Ireland had an encouraging start to the final World Cup regatta at Lucerne this morning with a convincing win for Siobhan McCrohan in her heat of the lightweight single scull. Cathal Moynihan also qualified for the quarter finals of the men’s lightweight single, finishing third in his heat.

The lightweight quadruple put up a tremendous fight in their heat. A win would have taken then straight through to the final and Niall Kenny, Michael Maher, Mark O’Donovan and Justin Ryan pushed reigning world champions Italy (with three of that crew competing) to the line before taking second. Peter Hanily and Anthony English finished fourth in their heat of the lightweight pair, two places outside qualification.

The men’s pair of Cormac Folan (27 today) and Sean Jacob were also fourth in their heat,  two places away from a direct semi-final place.

Claire Lambe and Sarah Dolan also finished fourth in their heat of the lightweight women’s double scull.

Sanita Puspure finished third in the heat of the women’s single scull. Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic and Genevra Stone of the United States took the two automatic qualification places.

In the final race of the day involving the Irish team, Sanita Puspure finished fifth in a repechage won by Debbie Flood of Britain.

World Cup, Lucerne (Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat Four (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 Greece Two (G Tziallas, I Christou) 6:28.17, 2 Serbia One (M Marjanovic, N Stojic) 6:28.17; 3 Netherlands 6:37.88, 4 Ireland (C Folan, S Jacob) 6:46.06, 5 Germany Two 6:52.75

Lightweight Pair – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechages): 1 Britain (A Freeman-Pask, C Boddy) 6:36.53, 2 Germany (D Wisgott, R Gerhardt) 6:39.61; 3 China 6:43.26, 4 Ireland (P Hanily, A English) 6:51.30, 5 Hong Kong 6:58.93, 6 Indonesia 7:12.49.

Lightweight Quadruple Scull – Heat Two (First to A Final; rest to repechage): 1 Italy (F Sancassani, F Rigon, F Gabriele, S Basalini) 5:36.36; 2 Ireland (N Kenny, M Maher, M O’Donovan, J Ryan) 5:57.15, 3 Germany One 6:02.98, 4 Brazil 6:04.55.

Lightweight Single Scull – Heat Six (First Four to Quarter-Finals): 1 New Zealand (D Grant) 7:10.97, 2 Hong Kong (Sau Wah So) 7:12.63, 3 Ireland (C Moynihan) 7:12.76, 4 Venezuela (J Guipe Jimenez) 7:15. 13; 5 Finland 7:15.51.

Women

Single Scull – Heat Four (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Final): 1 Czech Republic (M Knapkova) 7:47.39, 2 United States (G Stone) 7:53.50; 3 Ireland (S Puspure) 8:00.59, 4 Argentina 8:06.44, 5 China One 8:15.82. Repechage Two (Two to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Britain 7:51.85, 2 New Zealand Two 7:53.78; 5 Ireland (Puspure) 8:00.36.

Lightweight Double Scull – Heat One (First to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to repechage): 1 Britain (H Goodsell, S Hosking) 7:08.40; 2 Netherlands 7:11.34, 3 Italy 7:14.14, 4 Ireland (C Lambe, S Dolan) 7:21.49, 5 Switzerland 7:23.84, 6 Cuba 7:26.44

Lightweight Single Scull – Heat Three (First Three to Quarter-Final): 1 Ireland (S McCrohan) 7:56.18, 2 Japan One (A Fukumoto) 7:58.86, 3 Switzerland (E Waser) 8:02.36; 4 Zambia 8:06.15, 5 Hong Kong 8:13.50.

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UCD won the final of the Prince Albert for student coxed fours at Henley Royal Regatta yesterday. The crew of Dave Neale, Colm Pierce, Finbar Manning, stroke Tom Doyle and cox Jenny Lynch overcame the challenge of University of Bristol with little difficulty. The Dublin crews had done their hard work  in the earlier stages, beating Oxford Brookes, Goldie and Harvard on the way to the final.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Five (Irish interest)

 Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; Student)  - Final: UCD bt University of Bristol 2l, 7:41

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Queen’s University’s challenge in the Temple Cup for Student Eights ended with a narrow defeat to ASR Nereus of the Netherlands. Neither crew could establish a clear lead for most of a remarkably close race, but Nereus found enough as the crews passed the enclosures to win. The verdict was half a length. 

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Four (Irish interest):

Temple Cup (Eights, Student): Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Netherlands bt Queen’s University A ½ l, 6:32

Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; Student): UCD bt Harvard University 2/3 l, 7:09

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UCD had a terrific win in the semi-final of the Prince Albert for college coxed fours at Henley Royal Regatta. This was a race all down the long course, with the Irish establishing a slight lead early on and holding on to it despite repeated pushes by Harvard. UCD won by two-thirds of a length.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Four (Irish interest):

 Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; Student): UCD bt Harvard University 2/3 l, 7:09

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The evening events brought no joy for Irish-based crews at Henley Royal Regatta. Carlow gave as good as they got for much of the way in their clash with West End in the Thames Cup for club eights, but the  New Zealand crew saw off a push at around half way and powered on to a convicing win. In two of the final races of the day, Muckross suffered steering problems at the start and lost to London Rowing Club’s A crew in the Wyfold for club fours, and Cork could not match The Tideway Scullers’ School in the Britannia for club coxed fours.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Three (Irish interest)

Princess Grace Cup (Women’s Quadruple Scull; Open): Gloucester RC and Leander bt Belfast RC and Carrick-on-Shannon RC 2¼ l, 7:36

Ladies’ Plate (Eights; intermediate): Harvard University bt NUIG 2½ l, 6:28; Oxford Brookes University/Oxford University bt Molesey BC 1¾ l, 6:40

Thames Cup (Eights; club): 1829 Boat Club bt Galway RC 3 ¼ l, 6:48; West End Rowing Club, New Zealand bt Carlow RC 3¾  l, 6:46

Wyfold Cup (Fours; club): Star Club bt Commercial 2l, 7:14; London RC A bt Muckross 2¼ l, 7:06

Britannia Cup (Fours, coxed; club): Tideway Scullers’ School bt Cork BC 1 ¾ l, 7:23

Temple Cup (Eights; student): Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Netherlands bt Queen’s B 2½ l, 6:42; Queen’s A bt Brock University, Canada ¾ l, 6:29

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Queen’s A caught and beat Brock University of Canada in the quarter-final of the Temple Cup for student eights. The Belfast crew were behind at the Barrier and Fawley but moved coming up to the one-mile mark and won by three-quarters of a length in six minutes 29 seconds.

NUIG had no answer to the power of Harvard in the Ladies’ Plate for intermediate eights, with the American crew clocking 6:28 and winning by two and a half lengths. In the Princess Grace, an open event for women’s quadruple sculls, the Belfast-City of Derry-Carrick-on-Shannon crew came up against the British national quad and were never in contention.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Three (Irish interest)

Princess Grace Cup (Women’s Quadruple Scull, Open): Gloucester RC and Leander bt Belfast RC and Carrick-on-Shannon RC 2¼ l, 7:36

Ladies’ Plate (Eights, intermediate): Harvard University bt NUIG 2½ l, 6:28

Thames Cup (Eights, club): 1829 Boat Club bt Galway RC 3 ¼ l, 6:48

Wyfold Cup (Fours, club): Star Club bt Commercial 2l, 7:14

Temple Cup (Eights, student): Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Netherlands bt Queen’s B 2½ l, 6:42; Queen’s A bt Brock University, Canada  ¾ l, 6:29

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The first three Irish crews in action at Henley this morning all fell to the superior fire power of seeded crews. The old boys' club of Oxford and Cambridge, 1829 Boat Club, beat Galway Rowing Club in the Thames Cup for club eights; Queen's B could not deal with the slicker ASR Nereus in the Temple Cup for student eights; Star Club beat Commercial after a fine battle in the Wyfold Cup for club fours.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Three (Irish interest)

Thames Cup (Eights, club): 1829 Boat Club bt Galway RC 3 ¼ l, 6:48

Wyfold Cup (Fours, club): Star Club bt Commercial 2l, 7:14

Temple Cup (Eights, student): Amsterdamsche Studenten Roeivereeniging Nereus, Netherlands bt Queen’s B 2½ l, 6:42

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An Argentinian composite crew which had terrible steering problems early on passed and beat the Galway Rowing Club/Muckross crew in the first round of the Visitors' Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. The crew from Club San Fernando and Club de Regatas la Plata trailed at the Barrier, but stuck to their task and beat the Irish by two lengths.

 Carlow got the Irish back on track with a good one-length win over Star Club in the Thames Cup. Lightweight oarsman Peter Chambers mixed it with a man four stone heavier in the Diamond Sculls and lost by only a length and a half in the Diamond Sculls to British heavyweight oarsman Brendan Crean. 

 The day ended superbly for UCD, who were led by Goldie in the Prince Albert for student coxed fours but went on to win by three-quarters of a length. 

Henley Royal Regatta (Irish Interest)

Diamond Sculls (Single Scull, Open): B Crean (Agecroft RC) bt P Chambers (Oxford Brookes University) 1 ½ l, 8:37

Visitors’ Cup (Fours; Intermediate): Club San Fernando and Club de Regatas la Plata, Argentina bt Galway RC and Muckross 2l, 7:36

Thames Cup (Eights, club): Carlow bt Star Club 1l, 7:15

Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; Student): UCD bt Goldie BC ¾ l, 7:19

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Queen's A and B crews qualified for the quarter-finals of the Temple Cup for student eights at Henley Royal Regatta, topping off a list of five out of six wins for Irish crews before lunch on the second day of the event. The Queen's A crew were never seriously troubled by University of London, while the B crew did well to beat Nottingham, who had seen off a seeded crew, Newcastle University, in the first round.

 Two Irish crews justified their seeding in the Wyfold Cup for club fours. Commercial beat Vesta, and Muckross overcame Molesey, who mounted a strong challenge. Molesey inflicted the one early defeat on the Irish, when their heavier crew took advantage of the headwind to beat St Michael's in the Thames Cup for club eights. Galway did better in this event, beating Thames Tradesmen. 

Henley Royal Regatta, Day Two (Irish interest)

Thames Cup (Eights, club): Galway RC bt Thames Tradesmen RC 3½ l, 7:11; Molesey BC A bt St Michael’s 2¼ l, 7:03

 Wyfold (Four, club): Commercial bt Vesta RC 1l, 7:33; Muckross RC bt Molesey BC ¾ l, 7:35

 Temple (Eights, Student): Queen’s University A bt University of London A 2 ¼ l, 7:04; Queen’s University B bt Nottingham University 3¼ l, 7:05

The Umpires launch. Photo: oepkes.com

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Irish crews were involved in six races this morning at Henley Royal Regatta and won all six. Both Queen's A and B crews had convincing victories in the Temple Cup for student eights, while Carlow and Galway won their heats of the Thames Cup for club eights by three lengths and one and three-quarter lengths respectively. UCD took on and beat Oxford Brookes B in the Prince Albert for student coxed fours and Cork were also convincing winners against Grosvenor in the Britannia for coxed club fours.

In one of the last races before lunch, Muckross, who were seeded in the Wyfold, beat Putney Town by a big margin.

The pattern continued in the afternoon, with St Michael's and Commercial commanding winners in the Thames Cup and Wyfold Cup. Galway Rowing Club fought hard in the final Irish race of the day in the Wyfold Cup, but fell to Nottingham and Union.

Henley Royal Regatta, Day One (Irish interest)

Thames Cup (Eights, club): Galway RC bt Maidstone Invicta RC 1¾ l, 6 min 46 secs; Carlow RC bt Vesta RC 3l, 7:07;

St Michael’s bt Combined Services RC easily, 7:12

 Britannia (Fours, coxed; club): Cork BC bt Grosvenor RC 2½ l, 7:33

 Wyfold Cup (Fours; club): Muckross RC bt Putney Town RC 4½ l, 7:30; Commercial bt Quintin BC 2l, 7:33; Nottingham and Union BC bt Galway RC 1 ¾ l, 7:19

 Temple Cup (Eights; student): Queen’s University, Belfast A bt University of Bristol 4¾ l, 6:38; Queen’s University B bt University of Cape Town 3l, 6:45

 Prince Albert (Fours, coxed; student): University College, Dublin bt Oxford Brookes University B 2¾ l, 7:20

The Henley enclosure. Photo: oepkes.com

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