Rowing – Erne Head of The River, Enniskillen Grammer School, Fermanagh

The Erne Head of the River is one of the toughest events of the year. It is a coxswains 6km nightmare with difficult bends and often difficult weather conditions. An event where you will see no single sculls or doubles, only eights and quads.

Two crews competed, one in the Junior 16 8+ and the other 4x+ (Coxed Quad) last Saturday 2nd March. The Junior 16 8+ as a result of recent absenteeism of some key players reformulated the crew line-up. This line-up has been on the water a few times prior to competing and while they have been performing well and improving in training both in the gym and on the water, training consistently together as a unit is imperative for achieving success. They will continue to improve.

The weather conditions both on the water and off were less than ideal. There were 5 boats entered in this event and we came in 4th, 92 seconds behind the winner Castleconnel and within 10 seconds of 2nd and 3rd place, Methody and Coleraine.

In the J16 4x+ event, we finished 2nd, 4 minutes behind the winners, Commercial. Henry Kelly was the only student in this who had raced before, the other crew members having started rowing this year. They did very well in the circumstances.

The next event is Neptune and Commercial Regatta on the 6th and 7th of April. The School Championships will follow on the 13th April.

I thank our coaches, led by Laura Gannon and parents for their preparation and encouragement of the boys in what is a very demanding sport.