NUIG show they are best around

Rowing: The winds which caused a suspension in the middle of the day and the cancellation of some races made the Metropolitan regatta in Blessington on Saturday an unpredictable affair.

But late in the evening NUIG were their predictable selves, winning the men's senior eight and senior coxed four with some aplomb.

Lady Elizabeth came within three-quarters of a length of the winners in the senior eight, but even without Alan Martin and Cormac Folan, who are now part of the Ireland set-up, NUIG showed they are the best around at the moment.

The men's senior double final provided proof that Ireland coach Harald Jahrling has justification in his high hopes for Paul O'Brien (17) and Rory O'Connor (18).

The conditions were, as O'Brien put it, "brutal", but the two young men bound for the World Junior Championships mastered an experienced field, including former World senior champion Niall O'Toole. They had four lengths to spare over the second-placed double of Albert Maher and Neil Casey.

O'Toole, looking healthy and hungry for competition again, teamed up with Maher, Casey and doubles partner Con Collis in a promising quadruple scull which is set for Henley Royal Regatta. The crew tested themselves alongside the men's eight final and seemed to have good boat speed.

In the women's single scull, Garda's Caroline Ryan recorded an impressive win and suggested that she has also won her battle to regain fitness after a troublesome spell. "I'm injury-free at the moment anyway," she said afterwards.

Athlone provided a shock in the evening session when they won the novice eights with an untried crew. Six of the oarsmen are relatively experienced, but two came from a development crew.

"It's only their fourth time on the water together as a crew," explained coach John Walsh.

If UCD were the disappointed club in this race, their senior women made up for it somewhat with a good win in the senior eight.

The women's novice eight provided its own drama as the Queen's University's A crew were pipped by three-quarters of a length by Neptune in a tremendously close race.