake Ruataniwha, providing formidable competition.

Otago Rowing Club’s Eva Hofmans was impressive in winning the women’s open single sculls title.

The year 12 school pupil finished in a time of 8min 47.72sec to beat Avon’s Ruby Norton by 7sec, while Oamaru’s Hannah Cunningham — who won the under17 title — came in third.

In the men’s open single sculls, Dunstan Arm’s Simon Smith claimed silver, behind Avon’s Harrison Joseph, and North End’s Corey Lewis was third.

Both the Otago and Dunstan Arm clubs did well.

Dunstan Arm has been dominant in girls’ agegroup races in recent years and that continued over the weekend.

The club filled both first and second in an impressive girls under16 coxed quadruple sculls race.

Even more significantly, just 0.64sec separated the two crews.

Sophie Smith, Phoebe Wellstead, Brooke Williams, Malia Banks and cox Chloe Robertson won in 7min 53.26sec.

MacKenzie Ealson and Paige Furrie were both in the secondplaced crew, but got one back when they won gold in the double sculls.

Smith and Banks also claimed gold in the under15 double sculls, while the club also won the girls under17 coxed quadruple sculls.

Will and Zak Healey got the boys involved, taking gold in the under17 double sculls, while in the men’s open double sculls Smith teamed with Greg McLaughlin to win.

The club also took home a swag of other medals, as did the Otago club.

Angus Kenny came away with gold in the under17 boys single sculls.

In the under15 boys double sculls it claimed first and second, Mark Smith and Harry Scott edging Miro Williams and Jack Pearson by less than a second.

Its duo of Nic Chamberlain and Will Edwards also took gold in the under18 double sculls — edging two Otago Boys’ High School crews in second and third.

However, one of those Otago Boys’ rowers — Ben Mason — got one back in the single sculls.

He rowed 7min 54.58sec to edge Chamberlain for the title. Oamaru’s Logan Docherty came in third.

Mason was also part of the team that won the under18 coxed quadruple sculls.