Tipperary rower enjoys notable success in Belgium
Two victories for Edward Wall at May Regatta in Ghent
The regatta season is now in full swing and Clonmel Rowing Club members have been busy for the last few weeks taking part in Lee, Castleconnell and Dublin Metro regattas on the domestic circuit and venturing further afield to Belgium for what is known as the May Regatta, held in Ghent in Belgium.
This event takes place in May and draws participants from all the Benelux countries and occasionally a few Great British and Irish crews.
Edward Wall has proven to be very consistent on the domestic circuit and we relished the opportunity to see him dip his toe in the water on the European circuit. His first race was in the J17 1x where he was drawn against scullers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. At the halfway mark, he put in a spurt which was enough to give him a narrow half a length lead on the opposition, a lead he maintained all the way to the finish.
He also rowed in the J19 1x, a category for boys two years older than Edward. He didn't disgrace himself and the experience will help to bring him along in the future.
Cork Boat Club were also at the regatta and they asked Edward to row in their boat to replace their injured number five man. This boat had a great race, seeing off the opposition and giving Edward his second victory of the regatta.
Back on home soil the Clonmel club had junior crews racing in Lee Regatta on Saturday May 16 and the Masters crews racing on the Sunday. Annie McGrath and Emily Delahunty come from staunch rowing families and the legacy is in safe hands, as these girls opened their account with an excellent win in the J14 2x.
The Masters crews had a number of successes, including Helen Mhic Chonmara and Nell McCarthy in the 2x. Later Nell and Paul Nugent had a go at taking on the shipping marker buoy R24, renowned in the folklore of Clonmel Rowing Club when a well-known member coxed an eight straight into the buoy. On this occasion, disaster was narrowly averted and they quickly got back into their stride to cross the line in first place. In the men’s 4x+ Stephen and Joseph Ryan, rowing with their Shannon buddies and coxed by Aoife Matthews, came out on top after an exciting tussle with Lee and Castleconnell.
At the Metro regatta in Blessington, the Clonmel men’s J18 2x of Darragh Noonan and Oisin Walsh didn't let the rough conditions get the better of them and they can be proud of a good win against quality opposition.
Millie Crean was in contention in the last 300 metres when the riggers on her boat succumbed to metal fatigue and she capsized. At least it was a nice day to end up in the water.
Down in Castleconnell, Josh Kiely was making all his hard training pay off when he took the spoils in the J15 1x.
The Masters had a couple of seconds and third place results until the men’s 2x, when John O'Neill and Paul Nugent squeaked home by the narrowest of margins to deny Athlone.