Club Nationals: It's on!
- hamish8572
- Feb 17
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Get excited, Club Nationals starts tomorrow..
The crews are primed for one of the biggest regattas of the
season. Massive thanks to our coaching team who have
invested countless hours mentoring and coaching our rowers to be at their best. Good luck team.
Be sure to tune into Rowit.co.nz and the online live streaming (18th to 21st February).
Read on to be inspired by one of Clifton’s more famous results at a NZ club Nationals regatta.
New shiny kit with thanks to our community support
With thanks to the ‘Pelorus Trust’s’ generous grant, we recently took delivery of a sleek ‘SL Racing’ Coxless pair / double scull boat.
We are proud to announce that this new boat has been aptly named after Jason Williams. A Clifton legend and coach who needs little introduction.
Check out this cool feature on SL Racing's website.
And with thanks to the ‘Taranaki Electricity Trust’ we recently purchased New Concept 2 ergs, and sculling blades.
Special mention to Paddy Baker (Bella Neale’s poppa) and his cousin Bill for painstakingly emblazoning these new oars with the classic Clifton Blue.
Keeping things Chill
Shout out to Doug and Mel (and their boss Doug) from The Theoretical Brewer for lending their chiller trailer for our North Island Club Champs regatta, and this weeks Nationals. What a difference it made keeping all the food chilled for our troops while at regatta.
Make sure you support them in kind for your after work beers, dinners and weekend get-togethers. You’ll find them at 11 Corbett Rd in Bell Block.
Recent regatta news (Wild - Wet - and that sinking feeling)
The recent North Island Club Champs regatta at Karapiro was one of the most challenging regattas we’ve seen for some time. The weather played havoc with the schedule, and challenged our rowers like never before.
The wind whipped up so quickly on the last day, that carnage quickly ensued. From the grandstand the conditions looked reasonable, but the word from the commentator was that a quad had flipped up at the start line! Carnage quickly followed with boats filling up with water, with a couple becoming submerged mid race. Clifton’s Intermediate Women's 4x+ were not immune to this. While patiently waiting their turn to enter the starting blocks for their A-final, Ruby, their coxswain got that sinking feeling and quickly bailed from the boat, advising her crew mates to do the same.
Within minutes, all racing was cancelled and an armada of boats made their way back down the course towards the grandstand, what a sight.
Sadly, the shortened regatta saw the B and C finals eliminated from the program. Our results as follows:
11x A finals
X1 Gold = M Club 4x
X2 Silver = M Sen 2x, M Nov 4x+
X2 Bronze = M Nov 8+, M Sen 4x (the latter based on overall heat times)
Special mention to Clay Potts on qualifying into the Men's Premier single scull A-final. It was a special sight to see Clifton colours lining up in a Premier final. Clay was more than competitive in a high quality field. On the back of this, Clay has secured a trial for the NZ men’s U23 squad. Congratulations Clay and good luck mate. Well deserved.
From the archives: Clifton RC
Few achievements in New Zealand club rowing carry as much tradition and prestige as winning the Boss Rooster Trophy — the prized trophy
awarded to the winning men’s premier/coxed four at the New Zealand Rowing Championships. First contested in 1897, this trophy has been a benchmark of club supremacy for well over a century. The tradition goes beyond silverware: the victorious club is expected to paint the rooster in its colours within one hour of the victory — or risk forfeiting a keg of beer to runners-up — a quirky custom that underlines the camaraderie and fierce pride embedded in Kiwi rowing culture.
For Clifton, the year 1957 stands out as the pinnacle of national competitive success. In that season’s New Zealand Rowing Championships, a Clifton crew — comprised of Ray Laurent, Peter Lucas, Pat Montgomerie, Terry McKeon and coxswain Johnny Hide — captured the senior men’s coxed four title at the national regatta. This victory effectively earned the club the Boss Rooster, marking one of the few times a crew from a regional club secured rowing’s most prestigious men’s club boat title.
Ray Laurent and Peter Lucas were not only club stalwarts but had also represented New Zealand internationally — notably at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games — bringing extra stature to their national victory.
Pat Montgomerie — Following his competitive career, Pat became a dedicated coach at the club. You will find Pat’s image adorning the Clifton walls with many of his successful crews. Pat knew a good crew when he saw one. No truer a fact when on the banks of Lake Karapiro as a supporter Pat looked down the course through his binoculars at the Men’s Novice coxed four race, which included a rower named Jason Williams. The 6 finalist crews were lucky if they'd passed the 500 metre mark when Pat calmly lowered his binoculars, leaned over to Greg Cox (the coach) and said, “yep they've got it”. Sure enough they won.
The club honours Pat's and Mhyre's (Pat's wife) contributions through the Pat and Mhyre Montgomerie Trophy, which is awarded for the "Best Novice result" at the Waitara John’s Regatta.
Nationals regatta important information:
Infectious diseases
All Clubs / Schools are to take responsibility within their own Health and Safety plans to manage their athlete’s health including immunisations and the spread of any infectious diseases.
Please DO NOT ATTEND any EVENT at Lake Karapiro if:
You are sick or show symptoms of any infectious diseases OR Gastro – instead, stay home and seek healthcare advice from your doctor, healthcare professional, Hauora Māori provider or Pacific health provider. You can also call Healthline on 0800 611 116 anytime for free advice and support.
If you become unwell during the event, or are concerned about someone else, please seek medical assistance immediately and follow any health advice. You may need to return home or to your accommodation and isolate yourself from others.
Please inform the Chief Safety Officer directly if any infectious diseases OR Gastro occur in your squad while at Lake Karapiro or afterwards for a period of 7 days.
You can also call Healthline anytime on 0800 611 116 for free advice and support.
Thank you for helping us keep the regatta safe for everyone.
Volunteer help:
FACT: It takes 64 volunteers to get a single boat down the course, irrespective of the regatta size. We always need more volunteers in roles such as the following:
Boat driving and Safety Boat spotting
Coxswain weigh-in
Marshal Hut
Office based duties, e.g., selling day sheets or programmes, taking scratchings, etc.
Are you a numbers and details person? Then there are roles in the tower on the judges’ floor that would be perfect for you!
Lunch distribution for volunteers
Please CLICK the LINK or come and visit us in the Karāpiro Room (access via steps/ramp next to the Finish Tower).
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