Haxby Hefford will be looking to continue his fine form at this weekend’s Canterbury Championships in Twizel. Photo supplied.A contingent of Ashburton’s best rowers begin a march towards the national championships this weekend as they embark on what will be a busy month ahead of the premier event of the rowing season.

A squad of 16 rowers will be in action at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel over the course of the weekend for the Canterbury Rowing Championships and coach Justin Wall said the crew were heading south with the intention of making their intended plans for the remainder of the season known to some of their key rivals.

The team Ashburton is taking down is littered with talent and there’s plenty of chances of success during the championships which begin on Saturday morning.

Wall said one rower to keep an eye out for over the weekend was Haxby Hefford.

“He won the Club Singles at the Otago Championships prior to Christmas and is really developing.

“We are keen to see him go on with that result and really stamp his authority.”

Also in action is this year’s Ashburton College Head Girl, Mollie Gibson who set Ruataniwha alight last year at the Maadi Cup and announced herself as a rower of the future, and along with Emma Stagg are both in line for good results.

Twelve months ago, Wall said the squad was going through a slight transitional stage with new faces joining the ranks and he’s seen some really strong improvement from those who have joined the fray and expects that to continue.

“They’ve come a long way in over a year.

“Someone like Aidan Elvines is a name we’ve got high hopes for, her development has been fantastic she’s a really strong athlete.”

Grace Wilson, another former Maadi star, will also be on the water.

The squad comprises of a mixture of youthful up and coming talent as well as some experienced heads, with a small number of rowers also competing in the Masters Section which is a rapid growing sector of the sport.

“We’ve almost reached the saturation point in the sport between both the older rowers and the secondary school and junior rowers but the masters is really starting to build momentum and we’re seeing plenty of locals who are keen to compete in the divisions.”

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 17 January 2019