ROWING: Building work on the fine new boathouse at Inniscarra Lake in Cork continued even as the crews passed the spectators revelling in the hot sunshine in the packed programme on the first day of the National Championships yesterday.
On the water, there was some construction and reconstruction of promising careers going on. In the last race of the day, UCD's Helen Walshe drew a frustrating season to an end by winning the women's senior single sculls final, easily seeing off a strong field, which included recent international Heather Boyle.
Walshe was on course to make up an international double scull with Caroline Ryan before she injured herself in March. Last night she confirmed that this win had spurred her to go back into the mix for selection next season.
"I'm delighted," she said. "My back did not hurt at all."
The construction work on the water was evident as young men and women set down markers for the future. Peter Heverin (17) from Clonmel and Claire Lambe (16) of Commercial in Dublin won the novice single sculls titles, and twin brothers Gavin and Graham Sheehan of Presentation College, Cork, were impressive in their victory in the men's junior pair.
The senior action was notable for the spread of the glory: in quick succession in last evening's action, Queen's University of Belfast won the women's senior pair; the NUIG/Galway composite stroked by John Forde won the men's senior four; and Neptune of Dublin won the men's and women's junior double sculls to add to the women's intermediate eights title they had taken earlier in the day.
In a regatta noticeable for the absence of internationals, Karen Rentoul and Heather Armstrong of Queen's were exceptions, as they will represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Strathclyde in Scotland next month.
Paul Giblin of NUIG was winning his fifth successive senior fours title, and the Galway Rowing Club man in the boat, John Forde, was taking his second "pot" of the day. He had partnered Skibbereen's Kenny McCarthy to a win in the men's senior pair title after a battle with Paddy Quinn and Cathal Moynihan of Neptune. McCarthy and Forde led for much of the race, but as Quinn put it, Neptune "threw the kitchen sink at it" in the final 500 metres only to be beaten in the final 10 strokes.
The men's novice eight threw up a less competitive race, as UCC had a surprisingly big margin over NUIG.
The Shannon senior quadruple of Fergal and Michael O'Callaghan, Kenny McDonald and Brian Collins won a national title in a boat chosen because the four athletes were not familiar with it. "We had to try something different," explained coach Ian Cummiskey, explaining that his 30-something crew had good records as younger men in sweep boats, but the key to success was to give them a new challenge.
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