New Zealand first to select rowing squad

Following a week of intensive trials Rowing New Zealand has a squad of elite athletes that is one of the biggest the country has ever assembled – 10 boats.

The squad includes a men’s eight for the first time in nearly a decade and, as the plan is to race at the World Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany, this will have historic significance as New Zealand’s eight won on the same course at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Rowing New Zealand’s press release, however, emphasised that the men’s eight was very much a long term project.

“What is significant is that it contains many younger athletes who have entered the elite programme from our successful under 23 structure,” stated high performance manager Andrew Matheson. “Of course we want them to do well, but our view is that the eight is a long-term goal.”

Last year’s crews that raced at the World Rowing Championships in Eton have remained intact with the Evers-Swindell sisters back in the women’s double. World Champion single sculler, Mahe Drysdale remains the top single with Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh still in the women’s pair for the fourth year. Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater remain in the men’s pair and bronze medallist Duncan Grant returns to the lightweight men’s single.

A little tweaking of the women’s eight sees them back again with last year’s Under 23 lightweight double champions, Peter Taylor and Graham Oberlin-Brown moving up to the senior level along with lightweight men’s single Storm Uru. Under 23 silver medallist in the men’s single, Nathan Cohen will team up with Matt Trott for the senior double.

Also selected was the Under 23 squad that will compete in Strathclyde, Scotland, at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in July.

Senior Squad

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x):
• Caroline Evers-Swindell
• Georgina Evers-Swindell

Women’s Coxless Pair (W2-):
• Nicky Coles
• Juliette Haigh

Women’s Eight (W8+):
• Erin Tolhurst
• Fi Paterson
• Paula Twining
• Nikki-Lee Crawford
• Rebecca Scown
• Emma-Jane Feathery
• Simone Hudson
• Tamsin Gilbert
• Candice Bardsley (coxswain)

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x):
• Mahé Drysdale

Men’s Coxless Pair (M2-):
• George Bridgewater
• Nathan Twaddle

Men’s Double Sculls (M2x):
• Nathan Cohen
• Matthew Trott

Men’s Coxless Fours (M4-):
• Hamish Bond
• Eric Murray
• James Dallinger
• Carl Meyer

Men’s Eight (M8+):
• Carl Finlay
• Ben Scott
• Dane Boswell
• Rob Hellstrom
• Selwyn Cleland
• Paul Gerritsen
• Steven Cottle
• Graeme Hill
• Daniel Quigley (coxswain)

Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls (LM2x):
• Peter Taylor
• Graham Oberlin-Brown

Men’s Lightweight Single Sculls (LM1x):
• Duncan Grant

Men’s Lightweight Single Sculls (LM1x):
• Storm Uru

Under 23 Squad

Under 23 Women’s Single Sculls (BW1x):
• Emma Twigg

Under 23 Women’s Quad Sculls (BW4x):
• Anna Stantiall
• Genevieve Armstrong
• Harriet Austin
• Rosslyn Knox

Under 23 Women’s Double Sculls (BW2x):
• Anna Reymer
• Emma McGeorge

Under 23 Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls (BLW1x):
• Sarah Alexander
• Gabrielle Rogers

Under 23 Men’s Single Sculls (BM1x):
• Joseph Sullivan

Under 23 Men’s Coxless Four (BM4-):
• David Eade
• Jared Pehi
• Ben Hammond
• Chris Harris