Luke Watts and Nathan Luff have lived up to their favourites tag with another national title as the pair won the Men's senior double sculls at the Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro yesterday.
Rowing for their Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club, Watts (stroke) and Luff completed the2000m course in 6m 29.58s, just under four seconds clear of runnersup Karl Manson and Edward Baddeley of Waikato, with Southland's John Morrison and Scott Barnsdale third.
There was also a silver for AWRC and the Union Boat Club in the Men's club coxless quad sculls, as the composite team of Levi Carroll (stroke), Kurt Browning, Jonty Thomson, and Donovan Thompson finished runnersup in 6m 23.77s, around six seconds behind the winning Waikato RC crew.
There was more medals amongst the ex-pat Whanganui rowers attached to the NZ elite squads through the regional performance centres.
Chris Harris was on stroke with Joe Wright, Brook Robertson and Robbie Manson as their Central RPC crew won the Men's premier coxless quadruple sculls in 5m 45.62s, just over two seconds clear of Southern RPC, with Auckland third.
In the Women's premier coxless pair oars, Whanganui's Kerri Gowler and Central RPC partner Ella Greenslade had to settle for second in 7m 20.9s, just over four seconds behind Southern's Emma Dyke and Gowler's New Zealand team partner Grace Prendergast.
Younger sister Jackie Gowler teamed with Beth Ross to come in third in 7m 30.24s. Representing Waikato RPC, Whanganui's Martyn O'Leary (stroke) teamed with Patrick McInnes and had to settle for fifth in the Men's premier coxless pair oars.
In other results for AWRC, the Women's club coxless quad sculls of Ally Bennett (stroke), Niamh Monk, Elizabeth Norman, and Millie Thomson were eighth in their A final.
