Rowing: Another Bond making name in pairs

Nicola Shanks (left) and Sophie Smith near the finish line first in the novice double at the...
Nicola Shanks (left) and Sophie Smith near the finish line first in the novice double at the Canterbury championships on Lake Ruataniwha at the weekend. Photo by Otago Rowing.
North End rower Alistair Bond is moving up the ranks of New Zealand rowing and it will probably not be long before he joins his older brother in international crews.

Alistair has been inspired by the deeds of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray who have won three world pairs titles in the past three years.

Alistair Bond (22), a surveying student at the University of Otago, started rowing at Christchurch Boys' High School before coming to Otago University.

He is in his second year with the Southern RPC and teamed with Otago University's Fergus Fauvel to convincingly win the men's open double sculls at the Canterbury championships at Lake Ruataniwha at the weekend. They won in the respectable time of 6min 43.91sec to make them medal prospects at next month's national championships at Lake Karapiro.

Fauvel got the jump on Bond when he won the single sculls in 7min 56.60sec. Bond was timed at 8min 10.34sec.

Nicola Shanks hopes to draw on the inspiration of older sister Alison, who is an international cyclist, in her new sport of rowing. She displayed potential when she joined with Sophie Smith to win the women's novice double sculls in 8min 15.51sec.

This was a significant performance because 43 crews had entered the race. The Otago Girls' High School pair of Tabitha Seaton and Karley Wilden-Palms were fifth.

Hannah Baddock (University) won the women's club single sculls in 8min 33.78sec from Charlotte Williams (Columba College) 8min 43.42sec.

James McNicholl (Otago Boys') was fourth in the men's single sculls in 8min 05.37sec.

The Wanaka combination of James Redai and Eachan Bruce won the boys under-17 double sculls in 7min 23.92sec from Dunstan's Reed Frewen and Danyon Trask in 7min 27.42sec.

Simon Lloyd stroked the Dunstan men's novice eight to win in 4min 08.50sec.

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