The tide this week has been high, as our picture above shows, but the Colours Races on the Liffey tomorrow (Saturday) are set to go ahead. The four races run from O’Connell Bridge to St James’s Gate, and starts are scheduled from 12.30 to 2.0 pm.  

 UCD won three of the four in 2022 and their senior men’s eight come into the Gannon Cup as favourites. They have four rowers from last year’s dominant crew, and Fintan Earley will again be in the stroke seat. Trinity have the favoured North Station (as they do across all the races) and also have four from last year’s crew. Twenty-five-year-old Hungarian international Maté Bacskai, who competed for his country in the World Championships just last September, will row in the six seat and the crew will be stroked by Tom Stevens.

 An offensive Instagram post which lampooned Trinity threatened to cast a shadow over the race and is being investigated. 

 The UCD women’s eight bounced back to form to win last year’s Corcoran Cup. Three of rowers from that crew return, to just one for Trinity. However, Trinity have some rowers who showed real talent as juniors, so this race is in the balance.

 The day as planned starts with the Sally Moorhead Trophy for novice women (12.30), followed by the Dan Quinn Shield for novice men (1.0 pm) and then the two senior races, the Corcoran Cup (1.30) and the Gannon Cup (2.0).

 Trinity stroke Tom Stevens could have a busy day, as he will be declared the senior men’s winner of the Dublin Sculling Ladder on Saturday. The junior men’s winner is Davis Ross-Chu of UCD and the junior women’s Anna Brennan of Graiguenamanagh. Brennan, who is just 16, hoped to join Aoife Moloney as the youngest winner of the senior women’s title by prevailing in  a challenge against Elaine Power of Neptune. This race is fixed for 4.0 pm.