At the Home Countries International Regatta held on Lough Innescara, Cork, on Saturday 28th July, only two boat classes were contested by Scotland's Junior Women - WJ18 4+ and WJ 2-. Aberdeen Schools' R.A. represented Scotland in both.
In the WJ 2- race, British Champions Claire Innes & Maud van den Broeke of England led our Lucy Bonnamy & Joy Davies from the 500 mark and never looked like being caught, but in the race for second place against the Irish Pair from Galway RC and the Welsh from Haberdashers Monmouth, our girls beat both handsomely to the line... but not across it! Unbelievably our girls (both blondes) heard the klaxon, stopped rowing at what was the vaguest of finishing lines and were duly overtaken by the Irish!
In the WJ 4+ race, Lucy & Joy were joined by Jamie Steel, late substitute Catriona Bain for Iona Riley and cox Robert Hamlet and led the race again to 500 metres. There the Irish composite from Cork & Coliaste Iognaid Rowing Clubs put in a massive push and left us playing catch-up the rest of the race. Our girls made repeated heroic efforts to close the gap, but to no avail, finishing however a comfortable second ahead of England and Wales.
The girls were a little disappointed but should not have been. As always they did ASRA proud. Given the amount of travelling they had done between the Nat. Champs. and the HIR, the lack of a real rest period had to catch up with them in the end.