Timaru rowers haul in the medals

Timaru Rowing Club has won 12 gold medals at the South Island club championships at Lake Ruataniwha.

The club's member schools also won four silver and nine bronze medals, a club record.

The women's club four got the golden haul under way as Louise Livesey, Sarah Bruce, Abi Goodhew, Heather Livesey and cox Sarah Austin, proved too strong for their opposition.

Louise Livesey then combined with Goodhew to win the under-19 double, in a time of 7 minutes 42 seconds. The coxless quad of Louise Livesey, Bruce, Goodhew and Kim Dewe tasted success, then Louise Livesey was victorious in the under-19 single.

Not to be outdone by her older sister, Heather Livesey won the under-16 single.

Timaru Girls' High School under-17 quad won gold, with Abby Chamberlain in the stroke-seat, Jaimee Harrison, Emily Burtenshaw, Carron Hamilton and cox Hannah Dey. Craighead youngsters Mary Englebrecht and Erica Taylor showed their emerging talent, winning the under-15 double with ease and then winning the under-15 quad with crewmates Channel Fletcher, Jess Morgan and Cox Beth McNeil.

Another young Roncalli crew – Trish Rush, Jacqui Forde, Caitlin Rowland, Kate Shaw, cox Sarah Austin – won the girls' novice quad.With many male rowers at a training camp, it was left to emerging talent to win the medals.

Ben Rush teamed up with James Wilson to take out the under-17 double, he followed this up on his own with a good win in his least-favoured boat, the under-17 single.

The club's Southern RPC representative rower, Finn Scott, showed his class, taking out the open double with crewmate Haden Cohen from Invercargill.

- © Fairfax NZ News