In conditions more reminiscent of the French Riviera, a group of over 20 rowers from Portora Boat Club enjoyed a very successful week-end, with temperatures soaring to 30 degrees Celsius, making racing a fairly tough assignment, the hours of Winter training on the Erne aid off handsomely with four medals won, two each by the boys and the girls.
On Saturday last, the Junior 16 men's crew entered the Junior 18 event and came third out of 13 entries from four nations, England, Germany, Belgium and Holland. Portora got out of the blocks fast and led until 1,500 metres when the power of the older crews told. They were facing into a stiff headwind as well and it proved very tough.
There are a couple of 15 year olds in this crew, so it was a pretty good performance.
That set the scene for the Sunday race in the Junior 16 event. Racing in similar conditions, Portora - stroked by the ever steady mark Coalter - led from the first stroke and survived various attacks down the course, particularly from a French crew. This was a worthy finale to a three-year project which realised bronze in 2006, silver in 2007 and, now gold in 2008.
In the Junior 14 events, in sculls, James Stephens and Gary Thornton performed well, coming 10th and 26th out of a field of 71. Last year, the girls' crews from Portora Boat Club found the standard very high but, this year, they were determined to make amends. And, so it came to pass: they achieved third place on both days and, what was more praiseworthy was that this was a Junior 16 crew in the Junior 18 class.
Anne Marie Maguire, at stroke, got her crew off to a flyer and held second place for most of the race. Fatigue and heat were as difficult to overcome as for the other crews, and it a crew from Dublin who took second place. That was quite a nervous performance but, on the sunday, the same crew were more composed. With Jade Judge in for Jenny Russell, they powered off again and came a creditable third in a high-class field.
In the Junior 16 sculls, Holly Nixon finished 7th out of 39 scullers, and this was after a serious steering mishap near the start when she was unable to avoid a German crew coming up for the start of their race. But, while many others would have given up, Holly set off in pursuit and nearly made up the deficit.
Holly's sister, Carla and Karen Craig acquitted themselves well in the Junior 18 sculling, and they will do well in the upcoming regattas in Ireland.
This week-end's Portora regatta, at the Broadmeadow, Enniskillen, which starts at 10.30am, has a full entry.
Meanwhiile, the suc cessful Ghent crews are as follows:
(Boys) - Ryan Magwood, Nathan O'Reilly, Stephen Prentice, Alex Stephens, Michael Humphreys, James Houston, Matthew Monteith, Mark Coalter and, Cox - James Byrne.
(Girls) - Megan Henry, Jenny Russell (Sat), Jade Judge (Sunday), Caroline Howard, Holly Nixon, Alex Hamilton, Lauren McConville, Lauren Dempster, Anne Marie Maguire, Cox - Ciara St Ledger.
