Henley, England – June 30, 2005: The Irish National Team's Lightweight Eight, disguised as Tara Rowing Club from Dublin, Ireland, outstroked the USC Trojans on the River Thames to win the sudden death elimination race in the first round of the Ladies Challenge Plate at England's Henley Royal Regatta on Thursday.



The Irish then went on to beat Stanford University, who had a bye in the first round.

“We really did not know too much about the Tara Crew coming into the regatta,” said Trojan Head Coach Gene Kininmonth. “Stanford soon got word that it was Ireland's national team crew and we knew we were in for a serious battle.”

“I'm afraid you have really walked into that one gents,” said one Henley Steward in a plummy English accent when the draw was announced. “Best of luck chaps!”

“The Ladies Plate is a tough event at Henley for any university crew,” said Olympic gold medallist Paul Reedy, who now coaches at the London Boat Club. “You have to look at Henley as an experience to
build on. Years ago I brought a Melbourne University crew to race in the Ladies Plate. We got knocked out in the first round but went on to win the next three national intervarsity championships in Australia.”



Unlike all other major international regattas, racing at Henley is on a knock-out basis, with crews rowing two abreast over a course which is one mile 550 yards (2,112 metres) long. Winners proceed to the next round. If you lose it is all over and half the crews lose every day.

The early rounds of boat racing did not treat crews from the west coast of the United States favorably. In other racing, UC Berkeley was knocked out by Trinity College in the lower tier Temple Cup event and the Stanford loss meant all west coast crews were eliminated from the regatta.

But the Trojans were not too despondant by the loss and looked at the positives that came from the Henley experience, including the English social element.

“Coming to Henley Royal Regatta has been an incredible experience for everyone on this team,” said team captain William Morris. “Being a part of the sport at this level and also seeing how the English live has been wonderful. Everyone here has been extremely hospitable and welcoming and we feel honored to have been given this opportunity. We
are particularly grateful to the Hanson family who have made this experience possible for us.”

Following the races the Crew joined the USC London Club and parents for dinner at the Leander Boat Club in Henley on Thames. The Trojan Family were welcomed to the boat club by Leander Steward Misha Joukowski, who also makes the teams Resolute racing shells.

For full results vist the official website at http://hrr.co.uk.

Racing concludes on Sunday and the Trojans will enjoy watching the remainder of the regatta from the exclusive Stewards Enclosure where a strict code is enforced.