ROWING:Ireland coach Harald Jahrling sprung a major surprise after the final selection regatta in Cork yesterday when he chose not to include a lightweight men's double - one of only two lightweight men's boats which compete at the Olympics - for the World Cup team for this season.

This is a pre-qualifying year for Olympic boats, with the bulk of the places for Beijing 2008 being booked at the World Championships in August/September, and this route now looks closed to the Irish in this class.

At the last Olympics, in Athens in 2004, the lightweight double of Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey were one of Ireland's key hopes for a medal, although they exited at the semi-final stage in this extremely competitive event.

Towey and Lynch are now outside Jahrling's system, and the big German decided, after running the rule over the contenders through the weekend, that there was not a lightweight double which would be of the standard to join the lightweight four, who have already been selected for the World Cups in Linz in Austria and Amsterdam in June. A decision will be made following these events as to the crews to travel on to the final World Cup in Lucerne in July and the World Championships in Munich.

On the first day of the trial, on Friday, 20-year-old Liam Molloy was the fastest lightweight single sculler, with Diarmaid Mac Colgáin (27), who spent six months in Australia in an effort to reach the standard for international selection, second. Jahrling streamed Molloy to the under-23 team, and did not team him in a double scull with Mac Colgáin, who was extremely displeased at this, and said afterwards he would launch an official objection, as teaming up the two fastest scullers was standard practice in other countries.

Jahrling said that while Molloy's results were good for an under-23, or senior B athlete, they were not up to the standard for senior A.

Molloy and Ger Ward will team up in a lightweight double scull for the Under-23 World Championships in July.

Helen Walshe and Caroline Ryan, who trialled well in the rain yesterday morning, will form a heavyweight double for Linz and Amsterdam. Sinéad Jennings and Niamh Ní Cheilleachair will form the Ireland lightweight women's double, with Derry woman Orlagh Duddy (27) as a reserve. She will compete as a lightweight single sculler, a non-Olympic class.

Kerryman Cathal Moynihan (26), who finished fourth, well behind Mac Colgáin, in Friday's trial, will represent Ireland in the men's lightweight single, and will be a reserve for the lightweight four.

The official announcement of the Ireland team is being kept until Wednesday.