ROWING:The Ireland lightweight men's four for the final World Cup regatta in Lucerne next week will feature two changes from the crew which won the World Cup series last year.
Liam Molloy, a 21-year-old from NUIG who impressed in the second selection regatta in the spring, comes into the unit to replace the injured Richard Archibald. He joins Kerryman Cathal Moynihan, who has established himself in the bow seat which was occupied by Gearoid Towey last season. Strokeman Paul Griffin and Eugene Coakley complete the crew.
Team manager Mick O'Callaghan said yesterday that Archibald has a rib injury which will not prevent him from joining the squad at their high-altitude camp in St Moritz immediately after the Lucerne World Cup, which starts on Friday week. The key aim this year is to take the chance of qualifying boats for the Olympics at the World Championships in Munich next month.
Coleraine man Archibald (29), has been ever-present in the lightweight four as it rose over the last four years to be one of the top three in the world, taking silver at the World Championships in 2005 and bronze last year. This season has been seen a dip, however: the crew finished 12th at the first World Cup in Linz in Austria and did not compete in the second World Cup in Amsterdam.
Ireland will field eight crews at Lucerne, with the men's heavyweight four, which finished fifth in Amsterdam, now the top boat.
In the lightweight single scull, Derry's Orlagh Duddy will be aiming to make her third A Final in her debut season. She took bronze at Amsterdam.
Caroline Ryan is given the chance to prove herself in the heavyweight single scull. The Dublin-based Garda has been allowed to train outside the squad system.
Meanwhile, Irish club crews have landed some good draws for Henley Royal Regatta, which begins tomorrow. NUIG, Trinity and Belfast have been seeded ("selected" in Henley parlance) in the Visitors', Temple and Thames Cups respectively, and NUIG have also been given a bye.
Less lucky have been Methodist College, Belfast - they meet a selected crew in the first round, as do NUIG's Matty Carroll and Breffny Morgan in the Silver Goblets. Carlow's young quadruple scull will face a British combination crew in their first outing.
None of the Irish crews which were asked to qualify last weekend made it through.
IRELAND (team for final World Cup Regatta, Lucerne, July 13th-15th) - Men, Four: S O'Neill, C Folan, S Casey, A Martin. Lightweight Four: C Moynihan, E Coakley, L Molloy, P Griffin. Quadruple Scull: J Wall, C Collis, P O'Brien, P Murray. Single Scull: S Jacob. Lightweight Single Scull: R Coakley.
Women, Single Scull: C Ryan. Lightweight Double Scull: S Jennings, N Ni Cheallachair. Lightweight Single Scull: O Duddy.
