The event was cancelled after this preview was completed
St Michael’s Rowing Club
St. Michael’s A crew, comprising Cloda Phillips and Aida Hehir, achieved first place in the junior women’s coxless four category at the Coupe de la Jeunesse Regatta held in Racice, Czechia, in 2024. Cloda secured an impressive fifth position at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships, completing the race in a time of 7:26.3, building on her successes from the previous year. Her pair partner, Aida Hehir, finished with a time of 7:43.5. This impressive duo not only claimed victory at the Coupe but also earned the Irish title in the women’s Junior 18 pair. They are well-acquainted with the demands of the Irish trials; the question remains whether they can replicate their success this year.
Castleconnell
Castleconnels A crew sees Ava Leahy in stroke and Claire Liston in bow. Claire finished at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships in 25th place with a time of 7.48.5, with her pair partner finishing in a time of 7.59.4. With this combination not being seen before, it will be interesting to see if this crew will pull together to make it through the challenging waters at the NRC.
Emily McEntree and Amy Roberts make up the Castleconnel B crew. Emily McEntree distinguished herself by establishing a new Irish women’s 15-16 1000m record with a time of 03:33.8. Additionally, she secured seventh place at the indoor championships, clocking in at 7.29.3. Her partner, Amy, finished with a time of 8.10.6.
Enniskillen
Enniskillen Royal Boat Club has been absent from the Irish trials for a considerable period, and their return is expected to attract significant attention. The duo of Isabella Wright and Naomi Robinson represents the Enniskillen pair, who have an impressive history in rowing. Last July, they achieved remarkable success by winning the women’s Junior 18 eight and the women’s Junior 18 coxless four. Isabella, a Junior 16 rower, secured second place at the indoor competition with a time of 7:29.1, while Naomi, making her debut at the indoor event, finished in 11th place with a time of 7:35.8. Additionally, Isabella claimed the British title last May at the National Schools’ Regatta alongside former ERBC rower Acorn Cassidy when she was only 15 years old. As this pair has yet to compete, their performance on the NRC course promises to be intriguing.
Prediction
In conclusion, it is hard to determine the results from the trials as all of these rowers can put in the work both on and off the water. Only the course of time will tell which of these athletes are the best in Ireland. I expect St Michael’s to fare well given their experience, taking the win.
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