As the penultimate major event before the all-important National Championships, the North Island Rowing Championships are set to draw the best that clubs have to offer, and the Men’s Club Quadruple Sculls will be no different.
Waikato Rowing Club
As a result of their consistently strong performances, it is no surprise that Waikato Rowing Club is considered a favourite to win the event this weekend. The team of Alex Laurenson, Harrison McClintock, Crue Ellis-Williams and Finley Taylor-Gill remained undefeated across the early events of the season, taking home comfortable victories across the Memorial, Club and Christmas Regattas. Beyond the quad, the team finished the year with dominant performances across other events, with Laurenson and McClintock also securing a win in the Club Double Sculls before Taylor-Gill took Laurenson’s place to finish in the top position in the Intermediate Double Sculls. Ellis-Williams brings additional experience to the boat, having recently represented the Auckland regional team at the North Island Interprovincial Regatta in September. Evidently, a strong group; it would take a lot to close the gap on this crew, making them one to watch as they take one step closer to a national title.
Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club
Though this crew may be younger, they are by no means inexperienced. Mainly composed of athletes in the Under-17 age category, the crew from Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club (also representing Napier Boys’ High School) has achieved its fair share of top finishes throughout the season. Not once but twice has the crew fought close battles in event finals, the first being at Karāpiro Club Regatta, which saw them fall behind Sacred Heart Auckland by just 0.12 seconds. Another close finish saw them separated from Clifton Rowing Club by less than a second, landing them in third position in both cases. On top of their success at the Hawke’s Bay Cup Regatta, Karlon Johnson, Felix de Groot and Charlie Moorhead also represented the East Coast at the North Island Provincial Regatta earlier this season. Now joined by Kazuki Bowcock, the team is likely to return in search of their long-fought second place or even an upset victory.
St George’s Rowing Club
Another crew that could be in the running for one of the top positions in the North Island rankings is St George’s Rowing Club. Despite some inconsistent results, Justin Chao, Alex Fahey, Frank Ison, along with Sacred Heart Auckland’s Tom Lieshout, have been closing down the seconds between them and the races’ frontrunners as the season has gone on. There is plenty of experience within the boat to guide them to a stronger finish this weekend; Fahey and Ison both represented Auckland at the recent North Island Interprovincial Regatta, winning the Under-20 Coxless Quadruple Sculls. Christensen took home a silver in the Club Double Sculls event at last year’s North Island Championships, and Ison won a national championship at the New Zealand Coastal Championships. The crew’s depth of experience, along with the final crew now set in place, could make them a contender to push into the top spots.
Predictions
Given their consistent record, I am inclined to predict Waikato as the North Island Champions ahead of this weekend’s racing. Their high level of racing experience, familiarity with home water, and the fact that the crew has remained a unit throughout the majority of the season put them in a strong position to take home the first gold medal of the season.
