ROWING: Neptune, who won the men's senior eights title at the national championships 13 times in the last 20 years and six times in the last eight, will not put out a men's senior eight in their own regatta at Islandbridge tomorrow.

Pre-eminent among Dublin clubs in recent years, Neptune has suffered from the defection of some of its strongest oarsman to Commercial, where they have formed a sculling group as part of their drive to establish themselves as credible candidates for international selection.

Indeed, in this pre-Olympic year the international aspect looks set to overshadow many of the domestic events. For Neptune, such strong lightweights as Gearóid Towey, Neil Casey and Derek Holland have their eyes firmly set on the national trials in two weeks' time. "We don't have a senior eight at the moment," club secretary Terry McEvoy said yesterday.

Both the Neptune regatta tomorrow and Commercial on Sunday, also at Islandbridge, have four senior eights entered. Trinity old boys' club Lady Elizabeth, who finished 25th in the Head of the River in London last weekend, must fancy their chances tomorrow in the company of UCD, Commercial and Old Collegians.

On Sunday, Commercial may prevail in their own regatta: they have two senior eights entered, with one to take on the winners of UCD and Trinity.

With 128 races scheduled at Neptune and 126 at Commercial, there will not be a shortage of action, with big entries at junior level.

The Skibbereen head of the river at the National Rowing Centre at Inniscarra on Sunday also has a large entry, with well over 200 boats entered, mostly from Munster and Connacht.

There will also be a Skibbereen interest in Sunday's events in London - Ciaran Hayes, will be part of the Isis crew which takes on Goldie in the Boat Race curtain-raiser - scheduled for 4 p.m., a half an hour before the Boat Race.

Hayes, winner of eight Irish junior titles, and another lightweight with international ambitions, is in his second year of Economics and Management at Oxford.