It was a small celebration but there was nothing minor about their success, winning the men’s senior double sculls title at the New Zealand Rowing Championships at Lake Ruataniwha, near Twizel, yesterday.
They were among a strong Dunstan crew who have already picked up 11 medals at the championships and will be hunting for more during the final day today.
Bella Breen and Olivia Ollerenshaw were crowned the women’s club double sculls champions finishing in 8min 13.53sec.
They came out of the blocks strong, pushing ahead to lead at the 1000m mark, but Clifton rowers Jesse Pulford and Isla Robinson were hot on their heels.
The Clifton crew made a push at 1200m, but Breen and Ollerenshaw went up another gear to secure the title.
Breen and Ollerenshaw teamed up with India Nichols and Maggie Hepburn to win the women’s club coxless quad sculls in women’s club coxless quad sculls.
That quad then joined Ellie King, Niamh Odocherty, Lola Ritchie, Emer Bryant and cox Fred Phillips to win silver in the women’s club coxed eight.
Harrison Thode won silver in the men’s club single sculls in 8min 16.98sec and earlier won silver with Roland Ozanna in the men’s club double sculls in 7min 29.36sec.
Emma Spittle and Olivia Key picked up silver in the women’s senior double sculls in 8min 01.17sec.
Spittle joined Ruby Smith, Messina Su’a, Madison Neale, Olivia Piebenga and Mila Graham, Sasha Robinson, Millie Scott, Annabelle Scott to win bronze in the women’s senior coxed eight in 6min 57.99sec.
Phillips, Jed Tisdall, Brennan Keen, Ethan McGrath and Liam Barrett won bronze in the men’s intermediate coxed quad sculls in 7min 33.37sec.
Oamaru had an impressive showing in the novice boats as well.
Ike Newlands-Carter, Cash Paterson, Shaun Lucey, Samson Isbister — and cox Greer Dickson — teamed up with Timaru rowers Charlie Cooper, Josh Sadler, Stirling Heffernan, Parker Anderson to win the men’s novice coxed eight in 6min 51.61sec.
They were dominant in the race — the second time the event had raced after Hawke’s Bay protested due to a crash earlier — and finished about 4sec ahead of Avon.
Newlands-Carter, Paterson, Lucey, Isbister and Isla Kappely also won bronze in the men’s novice coxed quad sculls in 7min 47sec.
Oamaru also snagged a double podium finish in the women’s novice coxed four.
Summer Colombus, Payton Dickson, Laura Aker, Gemma Aker and Pippa McMillan combined to win silver in 8min 45.84sec ahead of their club-mates.
Sasha Wright, Ava Goodall, Bailey Pearson, Isabelle Wainwright and Quinn Andersen who won bronze in 8min 50.75sec.
University of Otago duo Rebecca Leigh and Hannah Matehaere secured bronze in the women’s premier coxless pair oars in 8min 45.39sec.
Former Otago Boys’ rower Ben Mason etched his name in the top tier winning bronze in the men’s premier single sculls.
Mason, who rows for Avon, finished in 7min 35.34sec behind Waikato rowers Finn Hamill 7min 24.15sec and world record holder Robbie Manson 7min 24.79sec.
The championships conclude today.
