The Otago rowing selectors have named a young Otago team for the New Zealand provincial championships on the Whanganui River late this month.
"It is the youngest team we have sent to the championships and possibly the most exciting," team manager Dean Horo said.
A significant number of rowers who have been part of the provincial crews in the past are unavailable because of World University Games commitments.
"This has given a greater number of home-grown rowers the opportunity to compete at the next level," head coach and Otago coaching director Richard Parr said.
The men's under-20 crew includes Robbie Mears (15) from Otago Boys High School, who was part of the winning under-16 double sculls crew at the Maadi Cup regatta earlier this year.
Chris James (Otago Boys) will combine with Mears and Otago University rower Jeremy Stewart and North End's Alistair Bond in the four.
The men's quadruple sculls will be led by experienced North End sculler Curtis Bush, who is the only rower in the crew with previous provincial experience.
Bush will combine with Matt Smail (North End), Thomas Stott (Otago) and Cameron Nimmo (Oamaru).
The men's four and quadruple sculls will combine in the eight and they will be coxed by last season's Otago coxswain of the year, Chantelle Ross (Otago).
The women's crew includes three 16-year-olds - Jess Gould and Hazel Gould (Port United) and Otago female secondary school rower of the year, Georgina Galloway (Wanaka).
They will be joined by Phillipa Gray and Fiona Bourke (University), Anna Price (Dunstan) and Anna Vandenbosch (Otago) in an eight coxed by former Oamaru coxswain Aynsley Moore.
Moore was part of the successful New Zealand Universities women's crew which competed in Australia in June.
Rowing New Zealand has confirmed the Otago Rowing Association's application to host the 2009 national provincial championships at Lake Ruataniwha in September next year.
