SA rowers shine in Belgium

FIVE Eastern Cape rowers competed in the Ghent International May Regatta in Belgium last week, gaining excellent experience against strong international opposition.

The rowers – Robert Stevens and Ben Pio (Grey High), Carrie Warner (Clarendon), Ben Godfrey (Selborne) and Emma Moses (DSG) – were part of a 49-strong SA Schools Rowing Union development squad, accompanied by nine coaches, including Benji Ekron (Grey) and Bill Godfrey (Clarendon).

On Saturday, the 36th International Belgian Senior Championships was held, followed by the 11th International Rowing Junior Championships of Flanders on Sunday.

The SA team competed in the senior champs in order to gain race experience, and even against stronger and older opposition, the young South Africans held their own.

The results for the Eastern Cape rowers on a windy and wet Saturday were: junior women's eight: Warner and Moses came third; junior men's four: Stevens and Pio came fourth; junior men's eight: Stevens and Pio came fourth.

On Sunday, it was again cold and windy, with the Eastern Cape competitors producing these results: U16 single scull: Warner came 11th and Moses 31st out of 38; U16 quads: Godfrey came seventh; U16 pairs: Stevens and Pio came second; U16 single scull: Godfrey came 14th out of 39; U16 fours: Warner and Moses came seventh out of 15; U16 eights: Stevens and Pio came first