Lightweight four finish in fifth place at Munich

ROWING/WORLD CUP:IRELAND'S LIGHTWEIGHT four finished fifth at the World Cup regatta in Munich yesterday. The reconstituted Irish crew, with Gearóid Towey in the engine room, are back near the top of the world field - but not quite there.

China swept all before them in this first big face-off of the season. World champions Britain, with Irishmen Richard Chambers and James Lindsay-Fynn in the bow, did well to cling on to second in the face of a searing challenge from the new form crew, Germany, who finished third. France and Ireland battled for fourth, with France just shading it.

The main aim for Eugene Coakley, Towey, Richard Archibald and Paul Griffin is to land one of the two places at the Olympic Qualifier in Poland next month. They learned yesterday how they rank vis-à-vis their main rivals - Germany finished almost five seconds ahead of them, and Serbia 10 seconds behind, in last place. Archibald described yesterday's row as "the best of the weekend", and far better than their "pretty ropey" row in Saturday's semi-final.

That race featured a pillar-to-post win for Germany, but there was a frenetic battle behind them in the closing stages. Ireland had to hold off a fast-finishing Serbia to take second, with Denmark pushed into fourth - and the B final - by 0.01 of a second.

Archibald said the crew would be faster at the next World Cup in Lucerne this month.

Ireland's heavyweight four placed 10th overall by finishing fourth in their B final yesterday, the same position as in last year's World Championship, which ensured a place for the boat in Beijing. However, this regatta was the first outing for a changed line-up, with 23-year-old James Wall replacing Sean Casey (30).

The Irish were involved in a battle for second and third with Belarus and Greece yesterday. Slovenia won easily, but when Belarus pushed on at the end Ireland and Greece fought it out for third, and the Greeks edged it.

Cormac Folan, the number three man in the boat, said injury had kept Wall out of the Ireland boat, and added the unit hopes to improve with more work together. They compete in the Duisburg regatta next weekend.

Casey's campaign in the pair with Jonno Devlin brought him a convincing win on Saturday, albeit in the D final, yielding 19th overall.

The lightweight double scull of Cathal Moynihan and Richard Coakley won their E final, placing 25th overall.

It is understood a recommendation will go to the meeting of the International Rowing Committee not to continue with the other three crews. Single sculler Seán Jacob finished 24th overall; the women's senior double of Caroline Ryan and Sinead Jennings 20th; and the lightweight women's double of Orlagh Duddy and Niamh Ní Cheilleachair 18th.

The athletes may come into play for the non-Olympic World Championships in July.