Trinity eight beat NUIG/Gráinne Mhaol at Cork Regatta

Trinity hammered out the message that they are the best eight in the country as they left UCD and NUIG/Gr

áinne Mhaol in their wake with a pillar-to-post win at Cork Regatta.

This was an important win for the college crew who head off for Henley and then hope to repeat their win come the Irish Championships next month. "We will have to prove it then," said number two man Ian Hurley.

The international brigade were also out to prove points. Paul O’Donovan showed he is indeed peerless in the single sculls. The lightweight (20) beat John Keohane for the first time, and only his brother, Gary, tested him.

The two form the Ireland lightweight double for Lucerne World Cup next month, and the men's lightweight pair of Mark O'Donovan and Shane O'Driscoll look set to join them thanks to a fast win at the National Rowing Centre yesterday.

Sinéad Jennings and Claire Lambe will be the new women's lightweight double, proving themselves in recent tests. And the coaching staff will be boosted by the addition of hugely experienced coach Giuseppe di Capua.

Women’s double

Sixteen-year-old Skibbereen girls

Emily Hegarty

and

Aoife Casey

won the women’s double, having hopped out of the boat which won the women’s four. Hegarty also won the women’s single.

The men's double went to Sean Jacob (42) and Dave Neale (26), who also featured in the winning of the Old Collegians/UCD quadruple. The NUIG/Gráinne Mhaol four took the men's four – but were seriously tested by a young UCC crew.