Emma Desmond Takes Second Behind Jennings at Ireland Trial

20th December 2014

#ROWING: Emma Desmond impressed at the Ireland trial at the National Rowing Centre today. The 28-year-old Corkwoman, who took up the sport in late 2012, finished second to Sinéad Jennings in the time trial for lightweight single scullers and took her place in the matrix for lightweight doubles with Jennings and Denise Walsh and Siobhán McCrohan, who finished third and fourth. Claire Lambe did not trial because of injury. The matrix later had to be abandoned when McCrohan pulled out injured.

Justin Ryan - a lightweight - was the fastest men's single sculler, with Dave Neale heading up the heavyweight ranks. Max Rowan, who is originally from Australia but now competes for Skibbereen, was second to Neale. Sanita Puspure, who has a rib injury could not compete in the women's single, with the pair of Lisa Dilleen and Leonora Kennedy and single sculler Monika Dukarska the fastest women. Paul O'Donovan and Gary O'Donovan trialled with this group as a lightweight double and set a good time.

Ireland Trial, Saturday, December 20th (Selected Results)

Heats (time trial over 19000m; per centage of projected world gold medal time)

Men

Heavyweight Pair: 1 Coughlan, Deere 6:44.29 (86.5 per cent), 2 Meehan, Crowley 6:48.38 (85.6), 3 Harrington, McGuckian (under-23) 6:51.06 (85.0).

Heavyweight Single: 1 D Neale 6:58.42 (88.5), 2 M Rowan 7:03.06 (87.6), 3 T Oliver 7:05.56 (87.1), 4 T Hughes 7:06.16 (86.9), 5 M Maher 7:06.94 (86.8), 6 E Rowan 7:07.6 (86.6).

Lightweight Single: 1 J Ryan 6:55.99 (90.9), 2 A Burns (under-23) 6:59.36 (90.2), 3 F McCarthy (u-23) 7:09.01 (88.1), 4 S Toland 7:09.34 (88.1).

Singles/Crew Boats (Men/Women): 1 P O'Donovan, G O'Donovan (lightweight men's double scull) 6:16.97 (91.2), 2 L Kennedy, L Dilleen (heavyweight women's pair) 7:01.34 (91.1), 3 M Dukarska (women's single) 7:27.39 (90.2), 4 K McCarthy (women's single) 7:40.32 (87.7), 5 S O'Brien (under-23 women's single) 7:55.6 (84.9).

Women

Lightweight Single: 1 S Jennings 7:23.67 (93.8 per cent), 2 E Desmond 7:29.96 (92.5), 3 D Walsh 7:31.27 (92.2), 4 S McCrohan 7:32.07 (92.0).

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About The Author

Liam Gorman

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Liam Gorman is a writer and reporter. He is the co-author of Little Lady, One Man, Big Ocean, published in the United States and Canada as Crossing the Swell. He is the rowing correspondent of the Irish Times.

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