Rowing: Whanganui's best ready for Maadi Cup

Collegiate is sending up a 68-strong crew up to Lake Karapiro as the prestigious Maadi Cup gets under way. Photo / Supplied

After the 2020 Aon Maadi Cup was cancelled for the first time in its 74-year history due to Covid-19 lockdown and the recent North and South Island Secondary School Champs also cancelled with the recent level 3 lockdown in Auckland, there is a real sense of excitement for this year's Maadi for Whanganui Collegiate.

And a real possibility that the 2021 Tyler Scott-coached Girls Under-18 Eight, stroked by Holly Lennox, might be ready to pull off the school's first Levin Jubilee Cup Girls Under-18 Eight win since the Fiona Symes-coached crew of 2006.

Tyler and assistant Kit Croxford have quietly been building the squad over the past three seasons, with Collegiate sending 68 rowers to Maadi Cup in a variety of events. Other strong crews include Girls Under-17 Eight, Boys Under-18 Single Scull of Blake Paynter, the Boys and Girls Under-17 Coxless Pairs.

Whanganui High School which rows out of the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club also has some strong expectations with its team of 29 rowers and coxswains.

Year 13 and under-18 rower Jordan Manville has taken big steps this season, winning one gold and two silvers medals at the late January North Island Champs. Now with a change in rowing partners -Dominic Benfell replacing the well-performed James Clear - that record will be tested.

Possibly the school's best chances will come from its well-performed Girls Under-17 Double Scull crew of Georgina Ross and Messina Su'a, coached by Allan Greer - they won silver in this event at the North Island Champs - and Dan Guan and Eli Kuehne who won bronze in the Boys Novice Under-18 Double Scull.

Taranaki's New Plymouth Boys High, New Plymouth Girls High, Sacred Heart Girls College and Francis Douglas Memorial College, rowing out of Clifton Rowing Club in New Plymouth, round out the Whanganui Rowing Region Schools, with myself as Head Coach.

They have 24 rowers competing, having sent 28 rowers to the recent, nearly locked-down NZ Club Champs in Twizel, with 12 A finals and 2 silver-medal performances. Possibly their best chances lie with the Sacred Heart Under-17 Team with a credible Single, Double and Quadruple scull, as well as NZ Champion Francis Douglas silver medallists in the Mens Novice Double Sculls crew of Patrick Bradley and Jaden Allen.

Our other Whanganui schools are not represented at this Maadi Cup which should be of some concern for the Whanganui rowing community, with such a very strong history. Whanganui Collegiate School is still well clear of any other New Zealand school in winning the Maadi Cup 17 times, with the last win in 2004, and Christ's College of Christchurch next in line with 12.