Dublin University Ladies Boat Club (DULBC) and Dublin University Boat Club (DUBC) picked up silverware at this weekend’s National Championships – the largest domestic rowing competition in the country – in Cork.
DULBC won the novice eight while DUBC came home with victory in the club eight, in a strong showing for both clubs.
On Friday, DUBC secured the first victory for the Trinity contingent at Inniscarra Lake in the men’s club eight. Qualifying through their heat in second place, the DUBC crew peaked in the final race, crossing the finish line three seconds ahead of their closest competition.
DUBC also had a squad competing in the intermediate four category, but they failed to advance from their qualifying heat.
The DULBC crews running on Friday struggled, with teams competing in the intermediate eight, novice quad scull and club four failing to finish above fourth in their respective races.
But on Saturday, two of the DULBC’s crews started the women’s novice eight final on Saturday. The club’s A crew claimed the title, finishing the race a significant distance ahead of University College Dublin in second place. The result means that the club have improved on their showing at the championships last summer, having left the regatta empty-handed in 2018.
DUBC were unlucky to not collect their second first-place finish in the men’s intermediate eight final later in the day, narrowly losing out to Cork Boat Club by one length. DULBC’s club eight crew finished third in the final held on Saturday evening, behind University College Cork Rowing Club and NUI Galway.
The final day at the National Rowing Centre proved less fruitful for the Trinity clubs. Two promising runs in the morning saw DUBC’s A and B club four crews qualify for the men’s final. Ultimately, both teams were left disappointed, finishing fifth and fourth respectively. St Michael’s Rowing Club ran out victors by a margin of 0.3 seconds.
Both Trinity clubs featured in the finals of the men’s and women’s senior eights. DULBC finished in third to close out their weekend, while DUBC had to settle for a fourth place finish in their last meeting.
The Irish Rowing Championship welcomed over 60 clubs from all over the island of Ireland to the National Rowing Centre this year. A total of 1,224 crews entered for this year’s edition, making it the largest championship on record.
