Maadi Cup results: King’s College claim first title since 1960 at Twizel

They carried the favourites tag into the final and their crew of Marcus McLeod, Jack Reid, Patrick Sandlant, Josh Haskell, Charlie Field, Finn Thompson, Jake Peacocke, Sammy Taylor and Ayden Miller (cox) did that justice with a display that will become part of King’s College folklore.

King’s College, 2026 Maadi Cup Champions at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel. The cup was presented by King’s old boys and previous Maadi Cup winners Murray MacDonald (1959) and Alistair Dryden (1960). Photo / Conrad Blind – Picture Show Ltd

Two of the school’s old boys presented them with the trophy – Alistair Dryden from the last winning crew in 1960 and Murray MacDonald from the winning 1959 crew.

The winning boat was also named after Peter Masfen, who was a member of the winning crew in 1959.

After waiting 66 years to reclaim the most famous trophy in New Zealand secondary school rowing, King’s could be in a position to defend it in 2027. Their second boat also qualified for the A-final, providing invaluable experience for their younger rowers. Seven of the nine boys in their winning boat had tasted big race experience the previous year.

They’ll have to contend with returning crews from St Bede’s and Christchurch Boys’ High School, among others – but for the next 12 months at least, Maadi is all theirs.

The Bucket Hat brigade – King’s College crews celebrate as 2026 Maadi Cup Champions at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel. Photo / Conrad Blind – Picture Show Ltd

Waikato Diocesan School for Girls made it a North Island double for the first time since 2014, claiming the Levin 75th Jubilee Cup ahead of pre-race favourites Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and defending champions St Margaret’s College of Christchurch.

It was a closer race than the Maadi Cup, but Waikato Diocesan were in control for much of the regatta’s final race on Saturday afternoon.

The champion Waikato Diocesan crew throw their cox Kiri Ormsby into Lake Ruataniwha. Photo / Conrad Blind – Picture Show Ltd

Amy Bryant, Pippa Melville, Lucy Turnbull, Kate Slyfield, Victoria Melville, Keava Burrough, Ryan Woods, Alexandra Hull and Kiri Ormsby (cox) will return the Levin 75th Jubilee Cup to their school for the first time since 2014.

The win in the U18+ event capped an incredible regatta for the Waikato girls’ school, which claimed the Star Trophy for best-performed school overall.

Waikato Diocesan will also take hometown advantage into the 2027 event that returns to Lake Karapiro.

Levin 75th Jubilee Cup and Star Trophy champions – Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. Photo / Conrad Blind – Picture Show Ltd

Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.