Once again the Maadi Regatta (Maadi) will be contested on the storied waters of Lake Karāpiro, one of the most legendary training and racing lakes in the world. One of the most competitive events at Maadi, and for good reason, is the Boys’ U17 Single. Historically, the winners of the Boys’ and Girls’ U17 Single event has taken home a brand new Laszlo (New Zealand Rowing Skiff company). All eyes will be looking on at the prize, as not only a chance to be crowned one of the fastest junior scullers in the country, but also to take home the elusive single scull shell.
This article will discuss the top two scullers from both the North and South Island.
North Island Scullers
George Benjamin – St Paul’s Collegiate School
Champion of the North Island in not just the single scull, Benjamin completed a trifecta of gold in the U17 Single, U17 Coxed Quad, and U18 Coxed Quad at the North Island Secondary School Championships (N.I.S.S.C). Having established himself as a fierce racer through golds in the U16 Quad and U16 Double at last season’s 2024 Maadi, Benjamin is a prolific sculler on the junior course. Benjamin’s season has been marked by a slow but steady increase in speed, with his fifth place finish in the A Final of this event at the Karāpiro Christmas Regatta. This was also the first time he raced the event. Benjamin placed third in the heat of the Mens’ Senior Single at the North Island Club Championships (N.I.C.C.), a highly competitive event for club rowers, and went on to place second in the U17 Single at the Auckland Junior Regatta, losing out on first place by a slim margin. For many, Benjamin’s demolition of last year’s U16 single champion Harry Kavanagh will be a sign of a rapidly improving sculler and certainly one to look out for in the future, with success across all sculling categories. Going into Maadi, he will likely be one of the top picks to win the event, though the experience of hardened single scullers like Arthur Crimmins and Kavanagh from the North Island could say otherwise. Benjamin is an exciting prospect to watch out for at the Maadi Regatta, coming in as champion of the North Island, and fastest time across the North and South Island School Championships.
Arthur Crimmins – Ōtūmoetai College
Crimmins has established himself throughout the past season as a strong contender for a medal in the single scull. Consistently among the medal positions this season, Crimmins has had a steady season fighting for minor medals, with the most notable being his silver medal at N.I.S.S.C. Similarly, he has had relatively good success in the U18 Single, having achieved a fourth place finish at N.I.S.S.C., and a second place in the same event at the Auckland Junior Regatta. Having beaten Benjamin at the Junior Regatta, Crimmins will be fighting hard to get himself back on par with the St Paul’s sculler who posted a very impressive time at N.I.S.S.C. If Crimmins gets himself on the medal dais this weekend, it will mark the first time he has received a medal at Maadi, which his most recent national-level success being a bronze at the New Zealand Rowing Championships in the Intermediate Coxed Quad. Crimmins shows all the signs of being a consistent and capable sculler, as indicated by his past results, but whether he can push past the challenge of Benjamin, and possibly Kavanagh, is another question. Runner up of the North Island, Crimmins will be feeling positive about his potential success at Maadi, and it may finally be the year in which he steps onto the dais.
South Island Scullers
Charlie Manser – Wakatipu High School
Hailing from one of the powerhouses in New Zealand junior sculling, Wakatipu High School, Manser is one of the exciting prospects for a medal and potentially winning chance in this event. Manser would have spent the last few weeks training hard on Lake Hayes, one of the most scenic lakes in the world, in the hopes of coming close to the times set by the North Island scullers. Coached by John Morrison, 2022 New Zealand Junior Coach of the Year, the young sculler is in the capable hands of a man who has significant experience. Similar to Benjamin, Manser completed the gold sculling trifecta at the South Island Secondary School Championships (S.I.S.S.C.), winning the U17 Single, U17 Double, and U18 Coxed Quad, in a dominant display of excellent sculling. The South Island representative from the North vs South Regatta will be feeling extremely positive, as he flies up from Lake Hayes to Lake Karāpiro, coming in as champion of the South Island. Rowing for one of the most successful sculling schools in recent times, with their last victory in this event being from Marley King Smith in 2022, Manser certainly has huge shoes to fill. Whether or not he can rise to the challenge of Benjamin and Crimmins from the North remains to be seen.
Murdoch Smith – Motueka High School
With not much to base off his results this season so far, this will be a relatively short paragraph. Smith returns to race the U17 Single as a bronze medallist from last season’s U16 Single. A sixth place finish in the U18 Single at S.I.S.S.C. indicates his potential speed which he was hiding when racing club regattas throughout the season. A disappointing end to the New Zealand Rowing Championships saw Smith fall short in the repechages of the Mens’ Club and Senior Single, in what was perhaps an underperformance from his side in terms of his ability to row. However, with his silver medal at S.I.S.S.C, Smith has certainly returned from the setback at the New Zealand Rowing Championships with a very impressive placing in a highly competitive field. Whether he repeats the success of last year remains to be seen, as I think he has not shown us his full potential yet. Having begun his Maadi Regatta with a win in his singles heat is very enticing – he clearly has more to show.
Prediction
If compelled to choose a gold medallist, I would most likely put it between Manser and Benjamin. Between the two, I anticipate competition will be extremely fierce, but I think it will be the Wakatipu sculler Manser who emerges on top. For second place, Benjamin is the clear sculler to take this medal in my mind. In terms of bronze, it is similarly difficult to predict, with Kavanagh (the U16 Single champion from last year) falling short in N.I.S.S.C. being a dark horse in the event. However, I think it will be a fight between Smith, Kavanagh, and Crimmins, and once again, if compelled to choose, I would pick Kavanagh simply because of his experience in the event. Furthermore, as the only athlete mentioned here who failed to win his heat, Crimmins may be just off the leading pack.
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