HAVING spent the winter in town to Trinity, Saturday's 51 eights, final was the first opportunity for Neptune to prove head to head that they have returned to form. As it turned out, Neptune won the encounter by disqualification - and the issue will remain unresolved until the Queen's regatta in two weeks.

Three hundred metres into the race, Neptune had taken a half length lead when Trinity steered - inside their lane buoy and clashed oars. With both boats rating at 38 strokes a minute, the impact pulled Neptune stroke, Colm O'Rourke and Trinity bowman, James Lindsay-Finn from their seats.

"My seat came off its slide when their oars hit me and we stopped for five or six strokes thinking that was the end of it," said O'Rourke afterwards. According to Trinity's Michael O'Connell: "There was a lot of confusion so we thought we'd go on anyway and hope that the umpire didn't notice." He did, so did the coaches in animated style and both crews were left to speculate on whether Trinity would have levelled Neptune on their bend.

Ninety minutes later and Trinity were back on the starting line opposite a lightweight international four that had earlier come through the preliminary rounds at almost light pressure. Rowing as Neptune C, Holland, Maxwell, Nolan and O'Connor already had a length lead by the 100 metre mark.

Less successful were Commercial's 51 four with Dennis Crowley joining internationals Kelly, O'Brien, and Heaney at number three. Drawn against UCD A in the first round, the expectation was that they would capitalise on an early lead.

"They went ahead off the start and were about three seats up on us for the first 100 metres," recounted UCD's Paddy Purser later,"We put on a massive push and there was clear water between us by the Garda bend. Then we hit dead water and they closed us down by half a length with a break at the end."

In the women's events, UCDL claimed their senior honours in finals against an eight from the resurgent Shandon Club and the Trinity four. Oonagh Clarke and Sarah Honner won Sunday's double sculls from the promising Offaly 53 scullers Clavin and Bracken. And in their second WSI eight final of the weekend, UCDL beat Commercial by two lengths.