Galway RC finish runners-up in prestigious Henley Regatta

Galway Rowing Club’s ladies crews travelled to London last week where they competed over the weekend at Henley Women’s Regatta, the premier event for Ladies rowing worldwide, second only to the World Championships.

The squad, which consist of All-Ireland Champions from the past two years, competed in a Senior C coxed eight and a Junior 16 Coxless Quad Scull.

The Senior C 8+ is in fact the full crew that won the Junior Coxed Eight Championship of Ireland last year, and are still Junior, but competed way above their grade in the Senior C event. They won their heat on Friday by a clear distance, and their quarter-final on Saturday morning again by a distance over Twickenham RC. They recorded the fastest time in their event Friday and second fastest Saturday.

On Sunday morning they faced a huge task of racing one of the pre-event favourites Vesta RC, and in a thrilling race, both crews were neck-and-neck at the halfway stage when Galway made a push which they managed to hold onto right to the line, crossing a third of a length ahead of the stronger Vesta crew.

They now were in a Henley final – the first time a Galway Rowing Club crew ever achieved this feat – where they faced a very good and experienced crew from Lea RC. Galway took on their opponents from the go, but the physical power into a strong cross wind of the ea crew was to be the deciding factor, eventually crossing the line two lengths ahead of the Galway girls.

The Galway RC crew have an awful lot to be proud of in competing and reaching a Henley final. This 8+ will now split into two Junior Coxless Quad crews, and race this Friday in a qualifying round to compete at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in the Women’s Quad Event the following Wednesday.

The Women’s Junior 16 Quad Scull crew was a composite crew with Coláiste Iognáid (the Jes), following a late illness to one of the Galway RC crew members. They had to qualify their boat at 8am Saturday in order to compete in the heats, which they then won by two and a half lengths to guarantee their slot in the quarter-final on Sunday, where they met Marlow RC A.

The Marlow crew, one of the favourites for the title, were simply the better crew and went on to win comfortably in the end, but the experience gained by these young crews will forever stand to them.

The crews were accompanied by club captain Fergal Diviney and coaches Paul O’Connell and Tom Sullivan, as well as numerous parents who made the trip and were instrumental in their fundraising activities.

The squad was: Affraic O’Regan, Norma Heaney, Claire Elwood, Fiona Murtagh, Megan Donnelly, Kellie Wade, Cara Cunningham, Ruth Cummins, Femhe Caffrey, Clare Caulfield, Meadhbh O’Brien, Lorraine Feehily, Tara Diviney, Kellie-Ann Folan, Sheilagh Lenihan, Ruth Elwood, Aoife O’Neill.