Success in sport can be very fickle - rowing is no different.

A fortnight ago the Portora J16 eight was unbeaten and two weeks later two defeats were on their record.

The first at Athlone was very close and debatable - the second in front of a large crowd at the Killyhevlin was heartbreaking.

Five crews entered the Ulster J16 championship for the Craig Cup on 17 June and Portora drew a tough first heat against Belfast Inst and Bann Rowing Club from Coleraine.

The usual fast start took them well away but Bann then found a rhythm and crept back and Portora had to fight hard for a narrow victory.

After a short break they went up for the final and faced Methodist College whome they had beaten well on previous occasions.

Again they had a good start and drew away to over a length but just when the champagne corks were about to pop one man's oar got caught deep in the water and the boat shuddered to a halt. Methodist rowed past and by the time Portora got going again the game was up.

A stunned silence greeted the losers but there was no shame in defeat as this unfortunate accident could have happened to anyone.

The crew has already regrouped and the Irish Championships on Saturday week will be the final test.

Further afield - in Poznan, Poland - Karen Cromie from Ballinamallard had a major success in the Adaptive Double sculls event in a pre Paralympic regatta on 18 June. Rowing for GB she took a silver medal behind Germany and is now in excellent form for Beijing - a far cry from the Erne - but the H2O is the same all over the world!! We wish Karen well.

Portora Crew:

James Smith, Nathan O'Reilly, Stephen Prentice, Alex Stephens, Michael Humphreys, James Houston, Mattew Monteith, Mark Coalter, James Byrne.