Folks, it seems we have a rivalry on our hands. Whichever way you slice it, the Women’s Junior 18 singles event down in Limerick this weekend will be a battle between power and prowess. The single scull, arguably the most difficult discipline in rowing, requires a certain amount of artistry that powerful athletes can get away without in big boats. Power definitely has its place in the single so it will be interesting to see which of these five standouts can bring just the right amount of each on the day.
Enniskillen Royal (R. Hamill, K. Huddleston, and E. Johnston)
Known around Ireland for its ability to churn out strong, mature rowers, Enniskillen Royal always puts on a show. Three of ERBC’s entrants for St Michael’s —Hamill, Huddleston, and Johnston—are among the reigning junior eight champions of Ireland and are sure to put up a good fight. In addition to their decisive win at the Irish Championships, the trio saw junior eight wins at Erne Head—22 seconds off the senior winners and fastest crew on the day, DULBC— as well as wins at Skibbereen, Lough Rinn (where they took the division one title), and Cork regattas. It takes an exceptionally mature Junior crew to race in division one alongside intermediate and senior crews and consistently place in the top three. Their reputations precede them, but the question remains whether maturity and power, the hallmarks of Enniskillen rowing, will carry Hamill, Huddleston, and Johnston past athletes with more sculling experience and bring success to their names.
Muckross (K. Fleming and R. Fuller)
The girls from Kerry should not be forgotten. Where Enniskillen’s scullers may falter, Muckross’s Fleming and Fuller will likely prosper. This early in the season, and especially in singles, technique and experience may win out over pure power, and there is no lack of technical expertise at Muckross, a club that only sculls. Fleming and Fuller should take confidence from a commanding win in the Junior 18 quad at Skibbereen Regatta, beating their Enniskillen foes among others. Racing together in their double and against each other in singles throughout the season, Fleming and Fuller no doubt have the sculling experience to be serious competitors on the Shannon this weekend.
Castleconnell (S. Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh)
So, if it’s strength versus experience, then who wins? My bet is on Castleconnell’s Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh, who has shown the strength to hold off the contenders from the North and the sculling expertise to outdo the gals in yellow. With a strong performance at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships last year and a second-place finish at Erne Eights, Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh clearly has the strength. Though her eight never could beat Enniskillen’s, her experience in the single puts her ahead. At Cork, she came fourth in Division one, racing against the likes of Grace Healy, a Rowing Ireland U23 athlete. Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh would have been disappointed to come away second at Cork and third at Irish Championships in the Junior 18 category, but it bears repeating that sculling experience against some of the best scullers—junior and senior—in Ireland cannot be beaten. Strength, experience and a home course advantage are sure to see Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh able to compete well for the top spot.
Prediction
Though Enniskillen tends to be the one to watch in big boats, their three standout entrants have yet to prove themselves in the single scull; it remains to be seen whether the reigning junior eight champions of Ireland can go up against sculling veterans and win with sheer power alone. Muckross scullers Fleming and Fuller have the experience in the small boats that may well see them pull away from the big white “E” of Enniskillen. However, it’ll be Ni Fhlaithbheartaigh of Castleconnell for the win in my book. If it’s between power and experience, the rower with both will win any day and this is no more the case than in the single. Others to look out for include L. McNamara, also of Castleconnell, and Cork’s C. Liggett and C. Neff.
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