Enniskillen Royal Boat Club (ERBC) returned with fine results from the Irish Rowing Championships last weekend on Inniscarra Lake in County Cork.
The fine weather was a bonus but the real rewards came with four first-place finishes and two third places and other encouraging performances.
On Saturday morning the boys J16 eight had won through to the final from a 10 boat entry.
This crew of Jake Sembhi, Harley Sheppard, Joshua Ihnat, Charlie Lynn, Andrew Cuthbertson, Cillian Donaghy, Lorcan Sreenavasan, Christian Timoney and cox Abbey Wilson had an inconsistent season but had begun to show potential in the weeks prior to Cork and they did not disappoint as they came third within a boat length of Castleconnell and Neptune who were the front runners since March.
The big crowd of local supporters had not long to wait for ERBC's first win.
In the afternoon the girls J18 four emerged victorious from a 14 boat entry.
In the final they led from start to finish beating Skibbereen, St. Michaels, Limerick, Castleconnell, Cork, and St. Ignatius' College, Galway.
Young stroke Zara Welsh, in her first year as a Junior 18 rower established her dynamic and relentless rhythm which was taken up by the big strong athletes behind her. This kept the Skibbereen crew at bay but only after repelling numerous attacks. This set the scene for the weekend. Isabella Wright, Acorn Cassidy and Naomi Robinson were the other crew members.
The much anticipated Junior 18 boys eights event with 11 entries saw ERBC emerge from the heats nearly accompanied by the young ERBC second crew who narrowly missed out on a final place.
The final saw St. Ignatius' College, St Joseph's, Neptune, Castleconnell and Methodist College line up at the start of the 2k race in a light tailwind.
What unfolded was remarkable.
The three fancied crews ERBC, St . Joseph's and St. Ignatius' drew away from the rest of the field and it seemed the crew from the Erne was in trouble as the two Galway crews decided to have a battle all on their own as can happen in a six boat race.
St. Ignatius' led until two strokes from the end having drawn their neighbours along for the majority of the 2k but St. Joseph's had the last say in the race and won by 0.1 secs.
However, the extraordinary aspect of the event was that ERBC had come right up in lane six and was only 1.4 seconds behind the winners.
On reflection perhaps a more aggressive start may have saved the day but they were determined to make amends the following day in the coxed four event.
The bronze medal crew was Oliver Khew, George Kernoghan, Harry Coalter, Owen Kelly, Austin Cassidy, Luke Bailey, Ryan Topping, Evan Donaghy and cox Katelyn Fee.
The final race of the day on Saturday was the girls' J16 eight in a six-boat final.
The crew had not raced in this combination before but some focussed coaching by Derek Holland and Chloe Thompson in the week before led the supporters to believe success was possible.
They led majestically from start to finish with the Davis twins in the stroke and seven seats setting an identical rhythm.
Castleconnell were seven seconds behind so it was an emphatic win. Mya Morris, Sienna Howe, Abbie Magwood-McCarthy, Maeve Murphy, Hannah Armstrong, Emily Black, Brooke Davis, Tori Davis and cox Rachel Cathcart made up the victorious crew.
On Sunday hopes were high that the girls could do the double and win the J18 eights final.
These thoughts were well founded when the six boats from an original 11-boat entry lined up for the start.
First to jump out of the blocks were ERBC who were well led again by Zara Welsh who had seven other very willing athletes behind her and they were never headed down the track and won by over two boat lengths over Shandon from Cork.
The crew in full control during that race were Eva Johnston, Kate Huddlestone, Ruby Hamill, Rhea Cartin-McCloskey, Naomi Robinson, Acorn Cassidy, Isabella Wright, Zara Welsh and cox Jessica Thompson.
The supporters had barely time to get their breath back when it was time for the final of the coxed J18 fours.
It is very hard for a crew to lift themselves after an agonising defeat 20 hours earlier but both the fours from ERBC did just that in the heats.
The second four just missed out on a final place but the first four of Evan Donaghy, George Kernoghan, Luke Bailey, Austin Cassidy and cox Katelyn Fee were in no mood to take prisoners and won by just under a length in a pulsating race from Presentation College, Cork and Castleconnell.
it was a fitting end to the season from the Erne rowers whose hard work throughout the season has paid off with a host of victories rounded off in style in Cork.
Niamh Campbell a former ERBC rower was in the UCD crews who won two eights championships over the weekend. A fine achievement in her year of Captaincy.
Also Odhran Donaghy of Oxford Brookes got to the final of the Visitor's Cup in Henley last week but was beate narrowly by an outstanding Leander crew.
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