ROWING:THE TENOR of the season ahead may be set this weekend. Ireland's nascent international team squares up to the world's best at the first World Cup in Banyoles in Spain, while top club crews make their claim for Henley seeding at London Metropolitan regatta. Back at home the forecast of good weather could lift the spirits at Carlow's regatta on Sunday.
Success at Banyoles, where action begins today, will be counted relative to the strength of the entry – and the entry in the men’s single scull, in which Seán Casey competes, is truly impressive. The Olympic gold and silver medallists – Olaf Tufte and Ondrej Synek – line up alongside Tim Maeyens, Alan Campbell and Lassi Karonen, who filled places four to six in Beijing. Only Mahe Drysdale is missing out of the Olympic final line-up.
The new Ireland pair of Cormac Folan and Martin Walsh will face a more standard challenge at this part of the Olympic cycle, with many new combinations – including the one which will draw the bulk of the attention, the British star pairing of Peter Reed and Andy Triggs Hodge.
For Ireland to make a final come Sunday would be an amazing achievement, according to performance director Martin McElroy. A good placing in B Finals would be “a fair reflection of where we are at the moment”, the Galway man added.
McElroy will work on a lightweight matrix next month to determine if there is a crew which can compete on the world stage. London Metro at Dorney Lake tomorrow and Sunday has both quantity and quality when it comes to the Irish entry.
UCD are targeting the Temple Cup for college eights at Henley with two crews, and their senior eight, stroked by Anthony English, is set to race five times this weekend, at senior and elite level.
NUIG’s senior eight – which will likely have no students from the college – started out the season amidst speculation that they could be capable of a challenge in the Ladies’ Plate at Henley. Whatever hopes they may retain in this area, their elite coxless four may be the more likely prospects for Henley glory in the Visitors’ Four.
The NUIG four looks set to take on the proven Galway/Skibbereen four of John Forde, Danny O’Dowd, Marc Stephens and John Wholley at Dorney, which should make for an interesting clash. Also in the mix is the top-class London/Old Collegians crew of Seán Jacob, Con Collis, Danny Harte and James Lindsay-Fynn, who may go in the Visitors’ or the Quadruple Scull at Henley.
One of the most telling clashes for Irish rowing comes in the women’s single scull. Last weekend’s superb victory for 17-year-old Lisa Dilleen at the British Schools’ Championships came at the expense of Rachael Gamble-Flint. The Yarm School women are entered at Dorney and will take on a selection of Irish competitors, inculding Heather Campbell and Laura D’Urso, tomorrow.
On the Sunday, Galway-based Marguerite Houston enters the fray. The Australian, who has gold, silver and bronze World Championship medals, now rows for NUIG.
Carlow’s big entry for the weekend is strongly built on juniors, but the men’s senior eight entry includes Commercial along with the hosts, Clonmel and Belfast Rowing Club. Meanwhile, Ireland have entered two adaptive crews for the World Cup regatta at Munich in three weeks’ time.
