AWRC and Collegiate defend their river

The Women's Open 8's competition, with Wanganui Collegiate beating the Star Boating Club to the line on Saturday afternoon.

There were six titles for both the Aramoho-Wanganui club and Wanganui Collegiate at their home championships on the 2000m Whanganui River course on Saturday.

The 2017 Wanganui Rowing Championships saw around 56 titles decided in A finals, with central and lower North Island visitors coming from Cambridge, Clifton, Horowhenua and the large Wellington contingent from the Petone, Porirua, Star Boating, and Wellington Rowing clubs.

Collegiate naturally figured in all the youth grades, alongside AWRC who had entries up and down the board, while fellow locals Union Boat Club would enter around 29 grades.

UBC's best result was victory in the Masters Doubles Sculls 1000m from Phillipa Baker-Hogan and Pat Carroll, along with four other Top 3 placings in A Finals.

The regatta included some masters events as a warm up for the World Masters Games, which are in Auckland in April.As expected, top clubs Wellington RC and Star BC featured prominently on the podium throughout the day.

AWRC rowers got twenty Top 3 placings in the A Finals.

The club's victories included Luke Watts (single sculls) and Niamh Monk (U17 singles sculls and U16 double sculls with Jaimee Bridger).

Cameron Lawrence and Ben Tijsen-Cox won the men's club double sculls, while the other championships were won by the girls U15 coxed octuple sculls and the men's club coxed eight.

Collegiate claimed nineteen Top 3 placings, most notably in the boys U16 coxed quad sculls when they made a clean sweep of 1-3 in the six boat A Final.

The winning Collegiate crew for that race was Jack Pringle, Benjamin Ratcliffe, Jack Norman and Hamish Bielby, with cox Miaa Brandon.

Grace Hogan and Georgia Kerins won the women's novice double sculls, while the boys U16 coxed four was won by Bielby, Benjamin Sherratt, Samuel Manson, Leo Hanna and again coxed by Brandon.

The girls U16 coxed quad sculls was won by Charlotte McKinlay, Lydia MacLean, Charlotte Robb, Sarah Gower-James, and cox Nicole Tweeddale.

Collegiate's other titles were the women's open coxed eight and the boys U16 coxed eight.