Rising stars get off to big start by taking out pair gold

WORLD CHAMP: Kerri Gowler.

Wanganui's world champion Kerri Gowler has made a big start to the two key February events on the national rowing scene as she and partner Grace Prendergast won the women's premier pair gold at the North Island Club Championship at Lake Karapiro on Sunday.

Gowler and Prendergast put in a 6m 55.91s time, again finishing ahead of the senior New Zealand pair " Wanganui's multiple time world champ medallist Rebecca Scown and her new partner Genevieve Behrent " by 4s.

The three-day North Island regatta gives crews a good indication of where they are placed ahead of the Bankstream New Zealand Rowing Championships, on Lake Ruataniwha from February 17-21.

At Lake Karapiro, nearly 800 rowers represented 30 clubs.

The Aramoho Wanganui club had another big weekend with six golds, three silvers and two bronze.

Luke Watts won the men's senior single, with his 7m 7.26s time, over 7s ahead of the Petone rowers in second and third.

The men's club coxed four of Hugh Pawson (stroke), Jack Hughes, James Clark, Tom Monaghan and cox Ella Wilsher were well ahead of West End Rowing and Hamilton Rowing clubs in the A Final.

The women's club coxed four made it a double with Kayla Spencer, Millie Thomson, Georgia Hickey, Jessica Brougham and Wilsher getting gold. Jaime O'Keefe and Brougham won the women's club double sculls, while Watts, Monaghan, Patrick O'Reilly and Pawson took out the senior coxless quadruple sculls.

The AWRC women's under-19 coxed four of Sara-Jane Back, Thomson, Hickey, Georgia Kendal and Lucy Allpress were also victorious.