Results from the world masters games.

The results of the world masters are several weeks old now, and the thoughts of competition fade to be replaced with a yearning for domination of the club season. But the tales need to be told, for the club did itself proud, and came away with a horde of glory. Some say our tally may have been larger if the last two day’s were not washed out with wind. Certain medal chances to not row were Shane’s single, the girls B eight, the men’s A coxless, and B coxed fours, and the C eights. Not to mention the horde of mixed rowing that was ours to destroy.

The overall tally for the weeked were 5 gold, 6 silver, and 5 bronze.

World championship finals with PHRC crews

MC4+

MA4+ (gold)

MB2x

WC4+

WA8+ (Bronze)

WB4- (silver)

MA4x- (bronze)

MA2- (gold)

WB4+ (silver)

MB8+ (gold)

WA4- (silver)

MA1x (bronze)

WB2-

MB4X-

WA4+ (silver)

MA8+ (gold)

MD4+

MB4- (silver)

WC8+

MF4-

MB4+ (final not raced)

Mi2X (silver)

MiC4X (bronze)

Mi4+ (gold) (bronze)

gold Medals

MA4+

MA2-

MB8+

MA8+

Mi4+

silver medals

WB4-

WB4+

WA4-

WA4+

MB4-

Mi2X

bronze medals

WA8+

MA4X-

MA1x

MiC4X

Mi4+

Race reports:

Men’s C4+

P.Whitty,C.Cooper,M.Culka*,N.Freezer,c:N.Grant

3^rd in heat 3:48.27, 7^th in semifinal 3:43.19,

A.Inglis*,M.Taylor,P.Wiegard*,B.Winnen,c:T.Spivakvosky

2^nd in heat 3:44.98, 5^th in semifinal 3:33.35,

R.Baltutis,A.Rizzardi,P.Leahy,D.Harris,c:C.Ripper

2^nd in heat 3:41.91,  3^rd in semifinal 3:33.06, 9^th in final 3:32.03

The regatta started with the men’s C fours. Several scratch combinations found themselves in the semi finals, all having had comfortable rows in the heat. Though improving rapidly the Inglis four tore themselves apart in the semi, and narrowly missed out on a finals birth. Tara’s skill was sorely tested by the brutal age difference between strokeside  and bowside in this boat.  The Culka four was ably stroked, and rowed well in both races but was outclassed by the competition. The Harris four rowed the heat and semi with aplom, not being tested until the final. It was good to see the first final of the day being contested by powerhouse, especially in such a large field with a touch under 50 entries.

Mens F Coxless Pair

John O'Dowd, Geoff Pullin

4^th in the heat 4:27.16

Having their first race in the regatta Geoff and John sought to capture some past glories. They did not progress to the final, but were not disgraced. This was an excellent warm up for the pair who were to feature strongly in the F competition.

Mens A Coxed Four

S.O'Connor-Smith,D.Holman,C.Tulloch,N.Andreou*,c:N.Grant

1^st in the final 3:08.48

H.Stubbs,A.Best,J.Hills,M.Ryan,c:T.Spivakvosky

7^th in the Final 3:31.13

And so Power house’s first world championship medal came to pass. The four stroked by Shane set a cracking pace that was never bettered. Their first 500m split of 1:32 would have made most eights proud, and the sensational time of 3:08 was just too hot for the Ex Australian representitives chasing them on the far side of the course. A rude start to the regatta for all competitors, the first and final was an outstanding race, followed by outstanding levels of pain and lactic. Even Shane was seen to slump into the bottom of the boat. Conrad seemed to enjoy the scenic outing whilst Drewby investigated what he had for breaky. The hot pace saw the Queenslanders fade over the last five, and the Kent Mitchell crew(americans) row themselves to the silver.

The Ryan four did not capture their form in training and were a little unsettled as they hurtled off the start. Though disappointed with their performance, they were by no means the last crew to finish, and almost headed off the competitors from NZ.

Mens B Double Scull

Jeff Walker(Essendon), Nicholas Inglis

2^nd in heat 3:30.48, 2^nd in semifinal 3:25.34, 6^th in final 3:23.04

Aprehensive of the large field they faced, bingy and jeff spent the day rowing themselves into the final, capturing some excellent form along the way. Sitting on the second fastest semi time the boys were confident of a fast final. Unfortunately the competition was foxing a little and turned in some very fast times to beat our mob in the final.

Womens C Coxed Four

V.Tainton,J.Kilby(melb),K.Taylor(melb),K.Schmidt(melb),c:Z.Murray

1^st in heat 3:59.41, 5^th in final 3:56.13

Power house girls were in demand, and Virg was quick to answer the call. Her successful defection resulted in another final appearance for the club. The final was a close affair with Virg’s crew finishing 3 seconds out of the placings, and 7 seconds form the winners.

Mens E Quad Scull

I.Thompson,D.McManamny,P.Carew,B.Smith

4^th in heat 3:47.21

This was another scratch crew that performed rather well on the water. Ian is proving himself to be an able stroke in both the sculling and sweep disciplines, and the crew gathered in skill and speed down the course, turning in the fastest 2^nd 500m split. Though outclassed by the very experienced competition they narrowly missed out on a semi finals birth.

Womens A Eight

J.Walter, P.Rule, E.Carrigy,Y.Gray, K.Andrews, C.Plowman, R.Burgess, K.Chapman, c:C.Ripper

3^rd in the final 3:32.23

The women’s eight started a run of success which saw every female member of the club with a neck full of bling. The eight had an extremely good row, and were placed in 3^rd at half distance, a half second behind the WA crew. A fantastic lift over the last five saw them close the margin, but the girls were pipped on the line, missing out on the silver by a ridiculously small one hundredth of a second. Fleur spriggs had a win for the “toughen up princess” crew. Though not rowing in PHRC colors Fleur achieved some excellent results, and her crew full of ex Olympians was never challenged to score a convincing win.

Mens F Coxed Four

P.Benson,J.O'Dowd,B.Smith*,G.White,c:T.Spivakvosky

3^rd in the heat 3:45.98

The men’s f four was denied a row in the final by the luck of the draw. Rowing a very even race, the powerhouse combination was unable to pass the early leaders. The boys were very competitive but greatly disappointed to not make the final. On times the only Victorian crew to go faster was the MUBC combination. Banks and collegians did make the final through an easy heat, but I would have liked to see benson, smith, white and O’dowd smash these two crews in the final.

Womens B Coxless Four

F.Keiper,V.Tainton,K.Chapman,N.Grant

1^st in heat 3:45.41, 2^nd in Final 3:45.38

Coutdoing their row in the eight the girls had a surprisng win in the heat, and another excellent row in the final to come away with the silver. The crew got the better of some very classy competition to grasp the silver in another one of Nicole’s patented “Grant last 250m wind”. The margin went PHRC’s way this time with the 3^rd place being awarded to QLD uni in the photo. Fluer’s toughen up Princess was to follow up in 5^th. This sequence of results affirmed the quality of the girls from PHRC. Echoes were heard across the starting line in subsequent races. “Watch out for the powerhouse girls, they are the ones to beat”.

Mens A Quad Scull

N.Inglis,S.O'Connor-Smith,D.Holman,N.Andreou

2^nd in heat 3:14.20, 3^rd in final 3:05.25

Attempting to impersonate a sculling team the crew resisted the temptation to train the combination, relying on the novelty of the event to bring forth their very best. And in a surprise to even themselves they were competitive. Rowing in the yellow hawthorn boat for the first time, the gents had a comfy row against Toowong to make the final. Leaving their  extreme speed to be tested later in the day. Apon rowing to the start to the final the crew discovered that not very many bolts on the boat were actually tight. Unperturbed they sculled onward, relying on a few stops to finger tighten the fittings on the way.

A fast start saw the crew in contention for the win, a furious sequence of lifts gave them the fastest last 500, and a negative split to boot, but it was to no avail, and the crew came ina very close fought third place. The margin to first being a measly 1.3 seconds, and the margin to second being 0.07. Toowong were a little shocked by the performance and settled for 5^th place.  Mosman were happy with the silver, and it was one of the few times that they got the better of us during the regatta.

The end of the race saw bingy’s rigger flapping around with the bolts hanging by a thread, but the crew did not falter, and was very pleased with the result. Our even paced 1000m was testament to hatsi and drew who turned in excellent results despite their limited sculling experience.

Mens D Eight

R.Baltutis,A.Rizzardi,P.Leahy,M.Taylor, B.Beattie,R.Prince,D.Harris,C.Cooper*,c:C.Ripper

3^rd in heat 3:18.35, 6^th in semifinal 3:21.15

In possibly the toughest event on the sporting card the PHRC D eight turned in an excellent heat, looking comfortable and strong. They also rowed well in the Semifinal but were edged out of a final birth by 5 seconds and some tough crews. The boys continue to improve on their times in the eight, but still have a margin to catch on the international competition. The final was hotly contested, with the crew from Moscow racing against the best two crews from Australia for the win. Moscow dynamo won in a fantastic time of 2:58, with Toowong composite in 2:59 and the Banks composite in 3 minutes dead. 4th place was the Kent Mitchell combination which included 6 olympic gold medalists, and two world champions in a time of 3:02. The regatta did confirm the men’s D eight as the third fastest crew from Victoria, and the fastest non composite crew from our state. With such competition to aim for, the guys should be pleased with how far they have come, and set their sights on bringing these fast crews closer their bow ball.

Mens B Coxless Pair

Conrad Tulloch, Shane O'Connor-Smith

1^st in heat 3:34.49, 1^st in final 3:27.10

Shane and Conrad turned in a fantastic regatta, both coming away with 5 gold medals,  and a silver. Shane came away with an extra bronze, but who’s counting. The boys won a comfortable heat row and set about the business of racking up another gold. Under Shane’s tuition Conrad was to learn that you do not need to lead to win. Shane is adamant that the race does not start till you have travelled half distance, and shane is not often wrong. They had a zippy first 5 and were comfortably positioned in 2^nd at the 500. With only a couple of seconds to make up, the first of the lifts was commenced. The Toowong crew melted away like butter in a frying pan. Stroke by stroke the PHRC pair ate them up. Shane took it up over the last 250 in a furious display, but the race was already decided.

Mens E Eight

P.Whitty,C.Cooper,I.Thompson,N.Freezer, J.O'Dowd,B.Smith*,S.Spring,D.McManamny,c:C.Ripper

5^th in heat 3:35.01

Though the E eight has not been in training as long as the F or D squad, they performed very well. Again stroked by the very able Thompson, the crew put in a very good first 300m and was quite competitive. The middle section was  not as pretty, with the bow end showing a distinct lack of race experience. The last 250 got going again, and the crew looked very neat. Later events saw marked improvement in the oarsmen. Well worth the paddle, but a lot of distance to made up in fitness and weight loss.

Womens A Quad Scull

J.Walter,P.Rule,Y.Gray,K.Andrews

6^th in heat 3:52.45

Another scratch crew, and another good paddle. The girls put in a clean spritely performance that they were all happy with.  The girls beat several crews home, and looked very pretty. Sculling is slowly gaining some traction with the girls, and I hope they continue developing the skills.

Mens F Single Scull

Peter Benson

4^th in heat 4:31.54

Peter had a dream. He had a dream of rowing 4:30 in the single. A considerable improvement on his rockhampton form. Some say he could of done it too, if he did not stop 2 strokes before the line. Pete had an excellent paddle, and was over the moon with the result.

Womens B Coxed Four

N.Grant,F.Keiper,V.Tainton,K.Chapman,c:C.Ripper

3^rd in heat 3:50.32,  4^th in final 4:01.27

B.deLume(melb),E.Carrigy(melb),R.Burgess,J.Kilby,c:T.Spivakvosky

1^st in heat 3:52.52,  2^nd in final 3:56.42

What an event. This pitted our bronze medal winning coxless combination against the new scratch composite crew stroked by the enthusiastically opportunistic Rosie Burgess. A slight head wind even further favoured the meaty Burgess crew.  The race was a close fought affair with 7 of the nine crews within 2 seconds of each other at half distance. The eventual winners(MUBC) had a couple of seconds on the field, but were being hounded by the burgess four.  Nicloe’s four was travelling in 9^th place, but were only 2 seconds off 3^rd. A furiously stroking rosie took the crew to the line, the big girls behind her gave her what she wanted and the other contenders began to fade. In the end there were only the two crews from PHRC, toughen up princess and MUBC in contention. MUBC won, 1 and a half seconds ahead of the burgess combination, 2 seconds to the princesses, and a further 2 seconds to the Grant four. The silver medal put Rosie and Errin and Tarra over the moon. The men’s B eight witnessed the babbling Rosie as they furiously took off from the staging, Nicole in tow, running late for the start of their race. Fluer Spriggs and the princesses  got another bronze with this race, but yet again the Australian oarswomen were coming in behind another successful PHRC combination.

Mens B Eight

N.Inglis,S.O'Connor-Smith,A.Inglis,P.Wiegard,D.Holman,C.Tulloch,M.Culka*,N.Andreou,c:N.Grant

Ist in heat 3:02.24,  1^st in final 2:58.16

J.Hills,M.Ryan,P.Leahy*,B.Winnen, H.Stubbs,A.Best,J.Walker*,D.Harris,c:C.Ripper

6^th in heat 3:22.14

The men were never threatened in the heat, just maintaining a nice speed to the finish. The Harris crew did not fare so well, after some not so bad starts, they had a harassing start, a furious middle and a cathartic finish, but if they had done it in time and look pretty they would have gone faster. Still suffering from world rowing shock, the guys were disappointed with their performance. The next day would see them fare much better, with clear heads and a taste for what to expect they would come away much happier.

The final was not as comfy as the heat, with a furious 39-40 being maintained by Hatsi. The start went well, and we had a small margin at half distance, but the other crews were within a quarter of a length. Nicole made an inspired call to hold the finish, and the platform became rock solid, our speed increased, and it became quite comfortable. (as comfortable as it can be at 39 strokes per minute). We began to edge away, and continued to hold the clean rowing together. A further lift was not deemed necessary and we held our half length margin to the finish.  The minor placings were hotly contested with the Kent Mitchell crew coming away with silver in a photo finish with Mossman. Dynamo Moscow followed closely in 4^th with a time of 3:01. The Kent Mitchell combination is a group that is financed by a philanthropist coxswain called Kent Mitchell, and includes world class rowers from around the globe, but mainly America. It seems PHRC was costing him a lot of money this regatta. Mossman were stony faced at the presentation, later we found one of their key members had pulled his back during the race. None the less we shook their hands and cracked a smile. The crowd was hugely supportive during the race, and I was continually surprised with how popular the win was, especially with other Melbourne clubs. It was not till the racing of the A eights that we were fully tested.

Womens C Double Scull

Geraldine Goss, Peta Carroll

2^nd in heat 4:10.86, 7^th in semifinal 4:08.54

Teaming with another club Peta took on the biggest field at the regtta, with over 100 entries. The competition appeared a bit too fierce in the semis, and they bowed out. They were competitive, but not strong enough to gain a final’s birth.

Womens A Coxless Four

Y.Gray,C.Plowman,K.Andrews,P.Rule

2^nd in heat 3:54.15, 2^nd in final 3:46.20

And so we see the start of the Gun’s show. The girls had a comfy heat, taking their foot off the accelerator after leading early. The final was a different kettle of fish. Even though the girls started faster than the heat, they were 5^th at the halfway point. But this is where PHRC excels, and the girls new it. The second 5 saw the girls chase up to and crunch everyone bar the west Australians. Rowing an even split race the girls rowed themselves into silver in convincing fashion. The other crews were flagging as they hit the 250m to go.  The West Australians took the gold in a well deserved win, 4.5 seconds ahead of powerhouse, with the princesses in third. But it was at the medal ceremony where the girls showed off their best assets. With bling and a grin we witnessed the “gun show”. This would become a staple signature of the Girls squad. And who were we to complain. It was also where peta first introduced us to “Des” and “troy”.

Mens F Eight

P.Benson,J.O'Dowd,G.Pullin,G.White, D.McManamny,P.Carew,B.Smith,T.Hodges,c:C.Ripper

5^th in heat 3:34.57

The gentlemen of the PHRC rowing team had a fine paddle this day, not fast enough to gain a birth in the final, but competitive none the less their times are getting more competitive against the front runners. They almost even split the course, and Jeff maintained an excellent stroke rate, and only 5 seconds off a finals birth. There is still a margin to being able to win the event by 18 to 22 seconds. The gents rowed extremely well, and clean, and it was a good race. Most of the guys are still on the upward improvement, and their commitment to training has been an asset to the club. I am continually impressed by their dedication to training, and if we can keep that level of enthusiasm going the weight loss and fitness benefits will make themselves known by improvements in boat speed on the water.

Mens A Single Scull

Nicholas Inglis

3^rd in heat 4:10.34, 2^nd in semi 3:45.85, 3^rd in final 3:37.31

After rowing the eight, Bingy was a little fatigued. Fortunately he had a few recovery rows ahead of him before the final of the A single. The heat was one such occasion, and he was greeted by cat calls from the crowd and calls to increase his rating past 20 strokes per minute. Bingy was not phased, he had the race well in hand, some of his competitors had almost capsized on the start (it was a flat course), and some larrikin out front thought it was a race.. let him expend his bickies thought Bingy, I am still recovering. The semi final was a similar affair, although Bingy had to knock half a minute of his time to proceed to the final. He did think he cracked 26 on this paddle, the competition was getting tougher.

The final was a different story. Having rested, eaten, rested and eaten again Bingy was ready and fired. The red light went out, and bingy was off, but the opposition was not, some timing error had delayed the other gates, and those fools were waiting for the buzzer. Taking full advantage of his lightning start, bingy had the joy of looking back on the field. He took pleasure in the startled looks heading his way from the other competitors. The early jump had caught their attention and the race was on. Trying desperately to even his pace binglis settled, and the other front runners closed the margin. At half distance  Patrick Bird asserted his strength and pushed through, and the ANA freak came with him. The roars of the crowd beat across the waves to the far lane, and Bingy took sustenance from their sound. Unable to look any more, the boys turned pink, and the powerhousian took off into high gear.  A furious flood of strokes were slaughtered across the last 250. But only the thoughts of his daughter kept him in the race, her name was a the mantra that held him to the fight. Red boys, a further lift, a wild explosion, and still the ANA Freak was there damnit.. more strokes, the finish. Arghh.. a photo.. a delay,,.. and a bronze.. WOOT!

Patrick bird had won by 4 seconds, and bingy has missed out on the silver by 0.55 . A nice improvement on Rockhampton, the victors from that battle were in his wake. Tristan from Toowong finished in 4^th. Life was good.

Womens B Coxless Pair

Nicole Grant, Kirsten Chapman

4^th in heat 4:12.17, 7^th in final 4:08.48

The girls did well in this event, and utilize their efficient rowing to be competitive against some big monsters. They did an outstanding even spit of 2:04.40, then 2:04.08, whilst the crews around them are losing 5 to 10 seconds in their second 500. I am continually impressed by the skill of the girls in rowing such even races. I am sure it is one of the resons they came away with so many medals. Good to see the girls flying the PHRC flag in another final, and only 6 seconds off a medal. Well done.

Mens D Coxless Four

A.Rizzardi,P.Leahy,B.Beattie,A.Kegele

1^st in heat 3:41.62, 5^th in semifinal 3:43.79

Having had a good heat, the guys had an unfortunate experience with a boat change in the final. The hawthorn boat whilst it likes to go straight is a mean nasty thing to try and get back on course. Another of our scratch crews, they performed admirably.

Event 307 : Mens B Quad Scull

N.Inglis,S.O'Connor-Smith,D.Holman,N.Andreou

1^st in heat 3:22.20, 5^th in final 3:10.69

Trying to back up their success in the A quad, the indomitable men’s B sculling squad took up the challenge but this time in our boat, rather than the yellow hawthorn contraption. The heat was an easy win, but the challenge would be the final. Unfortunately the crew did not do so well as the previous event. A change to rhythm and boat did not work in our favour, and though competitive, we could not regain the same form that granted us a medal before. Sad to say bingy did not steer the boat as well,a nd also lost an oar in the last 300m… miraculously bingy caught the blasted thing and they finished at a furious pace. The slower 2^nd 500 reflected Bingy’s screw ups, and perhaps cost us the third place. The Russians won in 3:06, ANA second, and Woopee third in 3:08

Womens A Coxed Four

J.Walter,P.Rule,E.Carrigy,R.Burgess,c:T.Spivakvosky

1^st in heat 3:56.81, 5^th in final 3:52.17

K.Chapman,Y.Gray,C.Plowman,K.Andrews,c:J.Grant

2^nd in heat 3:59.42, 2^nd in final 3:49.44

Again the women got a chance to put on the gun show. The heat was a powerhouse procession, and the announcer was heard to say that it was a shame that there were no more phrc crews in the next heat. I think he was enjoying the girls run of success.

The final was more serious, and a close fight. At half distance the power house crews were running 4^th and 5^th in a close field. Jules asked for a lift and the girls responded. They shaved 2 seconds off their 500m split time and came home with a wet sail. The Melbourne combination as beginning to falter, but their 6 second advantage at 500 was too much. The girls came in second 2.29 behind the Melbourne crew. Toughen up princes came third, giving fleur another bronze, and burgess combination came in 1.39 seconds off a podium finish. Another great race and the girls were fast becoming favorites to watch. Better still was the gun show on the podium.

Mens F Quad Scull

P.Benson,J.O'Dowd,G.Pullin,T.Hodges*

6^th in heat 3:57.39

Another scratch combination, another good paddle. We should really get these on the water more often. A nice even paddle, but they need to ignite the torch next time. Enough of this smooth paddling. i want to see some real terror and pain dished out!

Mens A Eight

N.Inglis,S.O'Connor-Smith,A.Inglis,P.Wiegard, D.Holman,C.Tulloch,M.Culka*,N.Andreou,c:N.Grant

1^st in final 2:56.94

J.Hills,A.Best,R.Baltutis,M.Ryan, H.Stubbs,B.Winnen,J.Walker*,D.Harris,c:C.Ripper

7^th in final  3:15.94

The main event.. the A eight. The team had been looking forward to this race for a long time. This was it. The big guns, the big boats, the crazy fast speed. And for some reason The Russians were favorite.

The andreou eight went in unchanged, whilst the 2^nd eight made some serious alterations. First of all they sacked that no good free loader jeef, and wacked in a biger unit from essendon. Secondly they put Dave in the engine room where he likes it. Mitch got the keys, and heath was wacked up in seven to try and get some responsibility into him (he tends to go crazy when in a meat seat)  The new look Ryan eight had a better row, they shaved over 7 seconds off their time, and were only 15 seconds off a medal in a world championship event..

The start was fast… very fast. Our number one combination had the best start of our preparation, but was still slightly down. Nicole used the MUBC crew alongside to work against whilst the leaders shook themselves out, and we established our rhythm. This was going to be a tough race. Hatsi had us pegged at 40 strokes per minute, and that did not waver for the race. We hit the same rhythm as the heat, but much earlier thanks to nicole’s fruitful calls. As far as we could recon we were a seat or two down on the Russians, but Nicole kept urging us to catch their stroke seat. We held the pace through the middle, and hatsi still had us pegged at 40. The platform was rock solid. It felt good. Only a matter of time. The lift for the line came early, and at the 250m mark we drew level for the first time, then stepped through them. Nicole called their stroke, then their 7 seat, and the red boys were apon us. I watched as Drew practically tore the side out of the boat with one stroke, he was not saving anything. Shane started babbling in the 4, but it was not needed. Nicole called the lift on the red boys and we gave it the last rights. Vision was becoming dimmer, and the noise was subsiding to a noisy burble and rush of blood through the ears. Yet still the boat was rock solid and the timing was bang on at 43 strokes per minute.

The finish came, and a photo too, drew pumped his hands in the air. It seems Nicole was right, we won (2:56.94) by two seats over Moscow Dyanamo(2:57.46), Mossman in third(3:00.47), and Kent Mitchell in 4^{th (}3:01.95).  I was getting used to the medal ceremonies, but was getting a crick in my neck from looking up at the big competitors we faced.

Mens D Coxed Four

I.Thompson*,R.Baltutis,B.Smith,S.Spring,c:J.Grant

8^th in heat 3:59.84

P.Whitty*,A.Rizzardi,P.Leahy,M.Taylor,c:C.Ripper

5^th in heat 3:49.45

B.Beattie,R.Prince,C.Cooper,A.Kegele,c:T.Spivakvosky

1^st in heat 3:38.88, 3^rd in semifinal 3:32.93,  7^th in final 3:33.64

Another very tough event with big fields, and keegle’s four really did an amazing job. They finished 1.35 seconds behind the Russian crew who dead heated for 5^th and who won the D eight earlier in the regatta. A special mention must be made of coops.. On observation of his rowing technique, it is now my ambition to bend it like coops. He makes the oar look like a piece of liquorish.

Thompson’s four suffered a borrowed boat, which was a little tippy and uncomfortable, but it was big enough. The guys had a solid race, were gutsy through the middle and lifted well. Was a good step in the right direction.

Ripper’s crew had a half decent paddle, Whitty had his best row to date, and got some excellent length, pete and ange looke a little uncomfortable, and the guys were bundled out in the heats. A good row for a scratch crew, but they all would have loved to get a second paddle .

After a very comfortable heat, dipper’s crew stepped up the grades, rowing an excellent semi, and a competitive final. It great to see the phrc flag flying in another world championship final.

Mens B Coxless Four

S.O'Connor-Smith,D.Holman,C.Tulloch,N.Andreou

1^st in heat 3:12.80,  2^nd in final 3:09.64

Some call this a race, others call it a death march. With a stupidly short turn around after the eight. Drew stroked a fine heat, looking long and convincing, but the crews were just coasting through to the final. After the eight drew decided he did not have it in him to monster the final, so gave the keys to shane, who is an excellent slave driver. The boys looked good at half distance, amazingly being in 2^nd place, and only a half second off toowong… then its tarted to go horribly wrong.

Toowong started to pull away, and the rest of the field encroached on powerhouse. It looked like they were going to come to grief at the 250m. But the 250m came, and the guys lifted. Toowong had a stolen a couple of lengths, but that is all they got. Shane lifted and turned the guys inside out. Even Conrad looked to be hurting. The final lift to the line was painful to watch, drew turned into a hunchback, Hatsi went pale, and Shane went off tap. A silver, toowong won by 3 seconds, Lindisfarne in third a further 1.8 behind.

The outstanding result under such duress cannot be underestimated. It was inspired. It did bring to end Conrad’s perfect winning streak, and he had to accept silver for the first time.

Womens C Eight

N.Grant,C.Manning(melb),V.Tainton,K.Russell(melb),J.Kilby(melb),K.Taylor(melb),K.Schmidt(melb),K.Chapman,c:Z.Murray

2^nd in heat 3:39.08, 6^th in final 3:36.17

To the delight of the Melbourne girls, PHRC was able to supply three of our best four their C eight. Chap, Nicole and Virg were sat in the driver’s seat, with the powerfull Melbourne girls backing them up. The heat was a blinder with only two crews going through to the final. Yet again the patented Nicole Grant race plan saw the crew negative split the course, passing the favoured Melbourne crew in the process. The second placing not only gave them a birth to the final, but gave bragging rights to the Melbourne girls who were over joyed in beating their counter parts. The margin between the two crews was only 0.11 seconds. Nicole also negative split the final, to finsh within a couple of lengths of the winners. The event was taken out by “toughen up princess”( 3:29.74), the team of ex Ais mebers which included our very own Fleur Spriggs.

Mens E Double Scull

Peter Carew, Brian Smith

5^th in heat 4:30.44

Another scratch paddle, and the boys looked alright.. err. Well Brian did seem to have his chin glued to his rib cage, and peter could be seen to fondly gaze at the finish. Some say that this is the reason that they almost capsized on the finish line.

Womens A Coxless Pair

Peta Rule, Kate Andrews

7^th in the heat 4:24.07

Despite their competitors dire predictions, the girls were not the crew to beat in this seemed event. The shadow o fthe girls powerhouse squad did loom large, but a fearsome repusation was not enough to see the girls through to the final. Their coach was heard tos ay “they look so good, I can’t understand why they are so far behind”. They did look good, and they did a comfy even split of the course, but unfortunately this was more of a first outing for the girls rather than a targeted race. They did slaughter brian and pete’s time in the double though.

Mens F Coxless Four

P.Benson,J.O'Dowd,G.Pullin,G.White

2^nd in heat 3:41.59, 7^th in final 3:55.62

The F finally did it. They got themselves into a world championship final. The rhythm was good, and this was the best row the F squad put out for the regatta. Pullin did an excellent job in the stroke and was well backed up from the crew behind. He was also excited by the stroke coach that was to be found in the borrowed boat. It confirmed that they took off at 39. Not bad for an old bloke he would say. I think the conditions in the final did not suit them as well as the heat, and they could have done with a more furious wind, but we will have to work on that.

Mens D Coxless Pair

Rick Prince, Craig Cooper

6^th in heat 4:13.05

A good start in a very tough field, but a slower second 5 saw them drop out of contention, and the field slip away.1^st 500m(2:01.06)  2^nd 500m(2:11.99)

Mens B Coxed Four

A.Inglis,P.Wiegard,C.Tulloch,D.Harris*,c:T.Spivakvosky

3^rd in heat (3:41.64)

J.Hills,A.Rizzardi*,H.Stubbs,M.Ryan*,c:J.Grant

6^th in heat (3:56.34)

Unfortunately the final of this race was not rowed due to the wind getting up, but everyone was well pleased by the heat. Angelo says its the best he has rowed, and he was over the moon with the chance to row the B fours. Alex was a little unsure how to stroke the race, but was gaining in experience, the guys said that they had room for improvement in the final, and it is disappointing that Conrad missed his opportunity to get ahead of Shane on the medal tally.

Womens C Quad Scull

(Ladies Left it Late)

D.Edmonds,P.Carroll(PHRC),K.McGredy,G.Goss

7^th in heat 4:35.26

Peta was able to pick up a couple of orphaned events, and was also victimized by the strong head winds. A scratch row that participated, but did not challenge.

Mixed A Double Scull

Peta Rule, Nicholas Inglis

2^nd in final 3:38.89

One of the few mixed events we got to race before the weather became too bad. Peta called the race whilst bingy stroked up a frenzy. The two calls over the last part were “des” and “troy”. It was a surprisingly good paddle for a scratch row. It was also another chance to get the gun show happening on the podium.

Mixed E Coxed Four

P.Benson,J.O'Dowd,C.Browne(melb),L.Murray(melb),c:Z.Murray(melb)

4^th in final 3:59.20

Peter and John were selected for their virility and skill... err wait make it their age and tenacity. The combination with the Melbourne girls went well, and had they drawn a different division may have even got them a medal. The crew ran negative splits on the course and came home strong. John was rowing his best strokes of the regatta and looked quite long in the water. Peter set an excellent rhythm, and the girls matched up well. I would have liked to see them cut loose though. The wind to the finish was nice, but we would have liked to see them put in the big ones earlier.

Mixed C Quad Scull

(rich 5 crew)

M.Ross,G.Goss,M.Cornwell,P.Carroll(PHRC)

3^rd in final

Peta did well on the mercenary front, picking up a bronze in the hotly contested Quad sculls. A popular event which saw many divisions striving for a win. Peta heralded the flood of medals that were due to the club this day, but were unable to catch due to the nasty wind storms.

Mixed A Coxed Four

S.O'Connor-Smith,C.Tulloch,Y.Gray,C.Plowman,c:J.Grant

1^st in final 4:02.29

A.Inglis,M.Culka*,J.Walter,E.Carrigy,c:C.Ripper

3^rd in final 4:08.29

J.Hills,M.Ryan,V.Tainton,R.Burgess,c:T.Spivakvosky

7^th in final 4:38.29

This event was a glorius battle fought out in tremendous wind. The preamble to the race was dominated by shane’s race plan. “you start there you finish there, what else is there to contemplate”. He had not had his full wake up jouice and was a little addled. He then set up a nice heavy gearing for the expected tail wind. Unfortunately the wind changed, and the crew had to guts it with heavy blades… just the way he likes it say some.

The start was challenging with waves and wind ripping through the field. The burgess combination was a good 45 degrees off course when the start was called, but somehow clawed back the 3 length defciet and was looking competitive at half distance. The culka crew was very well stroked, and together with shane’s crew lead the race. Then Essendon wipped it up, and threw down a challenge. Their purple patch covered the last half of the race, which they negative split. Culkas crew was passed, but not shanes.. they gritted, and pushed, and held, and gritted some more to hold out a win. Matt culka’s crew came in a convincing third. Rossie’s crew was hampered in the last half by a lost oar, which cost them 30 seconds or so. I am sure it won’t happen again.

And so concluded the racing at penrith with the remaining events washed out by wind.