Rowing: Evers-Swindells' winning streak ends

A five-year winning streak at the North Island rowing championships ended yesterday for the Evers-Swindell twins on Lake Karapiro.

National team members returned to their local club crews for the championships, and three-time double sculls world champions Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell found themselves out of first position in the women's four.

An Auckland composite crew of world champions Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh teamed with world junior champion Emma Twigg and Erin Tolhurst for the win over the Evers-Swindells, Fiona Paterson and Paula Twining.

The Waikato four got revenge later in the day when they joined in the women's premier eight, finishing first over Coles and Haigh's Auckland crew.

Caroline Evers-Swindell, racing in a staggering five events, also took gold in the single, double and quad.

World champion single sculler Mahe Drysdale also managed a heavy five-race schedule.

The versatile Drysdale opened with an easy win in the men's double but was threatened later in the day from Christchurch's under-23 representative Hamish Bond.

Bond was unrelenting in Drysdale's trademark single event, pushing him all the way to the line, and finishing second.

Rowing New Zealand's racing season now moves on to the club nationals regatta at Lake Karapiro on February 21-25.

National team members will again race for their respective clubs in the last event before triallists are announced for the national team trials in March.

- NZPA