ROWING Henley RegattaCrews from Belfast Rowing Club, Queen's University and NUIG exited on the second day of Henley Royal Regatta, but Carlow's young quadruple scull got off to a good start and Trinity kept up their steady progress in the Temple Cup for student eights.

The Fawley Cup has been one of Carlow's big targets this year, and a big group have been travelling to Blessington Lakes regularly for training. But coach Tony Dooley said the conditions yesterday were so tough, "it is more like New Ross here. Maybe there's scope for a few training camps there!"

The strong flow and headwind made it a "dogfight" for the first 200 or 300 metres, Dooley said, despite the fact that his crew were superior.

Today will provide a sterner test as Carlow face a highly-rated seeded crew, Windsor Boys A.

Belfast's Thames Cup challenge was one of the stories of last year at Henley, as the unfancied crew came within one race of the final. Yesterday, however, they fell to Marlow by one and three-quarter lengths.

NUIG's Matty Carroll and Breffny Morgan had been hugely ambitious to enter the Silver Goblets for open pairs, and they went out to the all-international Canadian crew of Scott Frandsen and Barney Williams. In the Prince Albert for student coxed fours, Queen's University also fell heavily to University of London.

Trinity again had no care for the margin of victory in the Temple Cup for student eights. They were in control against Bournemouth University, but left themselves only half a length at the finish. Their opponents today, Colgate University, had three-and-a-quarter lengths to spare over Eton in their race yesterday in a fast time.

Diarmaid Mac Colgain was part of the London RC/Melbourne University combination crew which won easily in the Ladies Plate for intermediate eights. The Kildareman is set to compete in the open and lightweight single scull at next weekend's National Championships.

There has been a fall off of 23 per cent in the entry for senior men at the championships this year, mirroring the paucity of competition at this level through the regatta season. There has been a huge rise in entries at underage and novice level, however.

"The tip of the pyramid is getting smaller, but the base has taken a huge surge," says Frank Durkin, the president of the IARU.