Dominant Kilmacsimon club won nine of the 19 South West rowing titles

THE destinations of South West rowing’s top honours were decided in the fifth and final championship regatta in Schull. In some categories, there was a clear leader topping the points table after the first four regattas, but other categories were delicately balanced.

U12 boys was in the balance, with both Rosscarbery and Myross having two wins each, but in Schull the Ross crew won gold to take the title for the season. Similarly, in U12 girls, Myross were leading Courtmacsherry by a single point, but in Schull the Courtmac crew overtook them, winning gold to be crowned South West champions for the year. The intermediate women’s category was also in the balance, between Kilmacabea and Ross. In a winner-takes-all contest in Schull, the Ross crew won gold to secure the title.

Topping the medal count for the season is the Kilmacsimon club, winners of nine of the 19 categories on offer. They won U16, U18 and pre-veteran in both men and women categories. They also won the senior women, senior mixed and veteran men categories.

The Courtmacsherry club won three titles: U12 girls, masters women, and senior men Their senior men’s ongoing battles with Kilmacsimon continued in Schull, with the latter coming out on top on this occasion, but the Courtmac crew took the title for the season with three wins, as against Kilmacsimon’s two.

Rosscarbery’s intermediate men were the talk of the regatta as they set a blistering pace to make it five wins from five and won the title. The club’s U14 girls and intermediate women crews also won their categories for the year.

For Galley Flash, its U12 and U14 crews both won in Schull and both are South West champions for the season. For Kilmacabea, it was their veteran women and masters men crews that took top honours and are champions for 2023.