Strong Galway Head clashes with Colours

ROWING: ROWING WILL grab the attention of thousands of the uninitiated tomorrow. The Tribesmen Head of the River in Galway and the Colours races between UCD and Trinity in Dublin will festoon the Corrib and the Liffey with a string of boats where the tourists and shoppers can have a good gawk at them.

Tribesmen gave up their traditional St Patrick's weekend date to avoid going head-to-head with the international rugby matches, but the clash with the Gannon and Corcoran Cup colours races is unfortunate.

Mike McCrohan, who has long been involved with the Tribesmen head and is the Connacht representative on the executive of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union, said yesterday it was time for the university race to be part of the official rowing calendar "so as we are not tripping over ourselves".

The Galway event, which has a time-trial format, is divided into three heads. Each has attractive match-ups. The 10.30 head features eight senior fours, with two NUIG crews, Commercial, University of Limerick, Garda, Cork, St Michael's and a Galway/Skibbereen composite.

The 1.30 head features up-and-coming sculler Siobhán McCrohan - Mike's daughter - and Caroline Ryan in a face-off in the senior single. The 4.15 head has the senior eights clash of NUIG and a strong-looking Commercial crew.

Trinity have won the last two Gannon Cups for senior men's eights and four of the last five, and will be favourites tomorrow (12.15) on their form this season so far.

Their crew, with one change, finished a creditable 28th at the London Head last weekend. But coach Mark Pattison is cautious.

"The Gannon is a funny one. We certainly won't be counting our chickens," he said.

UCD coach Pat Gannon is similarly slow to make predictions of success in his inaugural attempt to win his namesake race. The former Garda great stepped into John Holland's shoes this season and quickly oversaw some encouraging results in early-season fare.

A training camp in Seville showed the increasing ambition of the club. However, when UCD and Trinity competed at Lagan and Erne heads the men in black and white came out on top. Gannon says that if everything goes right for his crew it could be a really good race.

UCD have been dominant in the Corcoran Cup for women's senior eights in recent years, but that powerful crew has broken up and Trinity may fancy their chances. This race is scheduled for 11.45 in a programme which starts at 11.0.