BY ELLEN McCARTHY
SKIBBEREEN Rowing Club has been busy these past few weeks, taking in the Cork City Regatta and then the 1K Classic Regatta held in Leitrim.
The Skibb club produced a series of solid performances across junior, senior, and masters events at the Cork City Regatta at the National Rowing Centre in Farran, despite challenging conditions, particularly on Sunday, when rough water and a strong tailwind made racing difficult.
The men’s junior 16 eight of Brion Hurley, Ryan Coakley, Franek Lechtanski, Jack Burchill, Olan Ferguson, Mark Yaskozhuk, Desmond Keane, and Shane O'Regan, coxed by Niamh O'Donovan, finished second in the B final, securing second place in the junior 16 category. In the women's Division 2 quad, Skibbereen fielded two crews in the A final. Nadine Hourihane, Saoirse O'Donnell, Mimi Jacob, and Holly O'Flynn finished third in a time of 7:55.9, followed closely by Sarah Coughlan, Emily Sheehan, Mia Maguire, and Eve Waugh O'Brien in 7:57.1.
Finn O'Reilly placed fourth in the men’s Division 1 single sculls. In the women's junior 18 single sculls, Aoife Hendy posted the fastest time to win the event, with strong performances from Abigail Fowler and Audrey McCarthy, who reached the A and B Finals respectively. Later that day, these three scullers linked up with Hazel Deane to win the J18 coxless quadscull in a time of 7.05.
The women's J16 8+ of Nadine Hourihane, Saoirse O'Donnell, Mimi Jacob, Emily Sheehan, Mia Maguire, Ellen Connolly, Holly O'Flynn, and Laoise Hamilton finished second in the B final. The junior 18 men's coxless quad of Tomás Burchill, Ultan Kearney, Sam Wheeler O'Brien, and Ryan Coakley placed 8th overall in the highly competitive Division 1 event.
Masters rowers Elaine O'Flynn and Barbara Galvin adapted well to the demands of the 2000m course in the women's Club 2 double sculls, having stepped up from the usual 1000m distance for masters racing. Also, Sam Wheeler O'Brien finished second in the junior 16 single sculls, while in the men's Division 2 single sculls, Mark Yaskozhuk, Tomás Burchill, and Ultan Kearney represented Skibbereen, with Kearney placing second in the Junior 18B category. The men's coxless four of Finn O'Reilly, Mattias Cogan, Kealan Mannix, and Cathal O'Donovan secured fifth place in Division 1. David Duggan and Kenneth McCarthy competed in the men's Club 2 double sculls. In the women's Division 2 single sculls, Chloe Grant, Emily Sheehan, and Holly O'Flynn braved tough conditions, with O'Flynn finishing fifth overall and second in the junior 16 category.
Skibbereen's women's masters quad; from left, Barbara Galvin, Janet Murran, Mags Fitzgerald (cox), Barbara Nugent, and Elaine O’Flynn.
In the women's club four, Kelly Oforji, Sarah Coughlan, Mimi Jacob, and Niamh O'Donovan, coxed by Abigail Fowler, finished third in the A final. The junior 16 boys' quad of Franek Lechtanski, Ryan Coakley, Jack Burchill, and Brion Hurley placed second in the B final of the Division 2 Coxed Quad, securing second place in their age category. This older squad from junior 16 and up now look ahead to the National Championships, which will be held at the National Rowing Centre in Farran from July 11th to 13th.
Skibbereen rowers travelled to Lough Rynn, Co. Leitrim for the 1K Classic Regatta held last weekend. The event, raced over a 1000-metre course, offers valuable sprint race experience for younger junior and masters athletes, with points contributing to an overall club ranking. This is the pinnacle of the year for these athletes and after a series of strong performances and multiple race wins, Skibbereen finished second overall on club points across the weekend.
On Saturday, Skibbereen’s women’s masters quad of Barbara Galvin, Janet Murran, Barbara Nugent, and Elaine Flynn, coxed by Mags Fitzgerald, secured victory, while Galvin and Flynn also won the women’s masters double sculls. The junior 15 boys had success in the single sculls, with Olan Ferguson, Sam Wheeler O’Brien, and Desmond Keane all winning their finals. The women’s junior 14 quad of Labhaoise McCarthy, Anna Connolly, Mae Ryan, and Una Waugh O’Brien, coxed by Chloe Grant, finished first, with McCarthy and Waugh O’Brien also winning the Junior 14 Double Sculls. There were further wins in the Junior 14 boys’ single sculls for Oscar Ferguson and the junior 15 boys’ eight of Sam Wheeler O’Brien, Desmond Keane, Olan Ferguson, Shane O’Regan, Odhran Keane, Rayyan Danish, Peter Grant, and Oscar Ferguson, coxed by Eve Waugh O’Brien.
Sunday saw more success for the club. The junior 15 boys’ quad of Olan Ferguson, Sam Wheeler O’Brien, Desmond Keane, and Shane O’Regan, again coxed by Eve Waugh O’Brien, secured first place. The junior 14 boys’ quad of Peter Grant, Oscar Ferguson, Kaiden Whooley, and Rayyan Danish also took victory, with Waugh O’Brien coxing. In the junior 15 boys’ double sculls, Shane O’Regan and Desmond Keane crossed the line first, while Labhaoise McCarthy won the junior 14 girls’ single sculls. Ellen Connolly and Fia Foley finished the day with a win in the junior 15 girls’ double sculls.
Alongside these victories, many other Skibbereen crews including Max O'Donovan, Liam Lupton, Arianna Doolan and Laoise Hamilton secured close second and third-place finishes, contributing to a consistent team performance across the event.
