Starting out on Friday with hopes and dreams of what may come, few had envisioned what the weekend would hold in store for them. Arriving in London on Friday afternoon straight from exams and school, the Portora Boat Club group of eleven girls and two coaches set out for Henley to see what might be.

Arriving there with plenty of light in the sky the girls were able to have a paddle over the 1500m course and imagine what might be the following day when the grandstand and surrounding area would be full of people and subsequent atmosphere.

Enjoying the afternoon training row over the course the girls were able to take in the sights of the picturesque town and famous landmarks to ensure that come race day they would be focused on one thing, getting to the finish line first.

Saturday morning saw an early rise to get down to the water in time to check over the boats before having to get on the water for the race. The first race was the Portora Boat Club Junior Double Scull of Claire Smith and Aisling McCann.

The girls had drawn a tough heat and after a slow start (which the competition took every advantage of) they were able to finish the race in a manner which brought much praise from the umpire for their technique and rhythm.

Their competition, a composite crew from the Bedford and Dame Alice Harpur Schools, eventually went on to win the Junior double sculls event beating each of their competitors with ease.

The girls who contested the junior eights event had a little more success making it through their heat with an easy win over the American crew from Tabor Academy.

The girls got out to a good start in their heat and continued to increase their lead all the way down the course finishing in a time of 5 minutes and 11 seconds which ended up being one of the fastest times of the day.

With Saturdays racing finished the girls were able to have a good night's sleep in preparation for their semi-final race against the crew from Lady Eleanor Holles School. The girls were aware it was going to be a tough race however were feeling confidant from the previous days win which assisted them in getting one up of the LEH crew. It was a sweet victory for the Portora crew who finished 4 lengths ahead and in a time of 5:02, only 1 second off the course record, as they had been beaten by the same crew earlier in the year at the London Schools Head.

The celebrations were to be short lived however as the win in the semi-final meant they had just over two hours before they would be racing the crew from Headington Girls School, the crew that won the 2009 English National Schools Regatta. As the girls sat down and regrouped all thoughts were on what was to come.

As the race started the Portora crew were first off the start and managed to get themselves almost a boat length in front of the Headington crew. Things began to change however as both boats reached the large and loud Headington supporters tent, the Portora crew however did not let them close the gap easily. Both crews pushed each other all the way down the course with almost nothing to separate them.

As they entered the final stretch of the course it was the crew from Headington that dug deeper and were able to start to pull away and finished half a boat length up on the Portora crew in a time of 5:02.

The Portora crew of Annemarie Maguire, Karen Craig, Carla Nixon, Holly Nixon, Alex Hamilton, Caroline Howard, Lauren McConville, Megan Henry and Ciara St Ledger pushed themselves to their limit and beyond doing themselves, their boat club and their town proud.

Knowing that they are competitive amongst the best crews in Great Britain has lifted the girls' spirits in the build up to the Irish National Rowing Championships which will take place in July. The crew are about to commence their final preparations for the championships with their sights firmly set on winning the Women's junior 18 eights event.

Whilst they have felt a lack of competition on home waters in past regattas, the girls are preparing for a tough race knowing that every club will be lifting their game for the national regatta.

They are now more than ever prepared for an arduous race but with the disappointment of only just missing out at Henley Women's Regatta the girls have a little more motivation to push them over the line.