The Rhodes University Rowing Club (RURC) gave their new rowers a chance to shine at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Sprints Regatta at the Western Cape’s Misverstand Dam on Friday and Saturday.
They did not disappoint, leading the club to a respectable fourth place finish overall – with the men finishing third and the women sixth.
The Rhodes University Rowing Club (RURC) gave their new rowers a chance to shine at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Sprints Regatta at the Western Cape’s Misverstand Dam on Friday and Saturday.
They did not disappoint, leading the club to a respectable fourth place finish overall – with the men finishing third and the women sixth.
Men’s races
Notable performances from the men’s crew came from their A eight, who finished a close second to the highly favoured Tuks, having dropped all other crews quarter-way into their race; and in the A coxless quad event, in which they achieved a second-place finish despite having to use a cox and carry extra weight due to boat problems.
Despite having only been rowing together for three seasons, the C coxed four also impressed – finishing second in a race filled with seasoned rowers.
Men’s Captain Thomas Lungu said, “Considering the large amount of novices, these results are a good indication of what Rhodes has in store. Boat race is the next USSA event. If the same guys compete, we will have a good chance of achieving podium finishes.”
Women’s races
Like the men, the women also travelled with a relatively inexperienced group of rowers. Despite this, they did manage to gain valuable experience and some promising results.
The A coxed four delivered the most impressive result, finishing a close second to Wits. Meanwhile, the C coxed four, who came second to UJ; and the B eight, who finished fourth, particularly impressed – given the fact that, apart from cox Andrew Meiklejohn, they had consisted entirely of novices.
Ashton Lucey, captain of the women’s team expressed her pride at the C coxed four’s results, stating: “They were in a very competitive event, competing against many crews that were made up of girls who had rowed before in previous seasons.”
Individual achievers
In total, six Rhodes rowers qualified for the top boats. Nicholas Greeff; Bradley Betts; and Murray Bales-Smith making the men’s coxed eight Blues. Oscar Hobson qualified for the supposedly slower men’s coxed eight Grudge, along with cox Meiklejohn.
Maike Diekmann, who was singled out for praise by Lucey, was the lone representative for the women, qualifying for the Grudge double.
After being the fastest rower in the A sculling heats, Diekmann had to settle for 6th place in the final after being caught in cross winds and struggling with steering. Her inclusion was thus a more than welcome consolation.
While there is still room for improvement ahead of Boat Race in September, the RURC have plenty of reasons to be positive. Their experienced rowers continued to challenge for the top positions, while their novices showed signs of having the potential to one day fill their shoes.
sport@grocotts.co.za
