Rowing: U18 boys RRC crews in good form at Lake Karapiro

Rotorua Rowing Club's boys u18 coxed eight oars crew leave the pontoon prepared for racing. From left: Cox; Keely Gage, Connor McNamara-Spackman, Jonathan Curtis, Lewis Morrell, Bradley Grant, Tom Coleman, Cole Starling, Sean Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen, Mathew Bennett, coach Glen Reichardt (on pontoon). Photo/Supplied.

Rotorua Rowing Club's U18 Boys coxed eight oar crew won the overall time trial from a field of 127 crews in 6m 23s and went on to win the Lake Karapiro regatta in the A Final.

The crew were Connor McNamara-Spackman (stroke), Bradley Grant, Lewis Morrell, Tom Coleman , Jonathan Curtis, Sean van Nieuwenhuizen, Cole Starling, Mathew Bennett and Keely Gage (cox). Glen Reichardt coached the squad.

Rotorua Rowing club (RRC) crews time-trialled for their place in the heats and semifinals at the KRI Spring Regatta over the weekend.

"With the time trial concept each crew had no idea what they would be up against." said RRC captain Glen Reichardt.

There was a constant stream of races with the fastest eight oars, racing alongside the fastest octuples, coxed fours, coxless fours, coxed quad sculls and coxless quads, and the fastest double sculls racing the coxless pairs and single sculls down the 2000m course.

"It made for close racing," said head coach of Rotorua Rowing Club, Alastair Riddle. "So it's really useful training."

The U18 boys coxed eight oar, were a standout for Riddle, along with the double sculls crew of Connor Broughton and Andre Le Lievre, coached by Glen Reichardt, who took third in the time trial of 21 double sculls in a time of 7m 12s and won their final.

The U18 mixed quad with Mania Oxenham (stroke), Jordan McNamara-Spackman, U18 novice girls; Samantha Mathews and Gabrielle Grattan and cox; Tyla Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen placed an impressive eighth in 7m 21s in their time trial of 47 quad scull crews.

The Boys U15 Octuple crew of Liam Waites (stroke) , Callum August, Cameron Bennett, Charlie Binks, Lexus Wharekawa, Kobe Anthony, Liam Franklin, Nathan Morshead and cox Shelby Cuff, r won their final.