Rowing: Otago scullers in under-17 final

Riley Bruce and Woody Kirkwood are in line to win Otago's first medals of the Maadi Cup regatta on Lake Karapiro this morning.

The pair will race in the boys under-17 single sculls final at 8.30am, the first medal race of the regatta.

Bruce (Mt Aspiring College) and Kirkwood (John McGlashan College) finished third and fourth respectively in one of two semifinals yesterday to qualify for the final.

Bruce, who also qualified for the boys under-18 single scull final, was only 0.36sec behind second-placed Harrison Joseph (St Bede's), while James Brott (Gisborne Boys') was 2.14sec quicker in 7min 29.48sec.

Tom Grave (John McGlashan) had to settle for a spot in the B final after finishing fifth in 7min 40.89sec in the other semifinal.

Grave will feature in the boys under-17 double sculls final, after he and Kirkwood finished fourth in yesterday's semifinal.

However, the pair had to hold off a fast finishing St Thomas of Canterbury College crew on the line to book their spot in the medal race.

Mark Taylor and James Scott (Waitaki Boys') were outstanding in their boys under-17 double sculls semifinal, blitzing the field to win in 7min 27.11sec.

The pair qualified second-fastest for the final behind Ben Monaghan and Eddie Brownie (Huanui College), who won the other semifinal in 7min 25.83sec.

Taylor and Bradley Leydon (John McGlashan) also qualified for the boys under-16 single sculls medal race.

Iona Morton and Ella Creagh (Dunstan High School) finished more than 18 seconds behind winner Waikato Diocesan in their girls under-18 novice double sculls semifinal, but still did enough to finish fourth and book a spot in the A final.

Otago Girls' High School's under-18 double sculls crew of Juliette Alm-Lequeux and Karley Wilden-Palms qualified for the A final after a thrilling semifinal yesterday.

The pair crossed the line in fourth, but just 0.49sec separated second-placed Roncalli College, third-placed St Paul's Collegiate and the Otago Girls' scullers.

Among other Otago crews who will race for medals the next two days are Dunstan High School's girls under-18 novice double, both Wakatipu High School's girls novice coxed eights, Columba College's girls under-18 lightweight four, Otago Boys' under-18 coxless pair of Corey Lewis and Scott Bezett, Otago boys' under-17 coxed four, Dunstan High School's girls under-18 lightweight double sculls crew of Macaela Turfus and Sydney Cook and Waitaki Boys' under-18 novice coxed four.

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