Waihopai rowers reach finals

The weather is the best it has been and the facilities are ready at the Lake Karapiro domain for the 2012 National Rowing Champs finals.

Leading the 18 rowers from Waihopai yesterday were Jessica Hayes and Morgan Shepherd, from Southland Girls’ High, in their semifinal of the women’s club double scull.

The combination had a tough draw and confidence was always key. They won the Maadi Cup under-16 double title two years ago were able to draw on their experience as they lined up against Zoe Mcbride and Hannah Duggan from Otago.

Mcbride and Duggan won the under-16 title last year as well as several others at the Maadi Cup and have been the form horses in girls’ rowing this year.

In the first 1000 metres Hayes and Shepherd held back in fifth spot with the rest of the field threatening to move away.

‘‘I yelled at Jess to push harder because we were in fifth so I had to keep calling moves otherwise we probably wouldn’t have made it,’’ Shepherd said.

Through the 750-metres-to-go mark, the girls moved into third and as the rate went up in a courageous effort, they moved into second to secure a spot in the A-final.

The pair rowed the third-fastest time for today’s final.

Hayes said the race was as she expected.

‘‘It was definitely hard but we knew that. We had a bad first 1000 metres and then we started to move through people in the last stages. We just don’t know how hard Zoe and Hannah were going.’’

Clubmates Ingrid Mitchell and Lori Comer also took a spot in the final with a third place in their semifinal.

Kristen Froude had a good race for her age and experience to take sixth place in the semifinal of the women’s under-21 single scull. She will head to the B-final.

Froude will now look to her four A-finals for which she has the fastest time in all but one.

Tessa Young from Waihopai but rowing under Southern Regional Performance Centre also had a tough race in the under-21 single to place sixth and will join Froude and Mcbride in the B-final.

Waihopai’s Genevieve Behrent had an excellent race in the women’s premier single to take a third place but more importantly, a berth in the A-final tomorrow.

The race is special for Behrent who has typically been a sweep oar rower but over the summer has dipped into sculling in the hope of finding a place in the women’s squad for the London Olympics.

This achievement can only push her case and tomorrow she will have the opportunity to mix it with the likes of Emma Twigg.

Waihopai’s Jade Uru and Hamish Bond from North End in Dunedin progressed through to the final of the men’s premier coxless pair to defend the title they have held for four consecutive years.

The combination will line up against friends but rivals Eric Murray and Tyson Williams from the Waikato RPC.

The race could prove tougher than in the past few years with Murray and Williams finishing five seconds faster than the Southern combination.

Finals will start at 8am today and for Waihopai, Sarah Hamilton will be the first to go in the women’s senior single scull. She has the third-fastest time but after a relative easy heat she will look to take control of the race from the outset.

Hamilton has five A-finals and will join Kristen Froude in senior pair on Saturday.

Matt Malcolm and TJ Leeming will line up in the men’s senior pair, with Malcolm having the fastest time. Malcolm won the event in 2009 and 2010 and after a back injury last year, he is looking to regain the title.

Other highlights today will be the men’s and women’s coxless fours where Waihopai rowers arefavourites.

The women’s four of Hamilton, Katelyn and Kristen Froude and Lori Comer and the men’s four of Mark O’connor, Matt Malcolm, Ollie Behrent and Toby Pascoe won their heats in convincing fashion but are sure to come up against more tough competition in the finals.

the