The new rowing season kicked off in great conditions on the River Shannon, just outside Limerick.

Over 500 rowers completed the 3.7-kilometre course, with every competitor timed to determine the final rankings. Enniskillen Rowing Club (ERBC) had strong representation in all junior categories, from ages 13 to 18.

The Junior 13 octuple, consisting of Beth Bradley, Michaela Ihnat, Nicole Graham, Kaitlyn Read, Emily Stewart, Holly Shaw, Clodagh Donaghy, Maeve Rolston- Mc Auliffe and cox Rachael Cathcart, finished well ahead of Shannon.

The Girls J13 quad of Sophie Collum, Holly Shaw, Jessica Miller, Nicole Graham, and cox Amy Lipscomb topped the 12-crew field, edging Castleconnell by just 1.4 seconds.

The J16 boat comfortably won their event against Athlone, with Tori Davis, Mya Morris, Sienna Howe, Hannah Armstrong, and Amy Lipscomb on board.

The J14 boys faced tough competition with 15 other crews but managed to secure a 23-second lead over Castleconnell.

Their crew included James McAleer, Evan Clarke, Oliver Jennings, Harry Welsh, and cox Jessica Thompson.

Matthew Montgomery, Ollie Powell, Joshua Inhat, Cillian Donaghy, and Milena Flavios dominated the J15 quad event, winning convincingly over Muckross from County Kerry.

In single sculling, Cillian Donaghy and Isabella Wright delivered impressive victories, with Emily Black taking second place in her event.

As the day progressed, the wins continued for ERBC. The boys' octuple of Edward Dawa, Lewis Coalter, Reece Brady, Harry Welsh, Caelan Moore, James McAleer, Evan Clarke, Lucas Boyle, and cox Rachel Cathcart narrowly defeated Shannon by 2.8 seconds.

In the same boat class, the girls' crew of Case-Lee Leonard, Oliwia Muras, Nicole Graham, Hannah Keaney, Madeleine Curran, Freya McNeary, Beth Bradley, Sophie Collum, and cox Milena Flavios comfortably beat Castleconnell by 20 seconds.

The J16 four of Emily Black, Naomi Robinson, Isabella Wright, Zara Welsh, and cox Jessica Thompson impressed in their event, while the Boys J18 quad of Ben Cameron, Jamie Dunlop, Hugo McChesney, and Justin Smith just managed to hold off Muckross by 0.4 seconds.

In the J16 pair category, ERBC swept the podium, with Austin Cassidy and Christian Timoney emerging as winners in an all-Enniskillen final.

The ERBC girls proudly took home the Ailish Sheehan Cup for best women’s club. Several crews also came close to victory, notably Josh Allen in the J14 scull and the boys' J13 quad.

This event served as an early season test, offering plenty of insight into how training is progressing and shows the commitment of the Erne youngsters who left Enniskillen that morning at 5am.

The next competition is the Erne Head of the River for fours on 16 November, where the competition will step up another level.