Rotorua girls enjoy their comfy win | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Rowers from Rotorua Girls' High were the pick of the local bunch at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Secondary School's Championship Regatta at Tikitapu.

Saturday's 1400m regatta was won by Hamilton Boys' with St Peter's in second and Whakatane High School in third.

But the girls from Rotorua put in strong performances on a choppy lake to place fifth, directly behind Tauranga Girls' High.

Novice crews were tested with the lake conditions and strong winds but, despite a few crabs and rowers stroking air, competitors managed to stay in their boats.

The Rotorua Girls' under-16 coxed quad of Kimberly Costello, Nicole Woodsworth, Jessica Harris, Lauren Prebble and coxswain Sany-joy McGuire put a good distance between themselves and their nearest competitors to take first in their race.

The under-17 coxed quad of Woodsworth, Marna Claassen, Melanie McCormick, Kate Butcher and McGuire also enjoyed a convincing victory.

Rotorua Girls' coach Alastair Riddle described the regatta as pleasing.

"The girls have been working hard all winter," Riddle said.

"It was good to be able to swap the rowers around and try different combinations on Saturday."

Rotorua Boys' High School finished in 10th overall place with John Paul College in 11th, Rotorua Lakes two spots behind in 13th and Western Heights further down the table.

A highlight of the day for Whakatane High School was the under-16 boys' coxed quad of Liam O'Reilly, Logan Anderson, Dylan Turpie, Danny Mawson-Burns and coxswain Max Farmer who crossed the line at least a third of the race distance in front of their competition. The Whakatane crew, who won gold at last year's North Island Championships and silver at Maadi, are building toward this year's national event.

The rowing calendar steps up a notch following Saturday's regatta as crews prepare for the first Lake Karapiro two-day event on December 16 and 17.