Action on the Liffey

Rowing News: Lanesboro in Co Longford, Islandbridge in Dublin and Nottingham in England will all have a call on the attention of Irish rowers this weekend.

The big domestic event is tomorrow's Trinity Regatta at Islandbridge, an attractive prospect for spectators if the weather is fine.

The competitive end of things is a little thin, however: there is no men's senior single sculls, and the women's event is also in jeopardy because of a withdrawal due to injury.

The men's senior eight pits Trinity against sister club Lady Elizabeth, and the sisterly relationship may suffer some strain as the students set out to prove that the old boys are not necessarily their betters.

Micheál O'Connell has been the stroke for Lady Elizabeth in the last few competitive outings, and he takes on this crucial role for the first time in this contest.

The entry in the men's intermediate eight is interesting, with UCC taking on Trinity in one semi-final and Garda facing Neptune in the other.

The men's novice four, with eight entries (including three from UCD), promises keen competition.

In a credit to a relatively new event, the Connacht Schools Regatta at Lanesboro on Sunday can also boast eight entries in the men's junior 16 four - albeit half of them are from St Joseph's, of Galway.

The Irish interest in Nottingham City Regatta tomorrow also concerns a four. The heavyweight men's crew which may represent Ireland at the Olympic Qualifier in Lucerne in June is entered under the name of Leander. The four - Serryth Colbert, Alan Martin, John Forde and Kenny McCarthy - are training at the famous English club and Colbert has been a member for a number of seasons.

Yesterday's announcement of the British squad for the World Cup regatta in Poznan, Poland, in two weeks also has an Irish angle, as Alan Campbell from Coleraine was named in the quadruple scull. Ireland is not sending a team to Poznan.

There will also be no Ireland entry in the World Junior Championships, but the recent junior women's trial produced a four (Vicki Stephens, Rose McNeena, Catriona O'Donovan and Deirdre Griffin) and a quadruple scull (Elaine Spencer, Susan Dowling, Sinead O'Connor and Siobhán McCrohan) which may be sent to the Coupe de la Jeunesse in July.