Rowing: Four more Kiwi crews reach finals

Jackie Kiddle and Zoe McBride are through to the women's Lightweight Double Scull. Photosport

New Zealand booked four more crews into finals at the rowing world championships in Florida but an apparent weakness in mid-sized boats has been exposed again.

The Kiwis have qualified five of a possible nine crews into finals at Sarasota and could add four more from the final semi-final session.

There was only one winning crew on Friday (NZT), with Jackie Kiddle and Zoe McBride emphasising their favouritism in the women's lightweight double sculls with a compelling semi-final win.

Two other semi-finalists - men's pair Tom Murray and James Hunter, and lightweight single sculler Matt Dunham - finished second to meet their top-three placing requirement.

The men's eight needed a top-two finish in their repechage and were also second.

However, the two men's foursomes fell short in their semi-finals, joining the women's four in settling for the B final.

It continues New Zealand's struggles in mid-sized boats compared to the ongoing success of smaller crews and the progress made with the eights in recent campaigns.

Men's quadruple scullers Lewis Hollows, Cameron Crampton, Nathan Flannery and Giacomo Thomas came closest to advancing, finishing just over a second behind Norway in fourth.

The men's four of Alex Kennedy, Cameron Webster, Charles Rogerson and Anthony Allen were further off the pace in fifth in their semi.

Kiddle and McBride continued their dominant form this year, seeing off Poland rivals in a team which was fractionally slower than United States duo Emily Schmieg and Michelle Sechser in the other semi-final.

McBride, a two-time lightweight single world champion, has combined supremely with Kiddle, who is enjoying her first year at senior international level.

Murray and Hunter, contesting the class dominated by compatriots Hamish Bond and Eric Murray for the last decade, remain strong medal prospects.

They were second behind Italians Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino and third fastest overall.

The men's eight of Stephen Jones, Brook Robertson, Michael Brake, Shaun Kirkham, Isaac Grainger, Patrick McInnes, Drikus Conradie, James Lassche and cox Caleb Shepherd led their repechage early on but spent most of the race tucked behind the USA in second place.

Dunham was beaten for the first time at the regatta, by Norway's Kristoffer Brun.

The 23-year-old is in line for the first New Zealand medal, with his final set down for Saturday morning (NZT), his third race in three days.

That session is also when the four remaining Kiwi boats to book finals berths.

Sculling semi-finals will feature Robbie Manson (men's single), Hannah Osborne (women's single), Chris Harris and John Storey (men's double), and Olivia Loe and Brook Donoghue (women's double).