Neptune make it five in a row

It would have been something a seismic shock had anything other than a Neptune win in the men's senior eights occurred at the National Rowing Championships at Inniscarra in Cork yesterday.

Featuring a squad peppered with international names, Neptune duly won the men's Blue Riband event, taking their prosperous streak to five consecutive years in this event. Since 1984 only four other clubs have taken the trophy from the Dublin crew.

But for just over half the race the Garda squad set the pace as the vastly experienced Neptune worked up to a surging finish.

Garda led at the 1,000 metre mark before the star-studded cast drew level and finally pulled away in a demonstration of powerfully-controlled rowing. A spirited Garda came in second and UCC third nine seconds adrift.

It was the last race of the day and capped a fine weekend's performance from international rowers Neville Maxwell, Tony O'Connor and Brendan Dolan, who once again extended their personal number of men's titles. Maxwell now holds 19 with Dolan and O'Connor on 18. Both Maxwell and O'Connor bagged four Irish titles each over the three days. Part of the coxed and coxless four, the coxless pairs and senior eight teams, the world ranked pair are now likely to team up for the World Championships.

The two will row together at the event in Canada next month, the decision to be rubber stamped by the executive shortly.

Injury and an inability to race in the intended World Cup regattas has forced the team to reduce their four man boat down to two. The change leaves Derek Holland in an exciting pairing with Niall O'Toole in the double scullls.

In the men's senior sculls final Albert Maher carried off the title and with it a place in the heavyweight senior sculls at the World Championships. The Cork man, rowing with Neptune, led from the start before being pressurised by Skibbereen's John Whooley.

But Maher adjusted gear and fought off the challenge over the final 200 metres, winning by over a length and a half.

The corresponding women's event was an all-Commercial affair. With Debbie Stack and Mary Hussey paired together for the heavyweight doubles at the World Championships, the event had an interesting rivalry.

As it happened, however, club colleague Vanessa Lawrenson split the two with Hussey taking the title by two lengths and Stack finishing third.

In the women's senior eights, Commercial held onto their 1998 title with a two and a half lengths win over Neptune. The Commercial crew, packed with lightweight internationals, came out of the totally misted starting area to lead from the beginning and pulled away in the final 200 metres. In one of the tightest and most exciting contests of the day Carlow took the Women's Novice Coxed Four. Trinity A were just four seconds behind, and Cork a further two seconds adrift.