Rowing: Bond on roll heading into showdown with Drysdale

Hamish Bond

Not many scullers beat Mahe Drysdale four times in succession, but Hamish Bond has the chance at the national championships on Lake Karapiro today.

Bond has made his fame in the sport alongside Eric Murray as Olympic coxless pair champions in 2012 and unbeaten since linking up in 2009.

Racing in the single seat was part of his training regime over the summer. Wins over the Olympic single scull champion Drysdale at the Christmas regatta, the Cambridge Town Cup and North Island championships have given Bond a buzz.

He won the first reasonably comfortably but admitted he had his work cut out for the latter two, won by no more than 1s, as Drysdale has slowly rediscovered his touch.

"I'm pretty confident if I can have a really good row I'll definitely be competitive," Bond said. "I've already achieved the whole objective, which was about having a good summer of training. If I can pick up a national title that'll be the cherry on top."

The field also includes Murray and Jozef Klaassen, born in Thames but a longtime racer for the Netherlands at international level.

Bond won his 18th red coat - or national title - yesterday in the coxless pair with lightweight national representative James Lassche. The pair produced a sizzling 6m 12.42s to win by over eight seconds from Chris Harris and James Hunter.

It was Bond's seventh successive pairs national crown, and equals the 1972 Munich eight hero Wybo Veldman's record. However, he's still 14 adrift of the runaway red coat recordholder, Chris White.

More used to rowing with fellow heavyweight Murray, Bond said it can be a challenge blending light and heavyweight techniques.

The pair had about 10 days to prepare for the nationals. He heaped praise on Lassche.

"James is about 70kg, and cutting a lean shape. He's all skin and bone but made it all count," Bond quipped.

Brothers Robbie and Karl Manson followed their win in the premier quad on Thursday with victory in the double scull, the Central pair clocking 6m 26.13s, 4s ahead of Auckland RPC combination Drysdale and Michael Arms.

Central's Rebecca Scown and Louise Trappitt had 3.6s at the finish over Kelsey Bevan and Scown's international partner, Kayla Pratt, of Auckland in the double scull final.

Fiona Bourke got one over her national squad partner Zoe Stevenson in the coxless pair final. Bourke and Lucy Spoors of Southern RPC pipped Stevenson and Sarah Gray of Waikato RPC by almost 3s.

Central crews completed the coxless four double, winning four of the eight premier titles decided yesterday.