KEY POINTS:
The present and the future of single sculling progressed safely to the semifinals on the opening day of the national championships at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel yesterday.
Halberg Award winner Mahe Drysdale and Invercargill's promising Nathan Cohen advanced comfortably but will have to wait until the final to go head to head.
Drysdale has a busy week, having entered six events. His Auckland crew qualified fastest for the men's eight final and looked sharp. But Waikato came through with a resounding finish to cross the line a length up, with Central third. All three boats had dialled back their efforts by the 1500m mark to conserve energy.
In the women's novice double sculls, Kendra Titheridge and Emma McGeorge, despite having been sculling less than six months, comfortably won their heat.
McGeorge, 21, is a former Capital Shakers and New Zealand under-21 netballer. Titheridge, 17, hails from the Wairau club.
