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ROWING

Gallagher Great Race set to be showcase of medal winning NZ rowers

Wednesday 2 September 2009, 12:06PM

By Rowing New Zealand

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Nathan Twaddle to the fore as Waikato race Cambridge in the closing stages of the 2008 Gallagher Great Race
Nathan Twaddle to the fore as Waikato race Cambridge in the closing stages of the 2008 Gallagher Great Race Credit: Rowing New Zealand

Waikato University looks set to field two of its strongest ever boats in the Gallagher Great Race on September 27th – and there is a healthy content of some of the country’s successful elite, under-23 and junior rowing athletes.

 

Triple world lightweight sculling champion Duncan Grant, triple under-23 world champion Joseph Sullivan, 2005 world champion Nathan Twaddle, elite double sculler Nathan Cohen and elite lightweight oarsman and double world champion Graham Oberlin Brown head the cast for the men’s boat – but they will face stiff competition from the likes of up and coming athletes like under-23 world champion in the coxed four Tobias Wehr Candler and former under-23 coxed four world champion Dane Boswell for a place in the final line up to face Oxford.

 

Although the medal-winning expertise in the boat is predominately from sculling, there is no doubt the athletes will be able to perform at the highest level in the sweep boat. Last year Graham Oberlin-Brown did a superb job in the seven seat for Waikato as they chased Cambridge all of the way up the course. In Cohen, Grant and Sullivan, the crew has three more world class boat movers and the prospect of the inclusion of experienced Nathan Twaddle would add the final ingredient of experience to what should be a very fast crew.

 

The women’s boat – on paper at least – looks even stronger and is very much a who’s who of up and coming rowers in New Zealand. Headed once again by Emma Twigg – who secured a career best fourth place in the World Championships in Poznan recently – the crew includes up and coming squad athletes Regan Barkla, Jess Loe, Kate Reymer, Lucy Spoors, Odette Sceats, Julia Trautvetter, Alyce Pulford and Ali Burnside with Erin Tolhurst and Fiona Patterson from the New Zealand eight in 2008 adding the experience.

 

Full squad lists are as follows:

 

Women’s Squad

Coach: Mike Gilbert

 

Ali Burnside

Alyce Pulford

Erin Tolhurst

Emma Twigg

Fiona Patterson

Julia Trautvetter

Jess Loe

Kate Reymer

Lucy Spoors

Odette Sceats

Regan Barkla

 

Men’s Squad

Coach: Ross Tong

 

Adam Tripp

Ainslee Ashton

Duncan Grant

Daniel Murtagh

Dane Boswell

Graham Oberlin-Brown

Joseph Sullivan

Nathan Twaddle

Nathan Cohen

Richard Harrison

Tobias Wehr-Candler