ROWING:IRELAND WILL send six crews to the first World Cup regatta of the year, in Munich in two weeks' time – four in combinations which are targeted at gaining Olympic qualification this year. Three adaptive crews have also been chosen.
Sanita Puspure will team up with Lisa Dilleen in the double scull, the women’s heavyweight boat in which Ireland may launch a bid to land Olympic qualification at the World Championships in Bled in late August/early September. Puspure was injured for the National Trials, but lead coach Adrian Cassidy said she “did enough” at the Huegel Regatta in Essen last weekend to secure a place in the team. The Latvian is awaiting Irish citizenship, but can compete in the World Cup series.
Siobhán McCrohan, who missed the first day in Essen, will team up with Claire Lambe in the lightweight double scull. The duo’s results last season – sixth at the World Cup regatta in Bled and fourth in the European Championships – suggest this crew could qualify a boat for Ireland at Bled this year. The qualification standard is a place in the top eight.
Mark O’Donovan, who was injured for Essen, will partner Niall Kenny in one of two lightweight double sculls, another Olympic-class boat. Peter Hanily and Justin Ryan form the other double. Michael Maher and Sarah Dolan will compete in lightweight single sculls.
At home, tomorrow’s Queen’s University regatta heralds a new stage of development of the Grand League regatta series. The league has been a success, but each of the four regattas – Skibbereen, Queen’s, Metropolitan in Dublin and Cork this season – have tended to draw predominantly from their region. This changes tomorrow, with a cross-section of clubs from throughout the country – except Galway – attending Castlewellan.
The presence of Skibbereen is notable. The defending champions are travelling up for the first time, and aim to attend each of the rounds this year. With a seven-hour trip each way, this is quite a commitment from the West Cork club, who will bring 20 athletes to Co Down. The star name is 16-year-old Paul O’Donovan, who represented Ireland at the International Junior Regatta in Munich last week. He was one of six Skibbereen rowers or scullers in action abroad last weekend.
Why is the club so successful? Yesterday 87 children were on the water as part of a National Schools rowing programme run by Skibbereen Rowing Club.
Rowing at junior level is also thriving in some of the Northern Irish clubs. The absence of men’s senior eights from outside Ulster at Castlewellan is disappointing, but competition for the Queen’s senior and intermediate eights in the men’s Division One eights race comes from junior crews from Methodist College, Belfast and Bann from Coleraine.
The women’s Division One fours final has a good spread of entries, with Queen’s taking on Skibbereen and St Michael’s from Limerick, while Queen’s take on a range of junior crews from around the country in the Division One eights category.
Meanwhile, two Coleraine men, Alan Campbell in the single scull and Richard Chambers in the lightweight four, have been chosen to represent Britain at the World Cup in Munich.
IRELAND TEAMfor World Cup Regatta, Munich, May 27th to 29th: Men – Lightweight Men's Double Scull: M O'Donovan, N Kenny; P Hanily, J Ryan. Lightweight Single Scull: M Maher. Women – Double Scull: L Dilleen, S Puspure. Lightweight Double Scull: C Lambe, S McCrohan. Lightweight Single Scull: Sarah Dolan. Adaptive Team - Four: A-M McDaid, S Caffrey, S Ryan, K du Toit; cox: H Arbuthnot. Singles: K Doherty; N Mills.
