By ANDREW HAY
KARAPIRO - Nearly every major title changed hands on the second day of finals at the national rowing championships at Lake Karapiro at the weekend.
But the men from Avon Christchurch were not letting go of the big scalps they had fought so hard to win last year, and easily retained the coxed four title in a two-boat race against Waikato on Saturday morning.
Avon also won the real showdown of the men's racing by repulsing Waikato, the pre-race favourites, in the eights. Their 3s victory denied Waikato their 100th premier title on a day their club was celebrating its 40th anniversary.
The men's double sculls produced no surprises, Rob Waddell and Robbie Hamill demonstrating who controls the sculling blades in New Zealand.
The two then squared off in the single sculls and while Hamill kept the world No 1 honest, there was never any doubt that Waddell would claim his sixth title in the event.
But Hamill's efforts were rewarded when the New Zealand selectors announced that he was in their plans for international racing this year.
The sweetest victory of the day belonged to the Auckland club's Steve Westlake. He and Matt Goodman were surprise winners of the men's coxless pair.
Westlake is in only his second year in the sport after taking up rowing with police mate Phil Stubbs.
The pair had planned to take their new-found interest all the way to the Olympics, but Stubbs was killed in a plane crash just over a year ago.
Sonia Waddell easily won the women's single sculls by 14s over Georgina Evers-Swindell, from Canterbury.
Maree Kaati and Rochelle Saunders grabbed the coxless pairs title from holder Canterbury, showing why they are in this year's national women's crew.
And they were the inspiration behind Cambridge's win in the women's eight, heading off Canterbury and last year's winners, Star, by just over a boat length.
* New Zealand Rowing's quest for medals at the 2008 Olympics got a shot in the arm with the launch of the sport's first youth academy, to be based at Lake Karapiro.
Up to 10 of the country's best young rowers will be offered positions at the academy next month, with the intake increasing to 40 in a few years.
Head coach Norm Charlton said the academy hoped to build on the current international success the sport was enjoying.
"New Zealand rowing is on the crest of a wave at the moment, due to the successes at recent World Championships.
"Our goal at the academy is to make sure we stay there."
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