College produced a sound performance, with 15 of the 22 crews progressing directly to either semi- finals or A finals. The U17 eight – in its first race of the season – showed great promise, going bow ball to bow ball with Hamilton Boys’ High School over the 2000m course but having to settle for a gallant 2nd. The U18 A four led for the full 2000m, recording a 10sec winning margin and cruising into the A final. The U16 A eight had a very tight battle with both Hamilton Boys’ High School and Christchurch Boys’ High School
in the first half of its heat, before stretching ahead to a comfortable victory. In the final heat of the regatta, the U18 eight raced superbly to record an 18sec victory and book a place in the A final. The result also extended College’s unbroken, 35- year run of racing in the Maadi Cup final – a very satisfying achievement. In total, College qualified 19 crews for either A or B finals, with 49 out of 53 boys racing for medals or places. The second eight impressed by picking itself up – after racing poorly in the U18 heat – to win the
repechage and progress to the A final. To make the final, the 2nd eight overcame the top crew from Westlake Boys’ High School – not an easy task. It was only the second time this century that College started two boats in the Maadi Cup A final. Meanwhile, the Magenta eight had also qualified for the B final, meaning College had three of the top 16 crews in the country. The first crew up for College during finals weekend was the U17 eight. A relatively unknown quantity heading into the final, the crew had only
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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