May 19th, 2009
DUBC rounded off a succesful start to the regatta season at the Irish University Championships on the 24th April, followed by Queen’s University Regatta the following day, both in Castlewellan, Co. Down.
At Uni Champs the novice 8′s unbeaten run came to an end in the final, but the 4+ put in a strong performance in the club’s Empacher boat to keep theirs intact. Other wins came from much smaller boats: Floyd and Ó Loinsigh won the Inter and Novice 1x events respectively, and the latter event was dominated by Trinity oarsmen.
The Wily Cup was taken home by Queen’s University Belfast for their wins in the Novice and Intermediate Men’s 8s.
The university Championship overall, under the new scoring system, became a very close-run thing, with everything to play for in the final of the men’s senior 8s… UCD were on top with 58 points, followed by Trinity on 57 and then QUB on 56. 6 points would go to the winner, 5 to second place and 4 to third. Unfortunately, despite a Herculean performance, the Trinity men crossed the line 3rd, after Queen’s in 2nd and UCD in first place. The final points tally saw Trinity draw with Queen’s for second place. A promising result, and congratulations to all of the Trinity crews who took part.
At Queen’s the next day the senior and inter squad left their 8s on land to focus on small boat racing. Ó Loinsigh and Floyd proved yet again their dominance in the singles, and first and second places were taken by DUBC in the novice 2x event. The club made over 20 entries in all.
The novice 8+, after the pain of their loss a day earlier, were fired up to take revenge. Facing the University champions, Queen’s, in their heat, they rowed well to secure second place and qualification to the final. The crew that arrived at the start line for the final was calm and relaxed, having learned at Uni Champs that nerves can lose you a race before it has even begun. They had a stronger start than usual, but settled well into a sustainable rhythm, taking victory by half a length.
A decision not to grant them use of the Empacher due to difficult conditions meant the novice 4+ were the only stern loader in the final, but they proved that a state-of-the-art craft isn’t necessary for victory as long as you keep the length and pull hard!
Full results for both regattas can be found here:
Queen’s
Uni Champs
April 21st, 2009
Colours and Trinity Regatta
Despite the rain, the annual colours contests between DUBC and UCDBC were raced on Thursday. All novice races were held above the weir at Islandbridge, on the Trinity regatta course – good practice for Saturday’s event. John Mohan’s men put out an A and a B crew, both of whom achieved hard-fought victories over their rivals from the north bank, the A crew taking the Dan Quinn shield for Trinity. Congratulations to DULBC’s Novice 8, who won the Moorhead trophy in style, and to the Ladies’ senior 8 for claiming the Corcoran cup for the first time in over half a decade.
The senior races for the Gannon and Corcoran cups were held on the new, shorter course between the Sean O’Casey and East Link bridges. After the Ladies’ race, DUBC’s finest made their way to the start. Crowds gathered on the Sean O’Casey Bridge to cheer them on, with more supporters ready to follow the race on two wheels or from the tops of the spectator buses. With UCD the clear favourites, the race was never going to be easy, but Trinity gave their all to finish just a length behind.
This result spurred the squad on to face the competition at Trinity regatta three days later. Unfortunately the senior 8 trophy was beyond their grasp, but a hard days racing saw them victorious in the Intermediate 8 category, as well as racing in Inter fours and single sculls, where Ali Floyd won the senior competition.
The Novice men also performed well at the regatta. They took home medals from the 8 and 4 categories after some exciting races between the A and B crews, and a thrillingly close final against Garda Boat Club’s best Novice 4.
April 15th, 2009
On the 4th of April, Neptune RC’s annual regatta in Islandbridge saw DUBC tested for the first time this year over a shorter course. An exciting day of racing ended in success for both the Novice ‘B’ VIII, and the Intermediate VIII. The novices, in their first ever regatta, faced a more experienced Garda team in the final, and maintained their composure to win by ¾ of a length. The Intermediates, after a long winter working in small boats, came together well in the crew boat to beat Queen’s by two and a half lengths. Other entries included inter sculls; two inter fours and the Novice ‘A’ VIII, who were disqualified for steering in the second round. The club has since been preparing for further challenges at Trinity Regatta, University Championships and Queen’s Regatta, and of course the annual colours race against our rivals from UCD. Colours will be raced on Thursday 16th April. Please visit the colours website for information.
April 1st, 2009
After an encouraging result in this year Head of the River Race in London, DUBC’s new senior squad are facing up to the hectic racing schedule that April brings. With few survivors from last years unit, a fresh squad is getting to grips with a new set of challenges and goals for the months to come. In the novice squad, an encouraging group of first year athletes are keen to prove themselves on the water. There is no shortage of opportunities do so in the coming weeks, with the University Championships following hard on the heels of Trinity Regatta and the Gannon Cup. A new course this year for an established contest between Trinity and UCD will ensure added spice for the mid week race. Details for this epic battle can be found on the race website athttps://www.gannoncup.com
April 1st, 2009
Gannon Cup Website
February 9th, 2009
Trial VIIIs
The Trial VIIIs Dinner this year will be held on Saturday 14th February at the Boathouse. Photo at 5:30pm. Tickets can be obtained from the Hon. Secretary at a cost of €50. Contact crokep@tcd.ie