Rowing: Heat's on Bay crew after regatta success

HOT CREW: Six of the Hawke's Bay senior men's eight from left Morgan Davies, James Brott, Pat Nichol, Fergus Ritchie, Michael Harrison and Ed Laver with the Hawke's Bay Cup. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

AROUND their Hawke's Bay Rowing Club clubmates the senior men's eight are known as the "Jock and Doc crew."

That's because the crew of former New Zealand junior rep Ed Laver, Jack Stone, Joel Engelke, Michael Harrison, Fergus Ritchie, Pat Nichol, Morgan Davies, James Brott and cox Connor Molloy and Toby Aspden are coached by former New Zealand rep Jock Mackintosh and Doc McDonald who was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rowing last weekend.

Should the crew continue to perform like it did at the club's annual two-day New Year's Regatta which ended at Clive yesterday, expect regatta commentators around the country to have a field day with the "Jock and Doc crew" label. Laver and co scored comfortable wins in their heat and final.

"There were only three crews counting us. The North Island championships at Lake Karapiro later this month will give us a better gauge as to where we are at in the countdown to next month's nationals in Twizel but I'm happy with where we are at ... Doc looked happy too," Laver said.

"We had different conditions to deal with each day at this regatta. Yesterday we had a headwind and today a tailwind," he continued.

"I'll be turning the gas up as we up the training from tomorrow onwards. There will be 5.20am and 5.30pm sessions six days a week," McDonald explained.

A member of the New Zealand coxed four crew which won bronze at the 2014 junior world champs in Germany, Laver, 20, hopes to be selected in a New Zealand under-21 training squad later this year.

"It will be good to compete again with the boys I raced in Germany with," Laver said.

A Smedley Station graduate last year, Laver, is working as a sheep and cattle worker at Brookland Station north of Taradale until February when he will head to Lincoln University to begin a three-year Bachelor of Commerce and Agriculture course. While in Christchurch Laver will row for the Southern Regional Performance Centre and the Avon club.

McDonald has predicted Laver has the potential to enjoy as much success on the international stage as the three best rowers he has coached in the Bay, Giacomo Thomas, Andrew Potter and Thomas Jenkins. Laver is keen to back up the production and as a result the 2016 Hawke's Bay under-19 rugby rep will sacrifice his oval ball code commitments to focus on rowing.

"If I want to compete at world championship level again rowing has to be the priority."
While the Hawke's Bay senior eight is a young crew, McDonald is excited about its potential.

"This crew will be around for a long time and with the Napier Boys' High School eight progressing well there will be no shortage of talent coming through," McDonald said.

Hawke's Bay's history-making senior coxed four crew of Greg, Michael, Stephen, Adam and Kirsten Van der Peet finished third in their final. It was the first time in the history of the regatta a crew of four or more rowers were made up of members of one family.

As expected Hawke's Bay were convincing winners of the Tremains Hawke's Bay Cup for the top club at the regatta. The host club scored 114 points and nearest rivals Aramoho of Whanganui 44.

"Once again we had strength in numbers. But it was good to see some different clubs like Mercer turn up. The spectators really enjoyed the format again so as long as the demand for the event is there from clubs we will continue to make it happen," Hawke's Bay Rowing Club's club captain Ross Webb said.