Jack Leahy
In one of the biggest College sporting events of the year, Trinity slumped to four defeats from four races in the 2011 Colours rowing competition as UCD boating crews powered their way to a clean sweep of victories which included the prestigious Gannon Cup.
The races, screened live on RTE television on St. Patrick’s Day, set off in the early morning from O’ Connell Bridge on Dublin’s River Liffey and followed a 2.2km course before finishing at St. James’ Gate. This was the first time in recent years that the race was incorporated into the capital’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival.
TCD's own rowing team
The first race began at the ungodly hour of 8am as the ladies novices competed for the Moorhead trophy won by UCD last year. From the start there appeared to be little chance of a Trinity victory as UCD seized the initiative from the start to win by more than a length and make it 5-2 in terms of overall Moorhead trophy victories.
What transpired thereafter can best be described as a masterclass in boating by the UCD teams. While DUBC were more than adequately prepared for the encounter and had been putting in extensive hours of practice since training began in September, they were blown away by the sheer pace and harmony of their Colours counterparts, the tone for the morning being set in the first few strokes of the first race.
Next up were the novice men competing for the Dan Quinn Perpetual Shield, held by Trinity following their victory in 2010. Once again, the UCD team coached by Alan Curran and Joe Murphy stormed ahead from the very start, building up a lead of half a length by the 1km mark before finishing at St. James’ Gate a good five lengths out in front. The comprehensive victory meant the UCD tied the Dan Quinn Perpetual Shield series at 4-4 in the eighth year of competition for the award.
The next race was the first senior clash of the day, the Ladies Seniors competing for The Corcoran Cup. The teams, UCD led by Laura Reid and trinity led by Iseult Flinn, were competing for one of the oldest trophies in Colours competition, dating back to its first being awarded in 1980. By this stage, Trinity needed a win to keep alive faint hopes of finishing the competition level, but having remained on level terms throughout the race, UCD stormed ahead in the final 800m to win by 3/4 of a length. The win was their 19th overall in 32 years of Corcoran Cup competition.
A classic TCD rwoing team
With a 3-0 lead already established, the Senior Men knew that only pride was at stake and that the Colours competition was already lost. That said, there was much pride at stake as the prize at stake was the Gannon Cup, one of, if not the single most prestigious trophy in College sport in Ireland. While buoyed by their victories in the morning’s earlier races, this was by far the toughest opposition provided by Trinity’s rowers in the competition to UCD’s dominance of the event.
After choppy waters made for a slow start, the holders powered ahead in the second half to take a victory by more than four lengths. This was the fourth year in succession that UCD took home the main prize, with the overall record now standing at UCD 28-34 Trinity with a single dead-heat recorded in 1950.
Dr. Hugh Brady, President of UCD, presented the trophies at the GPO later that afternoon to a club which truly deserved its accolades. The blood-sweat-and-tears effort of the Trinity rowers in preparation for the event will make defeat to their biggest rivals even harder to swallow, while UCD will be delighted with the dominant tone set by this season-opening victory.
