The 78th edition of the Maadi Regatta will be held on the legendary waters of Lake Karapiro. Keenly anticipated as the largest rowing regatta in New Zealand and the largest school sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere, the crown jewel of the event – the boy’s U18 eight – will be watched by thousands. With one of the most prestigious New Zealand schoolboy cups in history – the Maadi Cup – up for grabs, winners of this event have gone down in legend in their respective school’s histories. With the holders, Hamilton Boys, slightly off the pace this season, will we see the emergence of a new power in schoolboy sweep?
This article will cover each of the medallists in the U18 Eights from the North Island, and the top two favourites from the South Island.
North Island Schools
Westlake Boys High School
Seen by many as the favourites to win this year’s edition of the Maadi Cup, Westlake has been utterly ruthless all season. Placing first in all U18 eight finals this season(except Christmas, where there was international competition), Westlake are the fastest eight the North Island can offer coming into this week. For many, Westlake are the school to win both the U18 four and pair; if they manage to win the eight, it will top off a legendary trifecta which will see them go down in the history books. With records broken by four of their boys in the U18 coxed four at the North Island Secondary Schools Regatta, some schools may have turned their heads away to focus on other events. Keen to avenge their performance in last year’s U18 eight, where they placed first in the B-Final, this Westlake crew, made up of many of their bronze medal-winning U16 eight from the 2024 Maadi Regatta, have the pedigree to challenge for the title once again. Westlake are in the driver’s seat for the U18 Eight, and they will be saying to the South, “Catch me if you can”.
Hamilton Boys High School
The 12-time winners of the Maadi Cup will move up on the all-time list of U18 champions from third to second alongside Christ’s College if they successfully defend their title at this year’s Maadi Regatta. With several of their crew being U17 rowers, this eight may not be pushing for the Maadi Cup itself, but a strong placing to instil confidence in the younger crew members for next season. Stroked by Maadi Cup champion and one of only two remaining members of the Hamilton Boys Henley Royal Regatta eight, Corben Campbell, the crew are in safe hands. Impressively, they have continued to build momentum throughout the season, and at the rate at which they are improving, they look set to overtake Westlake potentially. The following week will see whether the ‘big red sled’ of Hamilton Boys have once again proved their dominance.
St Peter’s College
St Peter’s are a strong contender to challenge for a medal position and potentially the Maadi Cup itself. If they win the Maadi Cup, it will be the first time in the history of the college that they have taken the victory, as the school has made a name for itself historically as a dominant force in schoolboy sculling. Of the three North Island schools who are Maadi Cup contenders, St Peter’s were the only medal crew in the previous Maadi Regatta in the U17 eight, placing third. Early into the season, St Peter’s looked to be strong challengers for the Maadi Cup, but the progression throughout the season has been slightly unfortunate for their eight, as they have struggled to keep up with the likes of Westlake. However, like Hamilton Boys, they looked to have been slowly looking to peak at the right time, with the North Island Secondary Schools Regatta seeing them just over two seconds shy of first place.
South Island Schools
St Bede’s College
The two-time winners of the Maadi Cup and record holders for the U18 eight will be looking to etch their names into history for a third time. Holding the record for the U18 eight in a time of 5:42.17, this strongly favoured St Bede’s crew will look to repeat the success of 2023. Champions of the South Island in the eight, and enforced in the stroke and bow seats by the South Island champions in the U18 pair, St Bede’s are in with a very strong chance of medalling and potentially winning. Entered in the New Zealand rowing championships in the premier eight, the crew finished a respectable sixth place, beating a strong Waikato crew who finished in seventh. Rumours around the boat park of the speed of the South Island crews will be debunked in the next week, with whispers of the speed of the South potentially overthrowing some of the North Island favourites. With the recent pedigree of St Bede’s in the big sweep boats, there is no doubt that there will be a heavy weight on the shoulders of the boys coming into what will be, for some of them, their last-ever chance of glory at schoolboy rowing level.
Christ’s College
The second most successful school ever in the history of the Maadi Cup with 13 wins in the event, Christ’s College are a strong contender for a medal at this year’s Maadi Regatta. Slightly off the pace of St Bede’s and Westlake, the silver medallists from last years U17 eight will be looking to step on. Traditionally a powerhouse in the eight, Christ’s College last won this event in 2021 in a historic lead of several boat lengths over the rest of the field, an unparalleled display of dominance from that legendary eight. I believe the speed that schools such as Westlake and Hamilton Boys from the North Island have will be a significant challenge for this Christ’s crew to overcome. Christ’s College eight crew members managed to win silver across all three sweep events: the U18 pair, U18 four, and U18 eight at the South Island Championships. While an impressive achievement in and of itself, it shows the levels they must reach to put themselves into contention.
Predictions
Personally, I, like many in the New Zealand rowing community, predict that Westlake will win the Maadi Cup. If they do, it will be only their fourth Maadi Cup, with the last win coming in 1984. The speed they have shown this season against the other North Island schools has made them clear favourites. Furthermore, their record-breaking U18 four just substantiates this claim. For second place, I think it will likely be St Bede’s (the gold medallists from last year’s U17 eight) who snatch the spot. Third place is difficult to predict, as Christ’s had a strong showing in the South Island, but the margin of Hamilton Boys to Westlake was so close. Third place will be a close tussle, but ultimately, I think Hamilton Boys will end up on top.
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