Rowing: Single scull final looks like a classic

Nathan Cohen. Photo / Christine Cornege

Reigning national sculling champion Nathan Cohen kept a feisty Peter Taylor at bay to move with the former lightweight world champion to a hot-looking final at the New Zealand Rowing Championships yesterday at Lake Karapiro.

The single scull final already boasts five-time world champion Mahe Drysdale and multiple pairs champ Eric Murray.

Taylor looked smooth and deceptively fast as he pushed Cohen to a sub-seven-minute time - fast in the conditions.

The two-time world double scull champion, though, always looked the more powerful and sprinted off as he approached the line.

German Karsten Brodowski and former under-23 world champion and member of the New Zealand men's quad scull John Storey complete the field for Saturday's final.

The final of the eights on Saturday should be a nail-biter. In the heats yesterday, Waikato RPC carved out a half-length lead over Southern RPC and Central RPC.

Central RPC looked comfortable on their way to third place, and could have slightly more left than their Waikato and Southern rivals. Southern RPC dominated the lane race in the women's event and could do the same on Saturday in the main final.