Garda hopes blown in the wind

Rowing/Henley Regatta: Another good day for the Irish at Henley Royal Regatta yesterday ensured there will be six Irish crews in action today.

The regatta has not been spared the inclement weather that disrupted the tennis down the road at Wimbledon. Garda's crew in the Britannia were blown wildly off course by a gust of wind - losing their lead and, eventually, the race.

"It was a bad-luck story," said Garda coach John Dillon. "The lads are devastated."

In the Diamond Sculls, Paul O'Sullivan also found the going tough, with the wash from the pleasure craft adding to the difficulties created by a headwind. But the Skibbereen man stuck to his task and beat Northern Ireland's Richard Shirley by one and a half lengths.

Even a win at Henley would not save the season, O'Sullivan admitted. "I didn't achieve my main aim, which was to qualify for the Olympics," he said.

O'Sullivan's opponent in today's semi-finals, Harare-born Colin Smith, is only 20 but has a formidable record at Henley, having won in both the Fawley and the Wyfolds.

One crew which found yesterday's race easier than those of Wednesday and Thursday was Lady Elizabeth's eight.

They had a four-and-a-quarter length victory over Nottingham and Union RC in the quarter- finals of the Thames Cup to set up a repeat of last year's semi-final with London Rowing Club.

"No other crew has had as tough a draw as us," said Michael O'Connell, the Lady Elizabeth stroke. He fancies their chances against London, who beat them by half a length last year: "If we get it right we will win."

Commercial's crew in the Men's Quadruple Sculls must also have high hopes of successfully defending their crown after an emphatic win in yesterday's quarter-final.

The Dublin club are by far the strongest sculling force in Ireland, and underlined this yesterday when their junior quadruple had a three-length win over Newark RC in the Fawley Cup.

Two Irish eights who will have high hopes in the National Championships next weekend bowed out of Henley competition yesterday, however.

UCD's women's eight were intent on competing in the Remenham Cup last year but failed to make it through the qualifiers.

This year they qualified but were heavily beaten in their first outing at the regatta.

NUIG's men's eight came much closer in the Temple Cup, losing out by only two-thirds of a length to the US Naval Academy, who were granted special leave by the authorities to take part.

Jack Drea, son of Henley legend Seán Drea, stroked Oxford Brookes' B crew to two victories in the Temple on Wednesday and Thursday, but they too exited yesterday - beaten by the Oxford Brookes' A crew.

There was consolation for NUIG in one of the most exciting races yesterday. There had to be an Irish winner in the Visitors' Cup clash between NUIG and the Galway Rowing Club/Skibbereen composite, and NUIG got home first by three-quarters of a length, in the fastest time of the day in this event.