Irish team get solid start in Milan

Rowing World Cup regatta: Hot and sometimes stormy weather made for a difficult start for the first World Cup regatta of the year, in Milan yesterday. For the most part the young Irish team came through the test well, although illness took its toll.

The lightweight men's double of Eugene Coakley and Tim Harnedy secured their semi-final spot in one go by finishing second to world champions and world record holders Italy in their heat, even though Harnedy had not been feeling well earlier.

In the women's lightweight double Heather Boyle was also battling with illness, and the crew of Boyle and Fiola Foley missed out on automatic qualification in their heat, finishing fifth, and then did not race in the repechage.

After an injury-blighted 2002, Sinéad Jennings returned to action with a win in her heat of the lightweight single scull, thus gaining a place in the A final.

One of the Irish success stories at last year's World Championships was the B final win by the men's lightweight four. Though Derek Holland (injured) and Neil Casey (exams) were not available, Richard Archibald and Paul Griffin were joined by Herbie Griffin and Brian Young and made it to the semi-finals, albeit by the repechage route.

Today they will be able to gauge their progress as they line up side-by-side with world champions Denmark in the first semi-final, scheduled for 3.57 p.m.

The only heavyweight in the Irish team, Seán Jacob, must content himself with a D final place after yesterday's action. The Commercial sculler had been going well in training, according to Thor Nilsen, who heads up the Irish coaching set-up, but finished outside the qualification places in both his heat and repechage.

"It is a little disappointing. We had hoped for more," Nilsen said.

Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey, who are not competing in Milan, have already been told they will be given a chance to row the third and final World Cup regatta, in Lucerne in July, as a lightweight double.

But there may also be a place for Harnedy and Coakley, if they continue to show good form, Nilsen hinted yesterday. "We can start with three crews if we want in Lucerne," Nilsen mused.

Back on Irish waters, one of the biggest domestic regattas of the year, the Metropolitan regatta at Blessington, boasts a huge entry tomorrow.

The senior eights final features a clash between two of the crews that will fancy their chances at this year's National Championships, Lady Elizabeth Boat club and NUIG, with UCC and Queen's also entered.

Lady Elizabeth has traditionally been the old boys' club of Trinity but is an open club and former Neptune man Frank Sheridan strengthens the eight for this event.

The blue riband event at Metro, the coxed fours, has had an embarrassingly poor entry over the last few years, but is back with a bang tomorrow. The presence of a national junior crew, entered as a composite, may be the talking point, but the six other crews will not make way easily, and the Galway four, which features the successful pair of Sean O'Neill and John Forde, may take the honours.

Forde and O'Neill will also be fancied in the open coxless pairs.

In a very busy weekend, Carlow's regatta takes place on Sunday, and tonight at Blessington the Guinness Sculling Challenge pits Dublin's Albert Maher against Dave Heffernan of Cork and Belfast's Enda Marron.

Milan Details (Irish interest): Men: Open: Single Scull, Heat Two (one to A/B semi-finals) - 1 Norway (O Tufte) 7:01.57, 3 Ireland (S Jacob) 7:10.47. Repechage (two to A/B/C semis) - 3 Ireland 7:16.96. Lighweight Four,Heat Three (one to A/B semi-finals) - 1 France 6:12.81, 3 Ireland (H Griffin, B Young, R Archibald, P Griffin) 6:15.08. Repechage (1-3 to A/B semi-finals) - 1 Austria 6:07.48, 2 Ireland 6:09.35, 3 Portugal. Lightweight Double, Heat One (1-3 to A/B semi-finals) - 1 Italy (E Luini, L Pettinari) 6:35.86, 2 Ireland (E Coakley, T Harnedy) 6:45.06, 3 Czech Rep (M Vabrousek, V Malacek) 6:51.90. Women: Lightweight Double, Heat One (one to A/B semi-finals) - 1 Germany 7:19.54, 5 Ireland (F Foley, H Boyle) 7:40.23. Repechage: Ireland did not start. Lightweight Single Scull, Heat Two (one to A final) - 1 Ireland (S Jennings) 8:07.78.