ROWING/Regatta reports: University College, Dublin, won the men's senior eight title by beating the host club in splendid sunshine at Commercial regatta at Islandbridge yesterday to cap an extraordinary weekend for them.

On Saturday they had been surprise winners of the coveted eights title at Neptune - their first time to do this.

UCD had also had the misfortune to become a talking point for another reason when their two novice eights collided, and although one oarsman was injured he was reportedly out of hospital and recovering yesterday.

Neptune's pride was in something of the same state. The building work on their impressive new clubhouse - for which the club has recently received lottery funding of €400,000 - overlooked their regatta on Saturday, but on the water the senior eight fell to a shock defeat which suggested some work still needed to be done there as well.

This eight is being prepared for the Thames Cup at Henley, and to some extent will play second fiddle to the club's first eight - targeted at the Ladies Plate, and not rowing on Saturday. But their defeat to Queen's by a length at the quarter-final stage was a surprise.

Number four man Dave Kealy said the crew was disappointed and have "cobwebs" to blow off, but their defeat left the way clear for UCD. The college crew conquered Garda at the semi-final stage - something they were to repeat yesterday at Commercial - while Queen's beat a Trinity/Lady Elizabeth composite.

UCD then had a length and a quarter to spare over the Ulster crew in Saturday's final.

The UCD crew members were quick to give credit to coach John Holland. "He's done a lot of work with us," said crew member Alex Barry, at 19 not even the youngest in the boat. With just two changes the eight again triumphed yesterday - and the novices bounced back to win the eights title at this level as well.

If Neptune were disappointed with the performance of their men's eight - and having to give the overall winners title at their own regatta to neighbours Commercial can hardly have helped - Neptune's women's eight had the most thrilling win of the day in their final.

They swept past the boathouses and the cheering crowds, matching rivals Trinity stroke for stroke and won by only two feet.

"It was great fun," said Nicola Fitzsimon, the number seven in the boat. "It came together really well at the end."

The win was all the sweeter because Trinity had dominated in recent heads of the river.

Neptune's powerful men's four, all set to be part of the Ladies Plate eight, had their expected win on Saturday, beating Garda by four lengths.

It was not all doom and gloom for the boys in blue as their novice eight had a good, two-and-a-half-length win over Queen's A. And yesterday Garda won the senior four title at Commercial.

One of the notable aspects of both days' rowing was the huge advantage conferred on those rowing on the north station. Only a handful of winners came from the south station on either day.

At Inniscarra, UCC won the overall title at the Skibbereen head of the river. They defeated Skibbereen and Muckross in the men's open eights.

The head was run in the opposite direction to the usual regatta course, in superb conditions.