Castletownshend Championship 2016: Report

Post date: Jul 19, 2016 12:31:23 PM

As rowers arrived at beautiful Castletownshend for the 4^th round of the Celtic Ross sponsored South West Coastal Rowing Championship they were greeted by clear skies, tranquil waters and peaceful silence; a calm before the storm. As this was the 4^th round a few championship titles were ready to be wrapped up with a number of teams looking to secure their third or fourth victory in order to secure the coveted gold medal placing. Added to this was the knowledge for many crews the points gained in this week's races would also go towards them gaining a place in the upcoming County Finals in Cuskinny.

The day kicked off in usual form with the vet men being the first race on the water and, as crews were waved off from the starting line, The blue boat of Myross proved to be front runner gaining a quick advantage over Kilmacsimon and rowed well to ensure they maintained this place until the race's end. Unfortunately due to the circumstances of this year's first regatta it is unlikely that Myross can overtake Kilmacsimon to win their championship title. Fortunately for Myross the same cannot be said for their vet ladies crew who once again cruised through the finish line in a very convincing first place ensuring they take gold in this year's championship with Kilmacsimon and Courtmacsherry taking silver and bronze respectively. Next up was the senior mixed race and, although they finished in third, Courtmac have put themselves in strong contention to win this year's championship title. However it was the neck and neck finish between the Galley Flash and Myross, which saw Galley pip Myross to the line that put a single point between them in the championship standings ensuring an interesting race between the two crews in round five.

It was the turn of the underage crews next with the u12 ladies leading the way. This week saw Rosscarbery win yet again and sees them in a very comfortable position going into the final round of the championships. However as this race ended both Ring and Kilmacsimon have tied on points for second place. Ring have no such issue though in the u16 ladies category. They look to be a safe position to take gold with Ross in a similar situation for silver. However with only a point separating them both Courtmac and Galley will need to give it their all in order to gain bronze. In the u14 category Courtmac gained their fourth win in a row ensuring they'll be lifting the championship cup later this year. However it's all to play for as three teams; Kilmacsimon, Galley and Ring, are all within a few points of one another for the silver and bronze prizes. The u12 race will be one to watch in the final round of the championship as Ross achieved their second win this week, racing home ahead of Kilmacsimon and Courtmac. This puts four teams within a hand-full of points of each other, with the Ring crew who are still in with a shot of taking one of the top spots in this category.

Courtmac won their fourth successive race this week meaning that their championship has been secured at this point. Ross came in second ahead of Myross meaning that there's only a two point difference between the potential silver and bronze winners. The u14 ladies will likely be another race that keeps spectators on the edge of their seats in the final round of this year's championship as Ring managed to beat rivals Kilmacsimon over the line, who in turn were followed in by Ross. This means that only two points now separate Ring and Kilmacsimon before their final.

In the pre-vet ladies race Courtmac raced well ahead of the competition this week to take first ahead of Myross and Ring. In what may be easily the most interesting category four teams are now competing for three places with Galley still in contention for a top three spot. With no clear favourites these crews will no doubt pull out all the stops in their final championship race of the year. There's no such dilemma in the u18 ladies category with Kilmacsimon taking their fourth win this week ahead of the Galley and Courtmac. This Kilmacsimon crew are now uncatchable on points as well as on the water ensuring they take gold while both Courtmac and Galley are currently tied going into round five. The pre-vet men's race this week saw a big change in results with Myross winning ahead of Ring and Courtmac respectively. This shake up means that Myross could potentially overtake Courtmac on points and take the championship title. There's no such worry for the Kilmacsimon u18 crew who got their fourth win with Ring and Coutmac taking second and third respectively.

Courtmac placed first in the junior ladies this week with Kilmacsimon in second and Galley in third. This result also throws the junior ladies race into chaos as Myross, who placed fourth this week, will be competing with the others to see which three will finish up on top by the end of round five of the championship. Myross have no such pressure on them in the senior ladies category as they are well ahead of both Castletownbere and Courtmac who are tied on points for the silver. A similar situation is in play in the junior men's category with Kilmacsimon winning their fourth race in a row this week, and secured their championship. However it was Courtmac finishing second ahead of Galley that put those two crews on equal points meaning that neither team can relax ahead of their final championship race. And just in case anyone was worried that the SWCYRA championships would end with a whimper instead of a bang needn't worry thanks to the senior men. This week saw Courtmac back at full strength as the accelerated ahead of the competition from start to finish as they raced over the line. They were followed in by the Galley and Kilmacsimon respectively. This result now means that both Courtmac and Galley are tied on points ensuring that spectators can expect to see some fantastic rowing from both crews as they battle it out to see who'll be crowned as champs this year.

With Castletownshend done and dusted for this year all clubs will be focusing their attention on the County Finals in Cuskinny on Sunday July 31^st. Here the best of west will face their east Cork counterparts to size up the competition prior to this year's All Ireland. The final round of the Celtic Ross sponsored SWCYRA championships will take place in Schull on August 7^th. Full details for all SWCYRA regatta and event fixtures can be seen on the SWCYRA Facebook page or online at https://sites.google.com/site/swcyra.