Rowing: Whangarei rowers get a good start

The Whangarei Rowing Club made an impressive start to the season at the increasingly popular Waitemata-TAKA Regatta held at Lake Pupuke.

The regatta featured 920 athletes on Saturday, up 200 on last year's entries reflecting the rise in popularity of the sport - even before a surge of extra interest gained by New Zealand's Olympic success.

Whangarei had 14 athletes competing in 13 events with eight of them competing for the first time at a regatta.

The athletes had outstanding results which was a great start to the competitive season after a long hard winter of training by coach Nigel Baddeley.

Competing in their first regatta the men's novice coxed quad sculls of Adam McKernan, Sam Beazley, Josh Ackers, Alistair Clark and coxswain Kate Wilson, won by a staggering 34 seconds over their rivals on the 1000m course.

At just 14 years Max Causley and Chad Eichler took second in the men's under-16 double sculls, a suburb result given they were competing against others who were older and had competed before. Ackers and Clark also had success winning the men's club double sculls at their ever first regatta.

McKernan won the men's under-18 single scull against others with years of experience. Teaming up with Beazley, they came third in the men's under-18 double sculls.

Alistair Clark competing in the club division of the men's single scull took an impressive fifth as it's his first regatta categorising him in the novice division.

After just two months of training Alex McDonald and Daryl Beddows-Hale took eighth in the men's under-16 double sculls.

They teamed up with Chad Eichler, Max Causley and Kate Wilson as coxswain to take fifth in men's under-16 coxed quad sculls.

Stewart Widger in a composite crew with Henry Poor from West End Rowing Club won the men's open double sculls.

Whangarei Girls High School rowers Crystal Monaghan, Grace Miller, Julia Ferris, Emily Crum and coxswain Kate Wilson finished a close second in the woman's under-18 coxed quad sculls.

In the woman's club single Grace Miller came first with Crystal Monaghan third, together they won the woman's under-18 double sculls with Julia Ferris and Emily Crum second.