Aramoho edged to silvers by champion on comeback

Former WHS students, Luke Watts and Hugh Pawson got silver in the men's senior double sculls at the NZ Rowing Championships.
PHOTO: Anne Pawson 

The Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club members were satisfied with their NZ Rowing Championship haul of four silvers and a bronze given the standouts found themselves facing an elite former world champion and Olympic gold medallist.

Luke Watts and Hugh Pawson went to the regatta on Twizel's Lake Ruataniwha with designs on gold in the men's senior single and double sculls last week.

However, a former Kiwi great had chosen Twizel to make a comeback.

"The senior squad, Luke and Hugh, they were up against Nathan Cohen and his brother Hamish," said AWRC's Anne Pawson.

"They thought it was cool to be standing beside them on the podium. It was exciting racing."

The London 2012 double sculls winner, Cohen had retired from competitive rowing in 2013 due to an irregular heartbeat.

Watts (7m 22.77s) came second to Cohen (7m 15.98s) in the single sculls final, while Watts and Pawson chased the Cohen brother team to the line in the double sculls.

In the men's senior coxless quad sculls, Watts and Pawson teamed with Nathan Luff and James Sandston to claim bronze, behind the Canterbury team and the winning Invercargill crew which included the Cohens.

Luff would also get a silver in the men's club single sculls, finishing in 7m 23.01s behind Marlborough's Tristan Gregory-Hunt (7m 21.13).

The men's club coxed four of Sandston; WHS students' Luff, Guy Thomson, Ben Tijsen-Cox and cox Niamh Mullany finished second in 6m 38.41s, behind the Avon RC (6m 35.31) 

By Jared Smith
Wanganui Chronicle 20/2/17 

Below photo: Silver Medal for men's club coxed four of Sandston; WHS students' Luff, Guy Thomson, Ben Tijsen-Cox and cox Niamh Mullany.
PHOTO: Anne Pawson