Rowing: Varsity club pair win gold

Hazel Cunliffe.
Hazel Cunliffe.
Weather disrupted the national championships on Lake Karapiro for a second straight day yesterday, but it did not stop Otago competitors from bagging the region's first medals.

Hazel Cunliffe and Natasha Bonham-Carter, of the Otago University Rowing Club, won gold in the women's club coxless pair.

After winning their heat to qualify for the final a couple of days ago, the pair won the medal race in 8min 38.41sec, almost 2sec clear of second-placed Olivia White-Parsons and Jessica Remington, of North Shore Rowing Club.

Cunliffe, Bonham-Carter, Juliette Alm-Lequeux and Hannah Duggan also snared a silver medal in the women's club coxless quad.

They finished in 8min 11.57sec but never threatened the Hawkes Bay crew, which won in 8min 0.72sec.

Dunstan's Kaea Anderson, Jas McIntosh, Emma Borland, Sophie Williamson and coxswain Sophie Smith made the most of the morning conditions to open Otago's medal account.

Natasha Bonham-Carter.
Natasha Bonham-Carter.
They won silver in the women's novice coxed quad in 7min 34.93sec, 2.01sec behind the Wellington Rowing Club's crew.

Anderson and McIntosh added a bronze medal in the novice double before rain and wind halted proceedings for an hour in the afternoon, but Borland and Williamson had to settle for seventh.

Oamaru's Sydney Telfer and Maysie Scott won bronze in the women's club double shortly after competition resumed in breezy conditions.

They had a good battle with Nelson's Meg Stephens and Sasha Cullum for the final podium spot, but outlasted them down the stretch.

Former Kavanagh College pupil Zoe McBride, who now represents Central RPC, snared gold in the women's premier lightweight scull.

The 20-year-old world champion won in 8min 50.42sec, more than 6sec clear of second-placed Sophie MacKenzie, who caught a crab a few metres from the finish line.

Andrew Potter, of Otago University Rowing Club, and Bryce Abernethy, of Otago Rowing Club, teamed up with Cameron Crampton and Matthew Mesman for Southern RPC to win gold in the men's under-22 coxless quad.

Fiona Bourke, of the Otago University Rowing Club, won silver in the women's premier coxed quad for Southern RPC with Eve Macfarlane, Olivia Loe and Lucy Spoors.

Olympic gold medallist Hamish Bond, of North End Rowing Club, teamed up with James Lassche to win silver for Southern RPC in the men's premier coxless pair.

To make up for lost time, medal races continued late yesterday evening.

The regatta is scheduled to wrap up this afternoon.

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