#Rowing: Sinead Jennings and Claire Lambe will compete in a B Final at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne. They finished fifth in their semi-final of the lightweight double sculls, won well by South Africa. Ireland were in touch at 1,000 metres, but the United States, Germany and the Netherlands moved clear of Ireland in the third quarter, fighting for the second or third placing which would send them to the A Final. The US took second and Germany third.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day One (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Repechage (First Four to A Final): 4 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.28.

Women

Lightweight Double – A/B Semi-Final: 1 South Africa 7:35.26, 2 US 7:36.79, 3 Germany 7:39.14; 5 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:44.11

Lightweight Single – Repechage One (Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 3 Ireland (D Walsh) 8:11.47.

#Rowing: Gary and Paul O’Donovan qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup regatta in Lucerne with a second-place finish in their heat of the lightweight double sculls. Norway won well and Ireland took over ahead of Portugal in the final quarter and held off a push by the Portuguese.

Sinéad Jennings and Claire Lambe had just one qualification place, for the semi-finals, on offer in their heat of the lightweight double. South Africa held off Ireland and Denmark at the head of the field, with Ireland testing the eventual winners.

World Cup Regatta, Lucerne – Day One (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat One (First Directly to A Final; rest to repechages): 1 France 6:45.55; 2 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:56.04

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Five (First Three Directly to Quarter-Finals): 1 Norway 6:17.32, 2 Ireland (G O’Donovan, P O’Driscoll) 6:20.20, 3 Portugal 6:21.09.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 Denmark 7:09.27, 2 South Africa 7:16.71; 6 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:44.68

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat One (First directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 South Africa 6:54.01; 2 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 6:57.98

#ROWING: Sinéad Jennings finished second in her B Final, eighth overall in the lightweight single sculls at the European Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland, this morning. Denmark’s Runge Holmegaard led down the course, but Jennings stayed in touch and pushed at the end.

The women’s pair of Leonora Kennedy and Monika Dukarska finished third in their repechage (ninth overall). The Ireland crew were at the head of the field for much of the race, but the Czechs took over in the final quarter, with Spain testing them in the closing stages.

European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Day Two (Irish interest)

Women

Pair, B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Czech Republic 7:16.56, 2 Spain 7:17.04, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:20.37

Lightweight Single Sculls, B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Denmark (R Holmegaard) 7:40.62, 2 Ireland (S Jennings) 7:45.64, 3 Netherlands 7:49.94.

#ROWING: The first six races of the Ireland challenge at the European Rowing Championships resulted in three direct qualifications for A/B semi-finals and three boats set for repechages. Sinéad Jennings gave Ireland a good start by finishing second of three qualifiers in the lightweight single sculls. The women’s pair of Monika Dukarska and Leonora Kennedy were one place further back in a race won well by the Nethlerlands, but also qualified. The lightweight women’s double of Claire Lambe and Denise Walsh also took the third qualification place in their race.

The lightweight men’s double of Paul and Gary O’Donovan needed to finish in the top two in their heat – and they came close with a fast second 1,000 metres. France, the Czech Republic and Greece set the first-half pace. Ireland passed Greece and closed to within one second of the Czech Republic, who took the second qualification place behind France. The Ireland women’s pair were fifth and last in their heat, as was the lightweight men’s four.

European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Four – Heat One (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Britain 6:07.57, 2 Germany 6:09.56, 3 Russia 6:09.72; 4 Austria 6:25.53, 5 Ireland (M Bailey, A English, M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll ) 6:38.91.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 France 6:20.55, 2 Czech Republic 6:27.16; 3 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:28.06, 4 Greece 6:41.16, 5 Poland 7:04.83.

Women

Pair – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Netherlands 7:12.68, 2 Spain 7:16.31, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:17.07; 4 Poland One 7:17.84.

Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 6:49.73, 2 Britain 6:53.58, 3 Serbia 6:55.67; 4 Romania 7:06.54, 5 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:24.08.

Lightweight Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 7:06.62, 2 Netherlands 7:09.30, 3 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:15.74; 4 Ukraine One 7:28.07.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Germany 7:47.03, 2 Ireland (S Jennings) 7:47.61, 3 Denmark 7:49.41; 4 Poland 8:03.59.

#ROWING: The battle for the final place on the Ireland team for the European Championships in Poznan next weekend ended with victory for Sinead Jennings. The St Michael’s woman beat Siobhan McCrohan of Tribesmen in a shootout at the National Rowing Centre. The two women had both targeted the lightweight single sculls place at Poznan. Jennings, a former world champion in the lightweight single, has never won a European medal.

#ROWING: Siobhán McCrohan and Sinéad Jennings dead-heated in the shoot-out for the place in the lightweight single sculls at the European Championships. The race was held over 1500 metres because of a powerful tailwind at the National Rowing Centre, and neither sculler could draw clear of the other in a stirring contest. McCrohan started and finished well, while Jennings did well in the middle stages. The two are set to race again over 1500 metres on Friday or Saturday.

#ROWING: Sinéad Jennings topped the ranks of lightweight women at the first Ireland trial at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The St Michael’s woman took first from Siobhán McCrohan in the final, with Denise Walsh third. Claire Lambe, who was second to Jennings in the heats, just pipping McCrohan, pulled out of the final with an injury niggle.

Lisa Dilleen won the heavyweight women’s single sculls heat from Sanita Puspure, but Puspure won the final. Leonora Kennedy and Helen Hannigan (Walshe) were excused for being ill.

In the lightweight single sculls, Paul O’Donovan won from his brother Gary, who was 5.82 seconds slower. In the lightweight men’s pairs, Mark O’Donovan and Niall Kenny won well.

In the heavyweight single, Dave Neale won the time trial, but pulled out ill from the final, which was won by Turlough Hughes.  

#ROWING: The Ireland trials on Newry Canal this weekend may be altered because of the forecast of bad weather. Time trials are scheduled for both days over five kilometres, but the distance on Sunday might be cut to 2.5 km. The hope is to use the more sheltered part of the course.

Meanwhile, the Cork Head of the River is now set to be held on March 8th. The interest in the Erne Head of the River on March 1st is impressive, with 77 crews entered.

#IrishRowingChampionships: Claire Lambe and John Keohane won the men’s and women’s senior single sculls titles at the Irish Rowing Championships at Farran Woods in Cork today. Both had hard battles before crossing the line as winners.

Lambe had a disappointing start and saw Sinéad Jennings take and hold the lead until halfway. Lambe came back and led by 1500 metres, but Jennings mounted challenge after challenge.

Keohane took the lead early on but had to battle to retain it. Eimantas Grigalius, a World Junior Champion in 2003, drove hard a the Corkman through the closing 500 metres, but Keohane, rating below his opponent, retained his lead – and the title he won last year.

There was great excitement in the closing stages of the men’s novice coxed four. UCD’s lead was eaten away and then completely lost to Queen’s University, who won by .92 of a second. UCD also lost out in the women’s intermediate coxed four to a strong St Michael’s crew of Hannah McCarthy, Emily Tormey, Kate O’Brien, Hanah O’Sullivan and cox Conor McGowan.

The men’s intermediate pair and the women’s junior pair and men’s junior double sculls were convincingly won by UCC, Portora and Shandon respectively.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Farran Woods, Cork – Day Three (Selected Results, Finals)

Men

Four – Novice, coxed: 1 Queen’s 7:49.87, 2 UCD 7:50.79, 3 UCC 7:55.25.

Pair – Intermediate: 1 UCC 8:13.04, 2 Portora 8:36.82, 3 Bann 8:42.84.

Sculling, Double – Junior: 1 Shandon (J Casey, A Harrington) 7:55.13, 2 Skibbereen 8:13.06, 3 Lee 8:19.07.

Single – Senior: 1 Lee Valley (J Keohane) 8:00.96, 2 Three Castles (E Grigalius) 8:03.83, 3 Portadown (S McKeown) 8:21.55.

Women

Four, Intermediate, coxed: 1 St Michael’s 8:10.43, 2 UCD C 8:18.36, 3 UCD A 8:28.10.

Pair – Junior: 1 Portora (D Maguire, P Mulligan) 9:04.90, 2 Muckross 9:16.42, 3 Shannon 9:19.32.

Sculling, Single – Senior: 1 UCD (C Lambe) 9:09.20, 2 St Michael’s (S Jennings) 9:10.31, 3 Three Castles (H Walshe) 9:28.57.

# ROWING METROREGATTA: NUIG/Grainne Mhaol won the big one, the Division One eights A Final, in bright warm sunshine at Metropolitan Regatta in Blessington today. The crew which blended much-medalled Grainne Mhaol oarsmen with outstanding under-23 athletes from NUIG had less than a length at the finish over UCD, but this was a convincing win. UCD also had to give way in the women’s eight, this time to a surprisingly dominant St Michael’s, which featured an even wider age range – from a junior athlete in Hannah McCarthy all the way to former World Champion Sinead Jennings, who is 36.

UCD provided the top men’s coxless four on the day, while NUIG’s Rob O’Callaghan and Richie Bennett were the best pair. Paul O’Donovan was the best single sculler, while Denise Walsh won the women’s Division One single – ahead of Sinead Jennings, who had earlier teamed up with Sheila Clavin the win the women’s double.