A number of top eights in Ireland will meet at this year's Erne Head of the River race - a long held annual date in Co. Fermanagh - which once again gets underway this Saturday afternoon, March 2.

Crews from across Ireland are set to join oarsmen and women from Portora boat club for the event, sponsored by Powerhouse clothing company and Chris Allen architects. Travelling across the water and maintaining a long held tradition, as he races in his 56th Erne Head, will be David Porteus of Molesley boat club - competitors in the men's master eights.

A large overall entry of 70 boats (seven from Portora) will receive their starter's orders in the Enniskillen event, which will see a number of the top eights in the country meeting for the first time at a Head of the River race for some time in Ireland.

The Head, which starts at 2.15pm, is expected to give each of the crews a good test and indication of how their winter training has gone over the last few months. It will also be the first time since last year's Irish Rowing Championships in July that they will all have raced one another.

Grainne Mhaol/NUIG, last year's winners of the Erne Head and current Irish Senior 8 Champions, are again looking to stamp their authority on the senior men's eights at the Head and will be chased down by strong eights from UCD, Trinity, Queen's University and St. Michaels RC over the tough six kilometre course.

The men's intermediate eights, again dominated by the University crews over the years, are going to be strongly contested between NUIG, Trinity, UCD, Queen's University, St. Michael's RC and Coleraine Inst. With a lot of the universities seating ex junior internationals, this event is also expected to prove very tight.

In the women's Intermediate eights Bann RC, Queen's University and NUIG will have a tight battle down the course and it will really test who has put the work in over the last few months. All three eights will be seeking to put in strong performances against UCDLBC two women's senior 8 crews as they look to get a good hard race in before they decide on their crews for their colours race against Trinity women in mid March.

The Men's Novice eights will again feature a strong entry from the universities with three Novice eights entered from Trinity, showing the good structures they are putting into place and building for the future. It is felt it is too close to call on who might come out on top in this event. The women's novice eights is an all Ulster affair with Queen's going up against Belfast RC.

The Junior men's eights has five entries and with the Lagan Head winners Neptune RC from Dublin going off in front of the local school crew from Portora, Portora will be looking to try and match them on their home waters before they decide on their crews for the British School Head of the River race in London on Thursday, March 7.

The men's master eights featuring Molesley BC - with a combined crew age of 533 years of age between them - emphasises the great sport that rowing is.

The race is one of the longest in Ireland and is also unique in that no other school club in Ireland organises such a major rowing event. Crews will be arriving in Enniskillen from early morning this Saturday to get boats set up and the race itself will kick off at 2.15pm. Portora Boat Club has seven crews entered and will be hoping to make a big impact on its home water. Anyone hoping to watch the action is advised to head to Stuart's car park, the walkway by the castle or the Round 'O'.

The new boathouse at Portora is finished and will be ready for use this Saturday, with the official opening taking place at a later date.