ROWING WEEKEND EVENTS:THIS IS a huge weekend for domestic rowing. The University and Schools' Championships of Ireland at Castlewellan today are followed by Queen's Regatta at the same venue tomorrow and Skibbereen's regatta at the National Rowing Centre in Cork on Sunday.
Today’s university championships have a novel edge: one college or university will be named an overall winner, based on results across the programme, and will be presented with a new trophy.
In another change, the Bank of Ireland Cup for women will be determined on the results in senior, intermediate and novice eights, mimicking the system for the men’s Wylie Cup. The winner of the senior eight trumps the others in the event of a tie.
NUIG’s dominance in the senior men’s eights made them top dogs in recent years. While the Wylie Cup slips somewhat in importance in the new system, there will still be considerable kudos in a senior eight win.
The Galway men, who as ever have kept a low profile early in the season, will face strong opposition. The in-form Queen’s crew won at Erne head of the river and Neptune regatta. UCD gave way to Queen’s at Neptune, but took the Gannon Cup colours race and won at Trinity regatta.
Queen’s have the artillery to take the senior prize, but Trinity’s strength at intermediate and novice – they won both at the Neptune and Trinity regattas – could see them lift the Wylie.
The Schools Regatta is another chance for Portora to display the massive progress they have made under Derek Holland. It is also heartening to see Blackrock College compete.
The rise of university clubs has, paradoxically, cost Queen’s regatta some altitude in the men’s senior eight grade. Queen’s themselves are entered, but are fully focused on today; Trinity and NUIG are not entered, and UCD will put out a composite crew with Old Collegians, featuring Seán Jacob and Con Collis. Commercial and Neptune are also entered and will fancy their chances.
Ireland’s top lightweight women’s single sculler, Orla Hayes, is on home duties at Skibbereen. A big junior contingent will make it one of the biggest regattas of the year, with 335 crews entered.
