Queensland Takes Second in the 2010 Interstate Regatta

Queensland has come 2nd overall in the race for the Rowing Australia Cup for Overall Points at the Interstate Regatta for the third year in a row at Lake Nagambie, as Pippa Savage won her third Nell Slatter Trophy and the QLD Women's Youth Eight won it's third Bicentennial Cup in a row.

Pippa Savage gave Queensland the ideal start after a sensational race in the Women's Single.  As the clouds lifted and the wind died for close to ideal racing conditions for the Interstate races, Savage made the ideal comeback after coming third in the final of the Women's Single on Friday.  In Lane 5, Victoria’s Kim Crow got off to a flying start with Tasmania’s Kerry Hore going out in second with Queensland’s Pippa Savage in third.  Just after the 1500m mark, Pippa Savage took the lead and extended it as she went past the jubilant Queensland crowd on the 1750 mark to record an impressive victory in a time of 7:27.47 over Kerry Hore with Kim Crow holding on for third.  The win gives Queensland its fourth consecutive Nell Slatter Trophy and Savage her third since 2007.

Jared Bidwell made is second appearance for Queensland in the President's Cup men's single scull, and backed up in third place in 2009 with another podium finish.  The 2009 World Championship silver medallist had a tough ask against the current Australian men's single's champion Chris Morgan from South Australia and Victoria's Olympic gold medallist David Crawshay, but flew out of the blocks and with Morgan controlled the race for the first 1000m.  Crawshay's experience told out in the end as he took the lead before 1500m mark and cruised to victory, with Morgan coming in second and Bidwell finishing third in an exceptional performance.

A breakage in the first 100m forced a restart to the Victoria Cup Women's Lightweight Quad race.  The Queenslander's were always in with a good chance fielding two former World Champions in Hannah Every-Hall and Tara Kelly, and 2009 Senior B bronze medallist Gabby Kukla, however it was the favoured Tasmanian crew who blew out of the start to control the race.  The Tasmanian's lead for the whole race and held off the fast-finishing Queensland crew who ran out of course to complete their fight back, ending the race just under a length behind the Apple Island to finish second ahead of Victoria.

The Penrith Cup Lightweight Men's Four was always going to be a tough race with Western Australia looking to go three in a row and Tasmania fighting to regain it's reputation as the premier lightweight state in Australia.  The Queenslander's were also a very experienced crew including multiple Australian representatives Darryn Purcell and Michael McBryde and came in with high hopes but it was again the Tasmanian's who lead from the start and held on to make it a lightweight double victory.  The Victorians surprised the Western Australians to come second with the Queenslander's fighting their way to fourth position.  

At this stage of the regatta Tasmania were ahead on points with Victoria one point behind them and Queensland a further one point back, making it extremely tight at the top.  However with Tasmania's notable lack of Eight's it looked to come down to a two-way battle between the big V and the big Q.

Along with Pippa Savage the Women's Youth Eight was Queensland's most favoured chance of victory, chasing a hattrick of wins in the event and with a star-studded line up including 2009 World Junior silver medallists Maddie Edmunds and Jessica Hall and gold medallist Anna Kaszycki.  Even so, the South Australian's came into the race favourites, but were out-shadowed by the Queenslander's who opened up a 1.50 second lead over a fighting West Australian crew after 500m.  The Maroon's extended this to a 2.50 seconds after 1000m, and while the Western boat came back at them in the last 200m there was to be no denying the Queensland crew, taking a very impressive victory and securing the hattrick with Victoria coming in third and South Australian fourth.

Drama followed the Queensland Men's Youth Eight, having several forced coach changes during the lead up to the regatta and fighting sickness on the day; a foot stretcher breakage prior to the start was a further set-back.  They started the race well though and were with the leading pack after 500m had been raced.  The extremely strong Victorian crew showed their class through the middle stages of the race and had a 2.60 second lead over West Australia after 1500m, and could not be caught from there.  Western Australia were followed by New South Wales in their first podium finish of the Interstate races, closely followed by the Queenslanders in fourth place.

Victoria were chasing an amazing 6th straight victory in the Queen's Cup Women's Eight, but the Queenslander's including Olympians Sally Kehoe and Pippa Savage were always going to be a tough crew to beat.  Coming out of the blocks, Queensland caught the Victorians off guard and attempted to take charge, with less then a second separating the crews with 500m raced.  However the Queenslander's were unable to hold off the favourites and Victoria built strongly for the rest of the race.  As they crossed over the 1000m mark, Victoria was steadily increasing the gap and finished several lengths over the Queensland crew, who in turn held off a fast finishing West Australian crew to take out second place.

With three athletes, Jared Bidwell, Darryn Purcell and Michael McBryde backing up from previous races and Beijing Olympian Sam Conrad being forced to withdraw due to injury the King's Cup Men's Eight was always going to be a tough ask for the Queenslander's.  However with former World and Olympic Champion Duncan Free in the crew anything could happen, but it was the New South Wales crew who blitzed the field to win their first Interstate race of the regatta, in an astonishing time of 5.27.95 over the Victorians. 

The Victorians victories in the last three races of the regatta pushed them clear of the Queenslander's, taking a comfortable second place for the third year in a row over Western Australia, who were followed by a tie for fourth between Tasmania and New South Wales.  The Board of Rowing Queensland would like to congratulate all of the Queensland athletes for their excellent performances, and the selectors Tim Conrad and Chad King for all the efforts they have put in to the team.