Rowing: Doubles done, rowing twins target singles

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Caroline Evers-Swindell and her twin sister Georgina cleared out to win the premier double sculls on the first day of finals at the New Zealand rowing championships at Lake Ruataniwha yesterday.

It was just the victory Caroline Evers-Swindell wanted ahead of today's single sculls final in which she will go head-to-head with Olympian and defending titleholder Sonia Waddell.

Waddell and her Cambridge crewmate, Nikki Coles, trailed the Evers-Swindell sisters, who recorded 7m 19.24s, by four or five boat lengths at the finish of the double sculls.

The rivalry will be fierce in today's final as those four will be joined by Paula Twining, Star's Angela Fife, Kirsty Fleming and Alison Storey.

Richard Tonks, who coaches the sisters after taking charge of Waddell a couple of years ago, said Georgina might pose the biggest threat to her sister.

"It promises to be a good race," said Tonks.

"When they [Waddell and Caroline Evers-Swindell] met earlier in the week they both came out at 40 plus [strokes to the minute] and were less than half a second apart at 1000m. That tends to indicate the third 500m is where the final could be won or lost."

With Rob Waddell not defending his premier men's single sculls title, the six-strong field is wide open.

Auckland's Steve Westlake will start as a narrow favourite but faces tough opposition from Bryce Mael, who stroked Waikato to victory in the premier quadruple sculls yesterday. Lightweight Calvin Ferguson (Union, Wanganui) and Dave Bristol, also Union, are other chances.

Rob Hellstrom and Craig Harper (Waikato) will start favourites in the premier pair oar but can expect challenges from Wairau's Sean O'Neill and David Shepherd, Avon's Sam Earl and Ian Smallman and defending champions Westlake and Matt Goodman.

The men's eights, the traditional championship finale, should be a battle between Avon and Waikato, who have both recorded good times at the regatta.

Star's Belinda Ryan was an unsung hero with victories in three senior events yesterday. She won the single sculls - leading home a Star one-two-three finish, with Sarah Nyberg and Fife - the double sculls, with Nyberg, and joined Nyberg, Kea Ward and Emily McGavin to take the quadruple sculls.

Former Olympian Philipa Baker-Hogan marked her return to the big time as bow in Union's premier coxless four, who finished second behind a Cambridge crew which included Coles.

Baker-Hogan was a winner in the coaching stakes, however, having the satisfaction of watching Rachel Brider win the lightweight single sculls and Kirsty Wilson and Melaine Burke take the senior women's coxless pair for the Union club.