Hawke's Bay rowers pile on the gold | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

Russell Dodds and Max Wilson were the toast of the Hawke's Bay contingent at the national rowing championships which ended at Lake Karapiro on Sunday.

They returned home with three gold medals. In addition to winning the men's novice double they were in the Hawke's Bay club's gold-medal-winning men's novice four with Bay under-16 rugby representative Edwin Laver, Liam Kitchen and cox Logan Herbert, and these four were in the club's gold-medal-winning men's novice eight with Stephen Vanderpeet, Matthew Kitchen, Tom Brownlie, Tom MacKintosh and cox Harry Evans.

These three crews made valuable contributions to Hawke's Bay's fifth placing in the battle for the Centennial Oar which is awarded to the top club at the regatta. Hawke's Bay recorded 222 points while the top club, Waikato, finished with 418.

Hawke's Bay made the biggest contribution to East Coast's fourth placing in the inter-association tussle. East Coast finished with 111 points while winners Waikato recorded 382.

Hawke's Bay also finished fifth in the sculling section of the regatta with 116 points. Winners Waihopai recorded 186.

The Bay club's medal haul consisted of six golds, six silver and two bronze.

Olympian Emma Twigg won two golds for the Bay, one from a fourth consecutive premier women's single sculls title and the other with an Auckland Regional Performance Centre premier women's coxed four crew. Hawke's Bay's mixed adaptive pair of Gavin Foulsham and Jacqui Courtier, who are aiming to qualify for the London Paralympics, won the other gold.

Five secondary school rowers were in the Bay's senior men's novice eight crew of Tom Jenkins, Andrew Potter, Thomas St George, Olly Wood, Tom Thomas, Luke Jenkins, Alex Hyland, Paddy McInnes and cox Herbert which won silver. Herbert also coxed the club's premier men's four of Simon Lack, Michael and Richard Harrison and Adam Tripp to a silver medal.

Former New Zealand representative Giacomo Thomas won three silvers for the Bay with Waikato Regional Performance Centre crews in under-21 double, quad and eight events.

Luke Jenkins and Alex Hyland won bronze in the senior men's double and Abbey Greene won bronze with an Auckland Regional Performance Centre premier women's four.

Twigg, Greene, Tripp, Richard Harrison, Foulsham and Courtier have all been selected for New Zealand trials which begin this weekend.

"We're chuffed with how things are going but, at the same time, we know there is still a bit of work to be done," said the Bay club's captain Ross Webb.

Both Webb and the club president have predicted more medals will be won by Bay rowers at the North Island and national secondary school regattas next month.