Nelson four foot it with champs

An outstanding weekend of racing by Nelson rowers was only overshadowed by the exceptional performance of New Zealand's world champion four at the Canterbury championships on Lake Ruataniwha.

The four raced against the men's premier eights - the four given a 10sec start - and were hauled in by two of the regional high-performance eights with 250m left. But the four of Hamish Bond, Eric Murray, James Dallingar and Carl Meyer surged again and passed the Central region eight.

For the Port Nelson Golden Edge Rowing Club, a second-placing to the world champions in the premier four was a superb effort. Chris Harris, Jamie Orsbourn, Blair Jones and Scott Weenink finished four seconds behind the winning crew but five seconds clear of the pack, which included Rowing New Zealand's regional performance crews from the South Island and Central regions.

Harris and Orsbourn also showed the New Zealand selectors that they are a combination for the future when they finished fourth in the men's premier pair, behind the New Zealand squad crews of George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle in first, Bond and Meyer in second and Murray and Dallinger third.

Nelson's Sian Jones-White and Natalie Matheson finished second in the women's premier pair. The Nelson duo, who are only 17 and 18 years old, showed a racing maturity in an event the NZ elite selectors were watching as they look to name their Olympic triallists in March.

Nelson's age-group squads were a threat in every race they contested and came away with titles in the men's novice four, girls' under-17 double sculls, under-18 quad sculls and under-18 eight.

Nelson was second in the men's under-18 quad sculls, women's club four and premier eight and third in the men's premier quad sculls, club four and women's club eight.

The next event for the rowers will be the national club championships at Lake Karapiro starting on February 19.

Nelson's winning crews were - women's under-18 eight: Jordynne Fenwick, Chelsea Martin, Alice Tuck, Caroline O'Fee, Tara Walker, Michelle Banning, Katie Dickens, Anna Miles, coxswain Jenny Matthews. Girls' under-17 double sculls: Emma Stuart, Gina Persico. Girls' under-18 quad sculls: Jaclyn Fenwick, Kirsty Thompson, Natalie Stuart, Olivia Timpson, coxswain Jenny Matthews. Men's novice four: Scott Green, Jayden Goodyear, Joe Bennion, Mitchell Horner, coxswain Douglas Hilson.

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