Hurley and Lavin make huge splash

BANTRY rower Andrew Hurley continued his good form from the world championships in Canada last October when he won the men’s singles race in style at the offshore regatta held in sunny Courtmacsherry.

His young club mate Charlie Lavin finished an impressive third, just behind Killorglin’s Sean Houlihan. The Bantry duo then teamed up in the doubles race, finishing second behind the winning Arklow twosome with Blackrock finishing third.

The men’s quad title went to a composite crew representing Castletownbere who, after a ding-dong battle with reigning Irish champions Myross over the four-kilometre course, won by the minimum of margins, one second. Blackrock again finished third.

Experienced quad rower Miriam Sheehan of Castletownbere made her competitive debut in the women’s singles race and finished an impressive second behind Killorglin’s Rhianna O’Donoghue. Mary Ann Kent of Arklow came third, while another notable debutant in this category, Niamh Hayes of Galley Flash, finished fourth.

The women’s doubles race was won by Killorglin followed in by three Arklow crews. Kilmacsimon’s duo of Dara Jennings and Niamh Lordan were the top Cork crew, finishing fifth.

Killorglin also won the women’s quad race. In a battle for second place, the experienced Castletownbere crew just held off newcomers to this category, Castletownshend, by a margin of just six seconds.

In the mixed doubles race, the top Cork crew was David Duggan and Niamh Lordan from Kilmacsimon who finished second behind winners Killorglin. In the junior races, Ring took top honours, followed by Kilmacsimon and Courtmacsherry crews.

This event marks the start of the offshore season which will culminate in the Irish Offshore Championships in Antrim next September and that in turn acts as a qualifier for the worlds in Hong Kong in November.