The Canterbury rugby team enjoyed a successful rowing regatta at Kerrs Reach on Sunday, the final race turning out to be a thriller.

The team and management had been undergoing rowing training in crews of eight as part of pre-season training and team building.

Sunday was a huge success, with a fine day and plenty of activities attracting a big crowd to the Avon River.

In the big race between the three players' crews, The Edge (pictured) and Cool Runnings fought it out right to the finish post, with The Edge (featuring George Whitelock, Pete Borlase, Andy Ellis, Adam Whitelock, Stephen Brett, Sam Monaghan, Rodney Ah You and Luke Romano) winning the 500m race by a mere 30cm.

The O for Oarsum team finished a distant third.

A big thanks to the Avon Rowing Club for their training, facilities, boats, coxes and patience! Mark Meates, in particular, was a big influence, providing a lot of training to a lot of novice rowers.