Veronica Wall, pictured in action on the water last year, is part of a powerful Ashburton rowing team at the national rowing championships at Lake Karapiro. Photo supplied.Eight more Ashburton Rowing Club crews progressed to A finals following semi-final racing at the national rowing championships at Laka Karapiro yesterday.

Rain that dogged the event earlier in the week cleared and some blistering performances have resulted in the biggest number of A finals the Ashburton club has ever had at the national regatta.

Some of the first rowers on the water today will be sisters and doubles team-mates Olivia and Mollie Gibson, and Grace Wilson and Veronica Wall in heats for the under 19 double sculls.

Terry O’Neill is next up in the A final of the open para single sculls event.

The Gibsons, Wilson and Erin Connelly-Whyte then team up in the A final of the senior women’s quad at 8.45am and two hours later Matt Rae, Michael Wall, Haxby Hefford and Cameron Moffat combine for the A final of the men’s club quad.

At 11.45am, the senior women’s doubles A final has two Ashburton crews at the start line – Wilson and Connelly-White, and the Gibson sisters.

Wilson is back on the water at 1.15 to team up with Wall in the A final of the under 20 doubles.

Rae and Hefford complete the day’s racing at 1.45 in the A final of the club singles.

In the semi-finals yesterday, both rowers needed to finish in the first four of their separate races to qualify for the final.

Hefford crossed second in his semi-final in 7:45.21 while Rae was third in his in 7:44.98.

The two men combined in the club doubles to finish fourth in their semi-final, and qualify for the A final.

Wall, Wilson and Mollie Gibson were also on the water yesterday in the semi-finals of the senior women’s singles, all three advancing to the A final on Saturday.

Wall won her semi-final in 8:23.80 with Wilson third in 8:52.65. Gibson was second in the other semi, in 8:42.38.

Wall will be working hard to impress selectors of the New Zealand under 23 and junior teams, the latter which will attend the junior worlds in Racice, in the Czech Republic, later in the year.

She is already through to the final of the under 22 single sculls tomorrow morning and at close of rowing last night she had not been beaten.

Around 800 rowers, including premier scullers like Mahe Drysdale, will take to the water over the course of the championships.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 16 February 2018