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Hail Mary moment gets Matt and Erin to next level
The wind picked up, creating a bit of chaos at the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals.
Months of practice have prevented one moment of mayhem from ending Matt Dunham and Erin James' run in the Mixed Double at the World Beach Sprint Championships in Antalya, Turkiye.
The New Zealand crew was setting up for the second time trial on day two of the regatta and needing to finish inside the top eight to advance to tonight's head-to-head round of 16.
" Man, we had a rough start," says Matt. "We had a wave come and knock Erin off the seat…I think we both sort of thought we're out, but we were just like, 'You know what? We'll just Hail Mary it and absolutely. Go for it.'"
And you know with Matt Dunham, when he says we're going for it, They're.Going.For.It.
"We went crazy, did the back buoys really well," says Matt. "And then on the way back in, we took a wave which put us into one of the buoys…definitely not a good move for getting an ultimately fast time, but it's not too bad.
"We got lucky too, off some waves, which is bloody lifesaving."
Matt reckons the snafu at the start cost him and Erin about eight seconds, "but that's all part of it, when it's rough, it's who can make the fewest mistakes".
Just another day at the beach then.
Matt Dunham is no stranger to putting his body on the line.
Having spent a good part of his life at the beach, and Erin the same more recently, they're getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and dealing with a new and unpredictable environment.
"The waves in the Mediterranean are often wind-choppy, so they're very sharp and stabby and close together. The beach drops off quite steep and so the waves right on the shore are a little bit dumpy, so that's a really tricky bit."
Lots of prep on Ohope Beach in the Bay of Plenty has been big advantage for the whole team.
"We will go out in some pretty big stuff in New Zealand you know, and like crash and swim back to shore. [It all helps] in terms of being able go into coastal rowing without expecting everything to be static… to be able to change on the fly and expecting the unexpected."
Matt and Erin finished seventh-fastest in 2 minutes 38.76 seconds to set up a sudden death race against the runner-up in the opening time trial, Portugal, at 8.55pm tonight (NZT).
As far as the top 16 ranking goes, it's 2 v 15.
" I have a lot of respect for those guys," says Matt. "They're a crew that does well in surf as well as flat water.
"I think it's going to be a real battle. But if we have a good run, if we get a clean run and take out our little mistakes, we should do it."
Matt and Erin getting down to business.
Finn Hamill and Emma Twigg are also in the round of 16 racing tonight. Top-seed Emma in the Open Women's Solo at 8.11pm against Peru's Pamela Patricia Noya Reyes.
First up though is three-seed Finn Hamill, against 14-seed Mathis Nottelet from France in the Open Men's Solo.
Finn's sure made this year his own; a first national title in the Men's Single, giant-killer wins at Henley in the Diamond Sculls, World Cup success with Ben Mason in the Men's Double and just three weeks ago a cheque for US$10,000 after winning the single at the Head of the Charles in Boston.
"I guess this year has been massive," says Finn. "But I didn't come into this regatta with any crazy expectation, [so] I was over the moon to be third in the time trial."
Like Matt and Erin, experience of different environments and disciplines can be the difference between advancing or being eliminated.
"Coastal rowing, beach sprint rowing, certainly takes a bit of adaptation to the conditions and what's going on around you," says Finn. "I think just being up for that and flexible is quite important."
What's also working for the team is the bond they've created following the camps at Ohope and at coach Gary Reid's home on the banks of the Wairoa River in Te Puna.
"That's just developed organically," says Gary. "When we couldn't row at Ohope we were practising our turns and entries and all that off our beach in front of our property.
"We could just put three buoys out in the river and use that as the course, it worked perfectly over the winter."
"One of the things we're trying to do to develop the culture is have this family-oriented feeling about the place. One night down there at a camp in Ohope, my partner Kim cooked for 40 of us.
"It just brings everybody together and sometimes you do more learning over the dinner table than you do bashing yourself up on the beach."
L-R Coach Gary Reid and Finn Hamill
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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- Home
- /
- International Regattas
- /
- Hail Mary moment...
Hail Mary moment gets Matt and Erin to next level
The wind picked up, creating a bit of chaos at the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals.
Months of practice have prevented one moment of mayhem from ending Matt Dunham and Erin James' run in the Mixed Double at the World Beach Sprint Championships in Antalya, Turkiye.
The New Zealand crew was setting up for the second time trial on day two of the regatta and needing to finish inside the top eight to advance to tonight's head-to-head round of 16.
" Man, we had a rough start," says Matt. "We had a wave come and knock Erin off the seat…I think we both sort of thought we're out, but we were just like, 'You know what? We'll just Hail Mary it and absolutely. Go for it.'"
And you know with Matt Dunham, when he says we're going for it, They're.Going.For.It.
"We went crazy, did the back buoys really well," says Matt. "And then on the way back in, we took a wave which put us into one of the buoys…definitely not a good move for getting an ultimately fast time, but it's not too bad.
"We got lucky too, off some waves, which is bloody lifesaving."
Matt reckons the snafu at the start cost him and Erin about eight seconds, "but that's all part of it, when it's rough, it's who can make the fewest mistakes".
Just another day at the beach then.
Matt Dunham is no stranger to putting his body on the line.
Having spent a good part of his life at the beach, and Erin the same more recently, they're getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and dealing with a new and unpredictable environment.
"The waves in the Mediterranean are often wind-choppy, so they're very sharp and stabby and close together. The beach drops off quite steep and so the waves right on the shore are a little bit dumpy, so that's a really tricky bit."
Lots of prep on Ohope Beach in the Bay of Plenty has been big advantage for the whole team.
"We will go out in some pretty big stuff in New Zealand you know, and like crash and swim back to shore. [It all helps] in terms of being able go into coastal rowing without expecting everything to be static… to be able to change on the fly and expecting the unexpected."
Matt and Erin finished seventh-fastest in 2 minutes 38.76 seconds to set up a sudden death race against the runner-up in the opening time trial, Portugal, at 8.55pm tonight (NZT).
As far as the top 16 ranking goes, it's 2 v 15.
" I have a lot of respect for those guys," says Matt. "They're a crew that does well in surf as well as flat water.
"I think it's going to be a real battle. But if we have a good run, if we get a clean run and take out our little mistakes, we should do it."
Matt and Erin getting down to business.
Finn Hamill and Emma Twigg are also in the round of 16 racing tonight. Top-seed Emma in the Open Women's Solo at 8.11pm against Peru's Pamela Patricia Noya Reyes.
First up though is three-seed Finn Hamill, against 14-seed Mathis Nottelet from France in the Open Men's Solo.
Finn's sure made this year his own; a first national title in the Men's Single, giant-killer wins at Henley in the Diamond Sculls, World Cup success with Ben Mason in the Men's Double and just three weeks ago a cheque for US$10,000 after winning the single at the Head of the Charles in Boston.
"I guess this year has been massive," says Finn. "But I didn't come into this regatta with any crazy expectation, [so] I was over the moon to be third in the time trial."
Like Matt and Erin, experience of different environments and disciplines can be the difference between advancing or being eliminated.
"Coastal rowing, beach sprint rowing, certainly takes a bit of adaptation to the conditions and what's going on around you," says Finn. "I think just being up for that and flexible is quite important."
What's also working for the team is the bond they've created following the camps at Ohope and at coach Gary Reid's home on the banks of the Wairoa River in Te Puna.
"That's just developed organically," says Gary. "When we couldn't row at Ohope we were practising our turns and entries and all that off our beach in front of our property.
"We could just put three buoys out in the river and use that as the course, it worked perfectly over the winter."
"One of the things we're trying to do to develop the culture is have this family-oriented feeling about the place. One night down there at a camp in Ohope, my partner Kim cooked for 40 of us.
"It just brings everybody together and sometimes you do more learning over the dinner table than you do bashing yourself up on the beach."
L-R Coach Gary Reid and Finn Hamill
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
