Four crews earn spot in semi-finals

ROWING/World Cup regatta:Four of Ireland's eight crews have made it into today's semi-finals of the World Cup regatta in Linz in Austria. Ireland's lightweight and heavyweight fours took the repechage route, while the women's lightweight double scull - who had to negotiate a perilous quarter-final - and lightweight single sculler Orlagh Duddy, also made it through.

The lightweight four has been Ireland's top crew of recent years, but when they were drawn in the same heat as world champions China they knew they were probably bound for the "back door" of the repechages. In the event, new man Cathal Moynihan, Eugene Coakley, Richard Archibald and Paul Griffin put up a respectable challenge to the Chinese in the heat, although they had to settle for second.

However, in the evening repechage the Irish could also only manage second - behind Poland's first crew - and if the new Ireland formation is to make a mark at this regatta they are going to have to step up a gear in today's semi-final (3.06 Irish time).

A good performance by the Ireland heavyweight four in winning their repechage suggests they have a real chance of being in serious action come tomorrow's finals. Like their lightweight compatriots, they knew they were in for a fast one when they drew World Championship bronze medallists the Netherlands in their heat, and in the event Ireland finished third behind them and Germany Two.

But the Ireland crew, stroked by Galway man Alan Martin, were masters of their repechage, winning in a good time in much faster conditions. They have avoided the all-conquering British crew in today's semi-final (2.36), but Germany, France and the Czech Republic will expect to be in the top three spots.

The one Irish crew to make it directly through to the semi-final was World Cup debutant Orlagh Duddy in the lightweight single scull, a non-Olympic event. The 27-year-old Derry woman, competing in the first race of the day, took to the second qualifying place in her heat, edging out Neylan Oeztuerk of Turkey in a photo finish by nine hundredths of a second.

The three other Ireland Olympic-class crews, and lightweight single sculler Richard Coakley all failed to make it into the A/B semi-finals, with Coakley finishing fourth in both his heat and his repechage.

Seán Jacob put in a good performance in his heat of the men's single scull, but was less impressive in last evening's repechage, while the new quadruple scull reversed the order and gave it a real lash in their repechage, only to fade in the final quarter.

Details in SPORTS ROUND-UP

Today's Draw (Irish interest, times Irish) 8.24 - Men's Single Scull, E Final: Slovakia Two, Hungary, Ireland, Switzerland Two, Belgium Two, Austria. 10.48 - Men's Quadruple Scull, C Final: Austria, Italy Two, Canada, Russia, Ireland 1.06 - Lightweight Women's Single Scull, Semi-Final A/B Two: 1 Britain One, Ireland, Britain Two, Cuba One, Cuba Two, Tunisia. 3.36 - Men's Four, Semi-Final A/B Two: Poland, Czech Republic, Germany One, France, Ireland, Croatia Two. 3.42 - Lightweight Double Scull - Semi-Final A/B One: Italy, Britain One, China One, Canada, China Three, Ireland. 4.06 - Lightweight Men's Four - Semi-Final A/B One: The Netherlands, Denmark, China, Germany One, Italy One, Ireland.