Limerick is the place to be for Irish rowers this weekend. The National Intervarsity championships will be staged at O'Brien's Bridge today and the Limerick Regatta is scheduled for the same venue tomorrow.
Much of the interest in today's regatta will centre on whether Trinity, impressive winners of the Gannon Cup colours race last week, can retain the Wylie Cup. A college which wins the novice and intermediate eights lifts the trophy, but if the honours are dispersed at this point the cup goes to the college which wins the senior eight.
Trinity's Gannon Cup win and their close second to Neptune at Neptune's regatta suggests they should have it relatively easily in the senior eights - but UCC may have something to say about this. UCC must be one of the two crews to come through from a three-boat race, also involving UCD and Queen's University to make the final, while Trinity must overcome University of Limerick. Despite UCC's credentials, few would bet against Trinity winning the senior eights.
The contest for the Bank of Ireland Cup for women follows the same pattern as the Wylie Cup, but with fours as the key category. This is the 25th anniversary of the founding of the University of Limerick, and the landing of the intervarsities has been quite a catch for the university's rowing club - in existence only since 1990, and still dependent on other Limerick clubs, most recently Shannon, for much of its equipment. The championships had become firmly established in Castlewellan.
Many of the crews competing today will go on to compete in the regatta tomorrow, including University of Limerick, who will compete as Shannon. UCG and Galway combine in the women's senior one eights where they will have competition from Trinity, UCD, and Shandon.
News from beyond the domestic regatta scene is that the Neptune coxless four of Tony O'Connor, Neville Maxwell, Derek Holland and Brendan Dolan will take part in the Cologne regatta early next month, May 2nd and 3rd. This is a strong crew and they should be real contenders for a high placing.
