ROWING: Ireland's top two crews have a good chance to seize the day today and go directly into tomorrow's semi-finals of the World Cup regatta in Amsterdam. The Irish team has been weakened by the withdrawal of a number of athletes because of illness contracted, according to team manager Mick O'Callaghan, when the team were training in Ireland.
In their heat this morning, Ireland's men's four face the Netherlands, the raging favourites for gold. But with two crews to go through the men in green can save themselves the extra bother of a repechage.
Britain are experimenting by putting their all-star crew into an eight, and their representatives in this heat are, apparently, an under-23 crew. Ireland Two, which is also an under-23 outfit, will be in lane five.
Sinéad Jennings and Niamh Ní Cheilleachair can breathe a sigh of relief in that they have avoided any Chinese crew this morning, with Denmark, who have made one change from the crew which won last time out, and the United States the other main contenders for the two direct qualification places.
Ireland's big success story in the last World Cup regatta in Linz, Austria, was Orlagh Duddy. The Derry woman also has a real chance to make it through to tomorrow's A semi-final in one go. She must finish first in her heat, but her main rival for that spot is Britain's Andrea Dennis, who Duddy put behind her in Linz.
Elsewhere, the draw for Caroline Ryan in the single scull is extremely difficult, while the men's single scull of Rory O'Connor and the men's quadruple scull have been withdrawn. Liam Molloy goes in the lightweight single scull due to the absence of his partner in the lightweight double, Ger Ward.
Women's Henley also begins today, with Commercial's senior coxed four and Neptune's senior double in action. Trinity and Muckross have crews entering the action tomorrow, and UCD's elite eight are the best hope of Irish glory come Sunday.
UCD have four crews at Women's Henley, with a senior eight and an elite coxless four and an elite coxed four also taking part.
UCD's men are also in Britain this weekend, joining a strong Irish contingent, which includes representatives from Commercial, Neptune and Queen's University at Marlow regatta a reflection of the shockingly poor level of competition at the top level this year in Ireland.
Irish clubs will head to Henley Royal Regatta, which starts on Wednesday week, with little enough learned on home waters. The regatta has had some lean years this decade, but this year the big names in world rowing, including world champions Duncan Free and Drew Ginn in the pair and Mahe Drysdale in the single scull are in the frame.
The Irish entry amounts to 13 crews, from only seven clubs. Remarkably, there are no crews entered from Garda, Neptune nor Commercial.
NUIG, who have an excellent recent record, have probably the best chance of bringing home silverware, through their Visitors' four, with UCD's women's eight also hopeful of making it through to the final days in the Remenham.
