Gold rush for Kilmacsimon men

Roles are reversed in senior men’s race at Union Hall

KILMACSIMON turned the tables on Courtmacsherry in the senior men’s race at the Union Hall coastal rowing regatta last Sunday.

The second of South West rowing’s five championship regattas – again, the weather was kind to both rowers and spectators – saw Kilmacsimon come out on top of a senior men’s race that was one to be remembered. 

Courtmacherry had pipped Kilmacsimon to take gold the previous week, but in a titanic battle, with the lead changing hands several times, Kilmacsimon came home in first place. Last year’s All-Ireland champions, GalleyFlash, came in third, finding it difficult to stay with the leading two boats.

The second regatta of the season always makes for interesting analysis each season. Club selection committees studied the results from the opening regatta in Glandore, saw which crews and combinations worked out well for them and which disappointed.

Until tested in the heat of championship battle, clubs can never be sure that they’ve got their selection fully right. The general rule is that you never change a winning combination, but, for crews coming in second or third, the axe can fall, changes can be made.

Back on the water Kilmacabea won the senior ladies race, but they were put under severe pressure all the way by GalleyFlash who took silver, with Castletownbere, a very close third. Ring fought off the challenge of Kilmacsimon to win the senior mixed category. 

In highlighting individual club performances, we have to start with Ring. For the second week in a row, they were awarded the club of the day title by winning most points. They again ended up with seven gold medals from the 17 races.

From last week, Ring’s U16 girls slipped back to silver but their U14 boys made up for it by finally gaining gold. This crew had looked well placed for a top finish last week when their boat run into steering difficulties; it was great to see them set that record straight in Union Hall. 

Kilmacsimon won four gold. For their U18 and junior ladies crews, it was two golds each from two regattas. For their senior and veteran men crews, both moved up from silver the previous week, which must be particularly satisfying. 

Rosscarbery’s youth strategy is paying dividends as they won gold in both U12 boys and U12 girls’ races. They also took silver in U14 ladies and U18 men.

While Courtmacsherry’s senior men were turned over, their pre-vet men again took gold. Their U14 and U16 boys’ crews took silver, both behind neighbouring crews from Ring, so those categories will be worth following as the season progresses.

GalleyFlash U16 ladies won gold, coming out on top in a colossal struggle with Ring. Elsewhere Galley took several silver medals, at U12 boys, senior and pre-vet ladies and pre-vet-men, and the challenge for them is to convert one or two of these to gold at the next regatta at Castletownshend on Sunday, July 9th.