Carlow go in with elite company

ROWING: CARLOW ROWING Club will mix in exalted company this weekend. The club's elite quadruple scull is set to go off fourth in tomorrow's Fours Head of the River in London - just three places behind a Tideway Scullers crew of dazzling international talent.

Three Olympic finalists from Beijing join former British international Tom Gale in this boat: Mahe Drysdale, the reigning Olympic bronze medallist in the single scull; Iztok Cop, who has gold, silver and bronze in Olympic events; and Derryman Alan Campbell, who was just two places behind Drysdale in Shunyi.

Carlow's Aaron Bolger, Colm Murphy, Kevin Coughlan and Cormac Ryan know they are unlikely to make up much time on such a crew.

Carlow have also entered a coxed four, and there are a number of other Irish athletes set to compete. Some - including James Lindsay-Fynn - will represent the home-from-home base for the Irish of London Rowing Club.

The Old Collegians/Garda Síochána elite women's quadruple goes off seventh. The crew of Becky Quinn, Siobhán Jacob, Sanita Puspure and Caroline Ryan looks strong, but again they take on garlanded athletes: a Tideway crew with Olympians Sophie Balmary and Frida Svensson.

The process of appointing a performance director for Irish rowing is set to reach its conclusion in the next few days. The successful applicant has been finalising the terms of his contract. "I'll be very disappointed if we are not making an announcement by the middle of next week," said Garth Young of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union.