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Mid-sems, tests, trials and the race for trophies
The week of University Champs is more hectic than most people imagine.
University of Canterbury coxswain Annabel Wynn-Williams was finishing a shift at one of her two jobs after mid-semesters before heading to Twizel for Friday afternoon’s Hebberley Shield showdown.
Auckland University’s boat captain Tadghe Farac was also squeezed for time getting in a last row and doing life admin as their squad prepared to fly, hoping to avoid any of the predicted weather carnage before the weekend.
Otago University Boat Club manager Glen Sinclair was about to lug the massive Hebberley in the back of his ute for the trip up to Twizel.
And everyone was hoping the impending weather catastrophe might just somehow pass around Lake Ruataniwha for the National University Champs.
Miraculously, the only drop of rain came five minutes after racing ended on Saturday afternoon. Barely a breeze as well.
Otago University made it five in a row to retain the Tamaki Cup in the Women’s Championship Eight, holding off University of Canterbury by 15 seconds. The Otago #2 boat won bronze and their #3 eight finished fifth in the nine-boat race.
The Tamaki Cup was the first on the race programme, opening the regatta on Friday afternoon, in what is going to be a hectic few weeks for lots of athletes, including Otago’s fifth-year med student Hannah Matehaere.
Otago with the Tamaki Cup for winning the Championship Eight. Hannah Matehaere is in the centre. Photo: @photography_meg_
"I finished placement at midday on Thursday," says Hannah. Then we drove through the afternoon, took our champ eight out for the first row as a full crew on the Friday morning before we raced the 3.2 K in the afternoon.”
One of the messages out there about rowing at university in New Zealand is that you just never know where it’s going to take you.
For Hannah, it seems to be a fast-track to the top on a gruelling timeline in between clocking up big hours on the wards as well.
In her first season she won four gold medals in Novice and Tournament events at Uni Champs in 2022.
After winning the Championship Eight on Friday, Hannah hit Saturday with a roar, winning the Championship Single, Double and Coxed Four in the space of two and a half hours before taking gold in the Quad in the late afternoon. She and Gemma Burrowes were down to race the Champ Pair as well but had to scratch after Gemma got ill.
UC’s Phoebe Collier and Georgie Bethell took gold ahead of Otago’s Brooke Pitchford and Mila van Rensburg.
Sunday morning, Hannah was back at the lake at 7am with fellow Otago Madison Neale to time trial their Double for the World University Games in Germany in July.
Then it was a drive back to Christchurch to make an afternoon flight to get to Cambridge to join the Windermere Cup squad for training on Monday morning. On Tuesday, there’s the official announcement of the Uni Games squad.
In just three short years, Hannah has gone from a raw novice rower to becoming one of the top performers in the country, her PB for the 2k is now 6.38 and she’s joining an absolutely stacked crew to race in Seattle against the best from University of Washington and Indiana.
The Women’s Windermere cup squad: Annabelle Scott (cox), Alana Sherman, Beckie Leigh, Ella Cossill, Isabel Melville, Isobel Eliadis-Watson, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake, Sophie Egnot-Johnson.
“There's some very big names in the boat and yeah, they've got the results to back it up,” says Hannah. “Excited to be doing a campaign with Juliette, Isla, and Sophie because we all rowed together over summer.”
University of Canterbury broke Otago’s two-year hold on the Hebberley Shield in the Men’s Championship Eight.
University of Canterbury celebrate victory in the Men’s Championship Eight, the Hebberley Shield is heading back to Christchurch. Photo: @photography_meg_
Lincoln got up for a surprise bronze, celebrated by stroke Matthew Glen launching into the water at the end of the race.
Auckland University’s Arie Magasiva took out the Men’s Championship Single after posting a 7.37.18 in Division 1, nine seconds up on Jimmy Middleditch’s (UC) winning time in Division 2.
Arie was also out on the water on Sunday morning looking to make the World Uni Games team alongside Hannah.
Glen Sinclair’s Sunday morning was spent on the water too, watching the trials for not only World Uni Games, but seat racing for the trans-Tasman university eights and the South Island trials of the Under 22 teams as well.
Then he was heading home to Dunners before returning to Twizel on Tuesday to take the boat trailer home.
He was all alone in the ute and it felt a bit empty without the Hebberley in the back seat.
“Well, it’s got its own special place in the trophy cabinet, so we’re going to looking at that spot for another year going, ‘It’s not there.’”
“There were definitely some phone calls last night to the Canterbury boys making sure it was okay. The cool thing is that they've got as much respect for it as we do, so we know that Canterbury will look after it.”
University of Canterbury lift the mighty Hebberley Shield. Photo: @photography_meg_
Making sure they didn’t get their hands on The Ashes trophy, for overall points, was keeping Glen going on the drive home.
“I'm actually wrapped with all the grades in my team,” says Glen. “It was certainly hard fought for and Canterbury put up a huge effort and I know they've been planning that for a while to pull that together.”
He made special mention of Otago’s women’s coaches, Jamie McKenzie, Lawson Maurice-Whyte and George Bushell.
“Our Champ Woman's eight, and not sure if you had the chance to watch the Varsity Woman's eight come down the track in the black [Filippi] eight, it was just beautiful to watch.”
As men’s coach, Glen’s not giving himself the same praise. “I’ve put myself under review!”
That can wait. At the end of the week, it’s family time. Glen’s off to Christchurch to watch his daughter Charli play for the New Zealand Open Women’s Touch team in a three-test series against Australia.
Charli, by the way, happened to be a pretty useful rower as well.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and rowing coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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- University Rowing
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- Mid-sems, tests, trials...
Mid-sems, tests, trials and the race for trophies
The week of University Champs is more hectic than most people imagine.
University of Canterbury coxswain Annabel Wynn-Williams was finishing a shift at one of her two jobs after mid-semesters before heading to Twizel for Friday afternoon’s Hebberley Shield showdown.
Auckland University’s boat captain Tadghe Farac was also squeezed for time getting in a last row and doing life admin as their squad prepared to fly, hoping to avoid any of the predicted weather carnage before the weekend.
Otago University Boat Club manager Glen Sinclair was about to lug the massive Hebberley in the back of his ute for the trip up to Twizel.
And everyone was hoping the impending weather catastrophe might just somehow pass around Lake Ruataniwha for the National University Champs.
Miraculously, the only drop of rain came five minutes after racing ended on Saturday afternoon. Barely a breeze as well.
Otago University made it five in a row to retain the Tamaki Cup in the Women’s Championship Eight, holding off University of Canterbury by 15 seconds. The Otago #2 boat won bronze and their #3 eight finished fifth in the nine-boat race.
The Tamaki Cup was the first on the race programme, opening the regatta on Friday afternoon, in what is going to be a hectic few weeks for lots of athletes, including Otago’s fifth-year med student Hannah Matehaere.
Otago with the Tamaki Cup for winning the Championship Eight. Hannah Matehaere is in the centre. Photo: @photography_meg_
"I finished placement at midday on Thursday," says Hannah. Then we drove through the afternoon, took our champ eight out for the first row as a full crew on the Friday morning before we raced the 3.2 K in the afternoon.”
One of the messages out there about rowing at university in New Zealand is that you just never know where it’s going to take you.
For Hannah, it seems to be a fast-track to the top on a gruelling timeline in between clocking up big hours on the wards as well.
In her first season she won four gold medals in Novice and Tournament events at Uni Champs in 2022.
After winning the Championship Eight on Friday, Hannah hit Saturday with a roar, winning the Championship Single, Double and Coxed Four in the space of two and a half hours before taking gold in the Quad in the late afternoon. She and Gemma Burrowes were down to race the Champ Pair as well but had to scratch after Gemma got ill.
UC’s Phoebe Collier and Georgie Bethell took gold ahead of Otago’s Brooke Pitchford and Mila van Rensburg.
Sunday morning, Hannah was back at the lake at 7am with fellow Otago Madison Neale to time trial their Double for the World University Games in Germany in July.
Then it was a drive back to Christchurch to make an afternoon flight to get to Cambridge to join the Windermere Cup squad for training on Monday morning. On Tuesday, there’s the official announcement of the Uni Games squad.
In just three short years, Hannah has gone from a raw novice rower to becoming one of the top performers in the country, her PB for the 2k is now 6.38 and she’s joining an absolutely stacked crew to race in Seattle against the best from University of Washington and Indiana.
The Women’s Windermere cup squad: Annabelle Scott (cox), Alana Sherman, Beckie Leigh, Ella Cossill, Isabel Melville, Isobel Eliadis-Watson, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake, Sophie Egnot-Johnson.
“There's some very big names in the boat and yeah, they've got the results to back it up,” says Hannah. “Excited to be doing a campaign with Juliette, Isla, and Sophie because we all rowed together over summer.”
University of Canterbury broke Otago’s two-year hold on the Hebberley Shield in the Men’s Championship Eight.
University of Canterbury celebrate victory in the Men’s Championship Eight, the Hebberley Shield is heading back to Christchurch. Photo: @photography_meg_
Lincoln got up for a surprise bronze, celebrated by stroke Matthew Glen launching into the water at the end of the race.
Auckland University’s Arie Magasiva took out the Men’s Championship Single after posting a 7.37.18 in Division 1, nine seconds up on Jimmy Middleditch’s (UC) winning time in Division 2.
Arie was also out on the water on Sunday morning looking to make the World Uni Games team alongside Hannah.
Glen Sinclair’s Sunday morning was spent on the water too, watching the trials for not only World Uni Games, but seat racing for the trans-Tasman university eights and the South Island trials of the Under 22 teams as well.
Then he was heading home to Dunners before returning to Twizel on Tuesday to take the boat trailer home.
He was all alone in the ute and it felt a bit empty without the Hebberley in the back seat.
“Well, it’s got its own special place in the trophy cabinet, so we’re going to looking at that spot for another year going, ‘It’s not there.’”
“There were definitely some phone calls last night to the Canterbury boys making sure it was okay. The cool thing is that they've got as much respect for it as we do, so we know that Canterbury will look after it.”
University of Canterbury lift the mighty Hebberley Shield. Photo: @photography_meg_
Making sure they didn’t get their hands on The Ashes trophy, for overall points, was keeping Glen going on the drive home.
“I'm actually wrapped with all the grades in my team,” says Glen. “It was certainly hard fought for and Canterbury put up a huge effort and I know they've been planning that for a while to pull that together.”
He made special mention of Otago’s women’s coaches, Jamie McKenzie, Lawson Maurice-Whyte and George Bushell.
“Our Champ Woman's eight, and not sure if you had the chance to watch the Varsity Woman's eight come down the track in the black [Filippi] eight, it was just beautiful to watch.”
As men’s coach, Glen’s not giving himself the same praise. “I’ve put myself under review!”
That can wait. At the end of the week, it’s family time. Glen’s off to Christchurch to watch his daughter Charli play for the New Zealand Open Women’s Touch team in a three-test series against Australia.
Charli, by the way, happened to be a pretty useful rower as well.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and rowing coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
