Rowing: Chasing honours in Twizel

It was a close contest last year between eventual winner Hamilton Boys High School, and Westlake Boys. Photo / Martin Sykes

The biggest rowing regatta in the Southern Hemisphere - the Secondary Schools Rowing Championship - begins in Twizel today.

The regatta runs until Saturday at Lake Ruataniwha - with Sunday being kept as the spare day for racing if bad weather hinders the scheduled programme.

The early season regattas have not given a clear indication as to where the strong clubs and crews will be.

But it is likely that after a polished performance at the national championships, Hamilton Boys High will once again feature strongly.

Winning rather than dominating is likely after the school had the gauntlet thrown down to them in the under-18 blue riband events by Westlake Boys High at the NI Secondary Schools Championships, with the visitors winning the boys under-18 coxed four and eights crowns at Lake Karapiro.

Last year Westlake Boys came close to taking the Maadi Cup and there is no question the disappointment was considerable. This year around half of that crew are back. They have had a good season.

Auckland Grammar and Sacred Heart College have also produced good crews and have been going well. Marlborough Boys College is set to spring a surprise or two.

The girls' top events look to be even tougher, with many suggesting even making the final of the eights - the Levin Jubilee Cup - will be a task in itself.

Rangi Ruru have not enjoyed the dominance of recent seasons and there will be a host of good crews around to challenge them.

Among these may be an eight from Wanganui City College. Westlake Girls have also gone well and Marlborough Girls, under the leadership of Dave Williamson, also look particularly strong.

Waikato Diocesan comfortably triumphed at the North Island schools regatta. Christchurch Girls High and James Hargest College could also feature in their age group events.

Keep a close eye out too for some great young sculling talent from Timaru and Napier. St Peter's also could be in for a great Maadi after a winning run at Karapiro last weekend.

Cup Regatta:

* The national secondary schools rowing championships start at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel, today. Colloquially known as the Maadi Cup, that is actually the trophy awarded to the winning under-18 boys' eight. The girls' equivalent is the Levin Jubilee Cup.

* A record 114 schools have entered this week's regatta, made up of 1883 pupils forming 1355 crews in 42 events.

* The schedule has heats today, heats and repechages tomorrow, remaining repechages on Wednesday, semifinals on Thursday and finals on Friday and Saturday.

* Only 14 schools have won the Maadi Cup, which was first raced in 1947, with Wanganui Collegiate (17 wins) the most successful from Christ's College (nine).

* The Star Trophy, awarded since 1997 to the top overall school at the championships, has been won by just three schools - Christchurch girls schools Rangi Ruru and St Margaret's College, and Hamilton Boys' High School.

* Hamilton Boys and Rangi Ruru are the defending under-18 eights champions.