Rowing:March is proving to be a good month for Irish rowing. The club scene was given a shot in the arm through top-class competition at the Erne Head of the River last weekend, and there are big events in Belfast tomorrow and Galway and Dublin next weekend.
On the international front, one of Ireland’s top junior crews is off to compete in Sydney in an event to be run in conjunction with the World Cup there in two weeks’ time.
The Lagan Scullers’ Head of the River tomorrow has drawn a big entry over a good number of grades and classes. Bridget Jacques of Belfast Boat Club, one of Ireland’s top young athletes, is set to compete in the senior women’s single sculls.
While the bulk of the competitors will be from Northern Ireland, organiser Gordon Reid said yesterday he was very pleased to see the entry from Neptune of Dublin.
Performed well
The Neptune junior eight performed very well at Erne Head of the River, where the return to form of the UCD senior eight was notable.
The Dublin crew placed second behind a very talented senior eight from Galway which allied the talents of Gráinne Mhaol, St Joseph’s and NUIG.
It is all happening for St Joseph’s (“the Bish”) at the moment.
A senior eight from the school have been invited to the Sydney International Regatta, which will be rowed on the course of the 2000 Olympic Games the weekend after next.
The regatta will be run in conjunction with the first World Cup of the season.
The crew from the Bish plan to travel to Australia after competing at the Galway Head of the River next weekend.
The event expects to have 90 crews for each of its three heads and it was announced this week that it has landed sponsorship by Boston Scientific.
The company was represented by Paul Walsh – a very successful Bish oarsman in the 1980s.
The Galway head clashes – again – with the Colours Races between UCD and Trinity on the Liffey, which are part of the St Patrick’s Day festival in the capital.
Big success
The Irish Indoor Championships in Limerick last weekend was a big success in terms of participation, with over 500 competitors. Organiser Joe Cantillon said it was great fun and there will definitely be another event, with December 14th of this year already a possible date.
The fastest competitor on the day was Adrian Quinn, who won the men’s open heavyweight category in a time of six minutes 06.4 seconds.
In the men’s open lightweight class, Jonathan Doyle, who recently won the World Championships in the 40-49 lightweight class, had to give way to Philip Healy of Team Oarsome in Belfast, who was over two seconds faster on the day.
Among the record breakers was Durham’s Gill Prescott, who set a time of seven minutes 20.2 seconds in the women’s 50 to 59 age group.
Meanwhile, in London tomorrow, Enniskillen woman Leonora Kennedy is set to stroke the Imperial College eight in the Women’s Head of the River.
