Oxford's Islandbridge visit a boost for centenary celebrating Neptune

ROWING COLUMN: THE ROWING season picks up pace this weekend, with Neptune and Commercial hosting the first regattas of the domestic season and Ireland's lightweight squad cutting their teeth at a big international regatta in Piediluco in Italy.

Neptune are in their centenary year, and their regatta at Islandbridge tomorrow has been given a bounce with the participation of an Oxford University crew in a special exhibition event. The crew, which is set to include Ben Smith from this year's Boat Race victors and strong line-up of recent "blues", will take on an Islandbridge selection.

The regatta proper has an impressive entry of seven senior eights.

The winners of Belfast Rowing Club and UCD will face Trinity in one semi-final, offering the possibility of a UCD-Trinity "rematch" after the former's surprise win in the Gannon Cup colours race and before the two crews meet in the University Championships next weekend.

Commercial have two senior eights on the other side of the draw, where they face Cork and Old Collegians respectively. After a disappointing performance by their premier eight in the Dublin Head of the River, Commercial will use the weekend to test the strength of their senior group. Ben Clarke returns from injury.

The burgeoning strength of junior rowing will be reflected both at Neptune and Commercial on Sunday. Here, one of the best races could be the shootout between Coláiste Iognáid and Commercial in the women's junior 18 eight.

UCD and Trinity, along with Old Collegians and two crews from the host club form the entry for the senior eight at Commercial.

Both regattas at Islandbridge will feature adaptive events, breaking new ground for Irish rowing. While it may be new to home fans, one Irish adaptive rower is set to go to the Paralympic Games in Beijing this year. Karen Cromie forms the British mixed double scull with James Roberts. They were third at the International Adaptive Regatta in Varese in Italy on Sunday.

This weekend's action in Italy is at Piediluco, where the strong entry will provide "good competition" for his crews, according to Ireland lightweight coach John Holland.

In the men's lightweight four there are entries from Portugal, Spain and Chile, who are likely to form the main opposition to Ireland come the Olympic Qualifier in Poland in June. The other main contenders in Poland will be Germany, who were entered in the Italian event but may not participate.

Italy, the Netherlands and Egypt, who are already qualified for the Olympics are also competing in the lightweight four in Piediluco.

There are also big entries in the men's lightweight double (13) and women's equivalent (10).

Back in Ireland, junior squads for the season ahead are being formed.

The weather forced the abandonment of the selection regatta at the National Rowing Centre last weekend, but the competition on Friday and on Saturday morning gave the selectors enough information to form a junior women's squad for the Coupe de la Jeunesse.

This group will be joined at a national camp in two weeks' time by the junior men who reached the A and B finals in the pair and junior single scull, along with some other invitees.

Ciarán Brady has been selected by the University of Limerick Rowing Club as this year's recipient of the Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarship.

The Offalyman was part of the Ireland junior team at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Varese last year.