With Nationals looming, crews from across the South Island are set to gather to determine who will head into the upcoming championships as the top contenders. The Women’s Club Coxless Quadruple Sculls is shaping up to be a close contest.
Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
Known for their sculling dominance, it is no surprise to see Dunstan Arm among those tipped for the medal positions. Their top crew has already etched a strong record throughout the season, with wins in the Club Coxless Quadruple Sculls at both the Otago and Canterbury Championships.
Katharine Hoffman and Lucy Clark combined forces at the latter to also take out the Club Double before joining Amy Paterson and Lola Ritchie in the quad. With significant experience within the boat, the crew is well prepared to take on the challenge at this level. Last season, Clark was selected to compete at the North vs South Junior Championships, where she claimed a win in the Under-18 Coxless Quad and a third-place finish in the Under-18 Single Scull. Clark and Paterson were then selected to represent Southland at the Mainland Interprovincial Championships later in the year, achieving second and third-place finishes in the Under-20 Double and Coxless Quadruple Sculls, respectively.
Going one step further, Ritchie, representing Otago, formed part of crews that won both events ahead of her now-teammates. Following the club’s gold and bronze in this category at last year’s South Island Championships, the pressure is on this year’s crew to carry the torch and achieve similar success.
Ashburton Rowing Club
Another crew, likely to be among the fastest finishers, hails from the Huntington-based Ashburton Rowing Club. Between them, Isla Moffett, Georgie Scammell, Zara McGillen, and Tegan Marriott possess more than enough racing experience on the South Island stage. The crew has produced a consistent string of performances throughout the season, finishing second at the Otago Championships before placing third at the Canterbury Championships. Among the talent driving this boat is Marriott, who, despite only being at the Under-16 level, has already achieved considerable success.
Beginning her career as a coxswain before transitioning to rowing, Marriott has already collected eight Island and national medals, including gold in the Under-16 Coxed Quad at last year’s South Island Rowing Championships. While the crew has yet to secure a top spot this season, they remain well placed to challenge for victory this weekend.
Union Boat Club
Although they have not been seen frequently this season, the Union Boat Club crew has the potential to feature among the leading contenders. Crew members Lisa Manson and Kirsty Mahoney represented Southland at the Mainland Interprovincial Championships, winning the Open Coxless Quad.
This season, the pair have joined Jaimee Seddon and Rubybelle Ferguson, securing a promising second-place finish just over a length behind Dunstan Arm at the Canterbury Championships. This result makes it clear they can be considered genuine contenders for the title.
Canterbury Rowing Club
Motivated by their runner-up finish in this event at last year’s South Island Rowing Championships, Georgia Winyard and Tobi Rees have partnered with Natalie Walsh and Meredith Lewis in a campaign to claim the top spot this time around.
The crew finished fourth at the recent Canterbury Championships, with Rees and Winyard also securing second place in the double. Last season, Rees and Lewis attended the University Championships representing Canterbury University, with Rees claiming victory alongside Hannah Strang in the Lightweight Double Sculls, while Lewis finished runner-up in the Varsity Coxed Four. This team has been steadily improving throughout the season and will be hoping that trend continues in this lead-up to Nationals.
Prediction
Given their strong track record throughout the season and in previous years, Dunstan Arm are firm favourites for this year’s South Island title. However, with time differences between crews remaining relatively small, there is certainly room for another ambitious outfit, such as Union Boat Club, to challenge them for top honours.
