Top-class athletes head to Corrib

ROWING:Those who feel top-class athletes put nothing back into their sport should have a look at Alan Martin. Just weeks ago the 26-year-old Galwayman stroked the heavyweight four that landed Ireland a place at the Olympic Games, but in recent days his mind has not been on Beijing but on laying buoys on the Corrib for tomorrow's NUIG Head of the River.

The head has drawn some impressive entries, including an eight from Molesey in England featuring 1992 Olympic gold medallists Greg and Jonny Searle, and Mike Blomquist, a World Championship gold medallist in 2005.

But Martin will not be around to observe. Yesterday he was on the long trek south to rural Cork for the first heavyweight camp of the new season.

Martin, along with NUIG clubmate Cormac Folan, Seán O'Neill and Seán Casey, may have qualified their boat for Beijing, but places in the crew for Beijing are up for grabs, and this weekend's camp is set to include British-based newcomers Jonno Devlin, Bruce Magee and another Galwayman, Serryth Colbert.

Martin is sanguine about the new challengers. "It's fair enough. I mean if anyone has an Irish passport they're welcome - it's a fair game. If anyone comes in and makes the boat go faster, then fair play to them."

The course at Inniscarra Lakes is to host a big international event, the Coupe de la Jeunesse, next year, and plans for a large upgrade of facilities on the water will be on the agenda at tomorrow's meeting of the board of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union.

The lightweight programme under John Holland will include lightweight women from this weekend. Holland said yesterday he was "very pleased" with the progress of his first camp at Blessington Lakes.

Promising lightweight Liam Molloy, who has been recovering from injury since the World Championships, is entered in the NUIG head, as is Siaghal Mac Colgain.

Ireland's two leading heavyweight women, Caroline Ryan and Helen Walshe, seem set for a shoot-out in the single scull at the national trials.

On the wider front of ocean rowing, Belfastman Jim Hook is one of the entrants in the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race, which will leave the Canary Islands in early December.

Hook and his partner, Andrew Lothan, hope to raise €750,000 for the Children's Kidney Fund of Northern Ireland.

In the last race, in 2005/2006, six boats did not make it across, but Hook and Lothan clearly don't mind tempting fate: their website is titanic-challenge.org