#WorldJuniorRowing: Ireland’s Bridget Jacques and Hilary Shinnick missed out on the A Final of the women’s double sculls at the World Junior Championships at Trakai in Lithuania.

The first three from today’s A/B semi-final made it into tomorrow’s A Final, and Romania took the most direct route, leading down the course to win. Behind them an exciting battle unfolded. Through the second half of the race, Germany, Ireland and Australia effectively competed for two places. At 1500 metres, Germany held second and Australia third, clear of Ireland. Australia upped the ante and closed up on Germany, and while the Ireland crew pushed hard in the closing stages they couldn’t head either of their rivals. Australia passed Germany to take second. Ireland finished 2.8 seconds down on Germany in fourth. They are set to compete in tomorrow’s B Final.

World Junior Rowing Championships, Trakai, Lithuania, Day Four (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

Quadruple Sculls– C/D Semi-Final One (First Three to C Final; rest to D Final): 1 Romania 6:15.90, 2 Ukraine 6:17.57, 3 Ireland (C Carmody, J Mitchell, D O’Malley, P Hegarty) 6:18.28, 4 Russia 6:22.38, 5 Estonia 6:29.19.

Double Sculls – Semi-Final One (First Three to C Final; rest to D Final): 1 France 6:49.57, 2 Russia 6:50.65, 3 United States 6:50.83; 4 Ireland (A Harrington, J Casey) 6:51.05, 5 Bulgaria 6:59.84, 6 Estonia 7:06.97.

Women

Quadruple Sculls – C Final (places 13 to 17): 1 Estonia 7:07.80, 2 Japan 7:10.80, 3 Denmark 7:12.25, 4 Sweden 7:12.30,

5 Ireland (F Murtagh, J English, E Barry, B Walsh) 7:25.01.

Double Sculls – A/B Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Romania 7:21.16, 2 Australia 7:25.43, 3 Germany 7:26.07; 4 Ireland (H Shinnick, B Jacques) 7:28.15, 5 Croatia 7:32.84, 6 Slovenia 7:46.21.

# ROWING: The Ireland junior women’s quadruple of Katie Cromie, Hilary Shinnick, Bridget Jacques and stroke woman Bernadette Walsh showed great character to take third in their repechage and qualify for the semi-finals of the World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv in Bulgaria today.

Three places were available, and in the early stages it seemed that eventual winners Germany would be joined by Italy and Denmark. Behind them the young Ireland crew were battling with Ukraine for fourth. But by halfway the Irish, roared on by their support, were closing in on Denmark. They passed the Danes in the next 500 metres and fought off their attempts to regain third in the final quarter.

All but Cromie in the Ireland crew are 17 years of age.

World Senior and Junior Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria – Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Pair – Heat Three (Winner directly to A/B Semi-Final; rest to repechages): 1 Romania 6:46.98, 2 Germany 6:53.83, 3 Poland 6:58.00, 4 Ireland (C Black, J Cassells) 6:59.13, 5 Estonia 7:13.74.

Junior Single Scull – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals): 1 China (G Li) 7:08,24, 2 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:13.05, 3 Zimbabwe (P Purcell Gilpin) 7:14.77, 4 Estonia (A Luenekund) 7:22.12; 5 Japan 7:27.06.

Women

Junior Quadrple – Repechage One (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C Final): 1 Germany 6:38.45, 2 Italy 6:43.88, 3 Ireland (K Cromie, H Shinnick, B Jacques, B Walsh) 6:46.34; 4 Denmark 6:47.68, 5 Ukraine 7:02.24.

Junior Single Scull – Heat Four (Four Guaranteed Quarter-Finals; fastest of rest to Quarter-Finals; rest to Final E): 1 Belarus (K Staraselets) 7:57.89, 2 Chile (N Sanchez Rojas) 8:09.53, 3 Ireland (K O’Brien) 8:13.90, 4 Ukraine (D Serebrianska) 8:16.83; 5 Uganda 10:14.48.

#ROWING: Two Irish single scullers reached A Finals on the first day of the the huge Munich Junior Regatta. Bridget Jacques finished fifth in a race won by world junior champion Anne Beenken of Germany. Beenken pipped Jacques’s fellow Northern Irish woman Holly Nixon for gold last year at the World Championships.

Paul O’Donovan, who finished fourth at those Championships, had a rare off-day in his final today and finished sixth.

Munich Junior International Regatta (Day One, Selected Results)

Men

Four – Heat One: 4 Ireland (L Seaman, H Millar, C Black, J Cassells) 6:20.86. B Final: 3 Ireland 6:24.24.

Single Scull - Heat Four: 1 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:15.42. Final: 1 Czech Republic (M Plocek) 7:06.20; 6 Ireland (O’Donovan) 7:34.26.

Women

Single Scull – Heat Two: 1 Ireland (B Jacques) 8:01.96. Heat Three: 3 Ireland (B Walsh) 8:19.20. Final: 1 Germany (A Beenken) 7:53.78; 5 Ireland (Jacques) 8:07.97.