Leinster silver thanks to big shot Commins

THREE Ardee & District AC athletes - Jonathan Commins, Conor McMahon and Abbie Sheridan - represented Ardee CS as they began their indoor track and field season with a trip to Athlone for the Leinster Schools Combined Events last Wednesday.

Jonathan Commins got the proceedings off to a flying start in the Junior Boys competition by throwing a massive 12.48m in the shot (some four metres ahead of his nearest rival), earning him valuable points. He followed up with 9.46sec in the hurdles, 4.88m in the long jump and 25.40sec in the 200m which put him in a very strong position for the final event, the 800m.

After winning that final race, Jonathan faced an agonising onehour wait while the points were tallied and he eventually received the news that he had finished with a total of 2,706 points for second place. He will now proceed to the National Finals in November.

Conor McMahon competed in the Intermediate Boys competition where he ran 9.58sec in the hurdles and 25.40sec in the 200m to lie in the top 10 going into the field events.

After two foul jumps he leapt 5.72m in the long jump and threw 8.72m with the 6kg shot, and having finished his day with 2:30 in the 800m he had a total of 2,418 points to finish eighth.

Last to compete for Ardee was Abbie Sheridan in the junior Girls competition. Abbie confidently jumped a PB of 1.39m in the high jump and 4.12m in the long jump. Her shot of 5.72m and hurdles of 11.45sec saw her sitting in the middle of the field for the final 800m event.

Then, doing what she does best, Abbie led from the gun and never let up and she went on to win in a time of 2:37 which gained her valuable points and brought her total to 2,151 points for seventh place overall.

Ardee & District congratulated the trio on the way the conducted themselves representing their school in the competition.

Then on Sunday the action moved outdoors as the cross-country season continued with the Louth Uneven Ages Championships hosted in Bush by Glenmore AC.

After a night of heavy rain the course was going to be tough on all those who entered the races, but a brighter day greeted the athletes and spirits were high as they descended on Bush school ready to race.

Under-17 athlete Tara McGuinness ran a great 4K race alongside the Under-19 and Intermediate Women and a sprint to the finish saw her just pipped on the line into second place.

A little different to track and field, the top 10 athletes in cross-country are rewarded with medals and Caoimhe Carolan just missed out on one in the large field of Under-9s running 600m when she finished 11th.

In the Boys Under-9 600m Arthur Sands led the Ardee boys in, coming home fifth, with Dylan McCarron ninth and Lennon Murphy just behind him.

Sarah Lynch, who was running a year out age, did well in the longer Under-11 1500m, while the Boys Under-11 team of Joe Murphy, Jack McCarron, Darragh Osborn, Jack Dowdall and Charlie Sands were rewarded as they received a bronze medal for their efforts as a team.

With the course now having turned very mucky in parts, the Girls Under-13 team had a mammoth task competing over the 2,500m distance.

However, Hallie Sands, Samantha McCarron, Rebecca McCarron, Charlotte Osbourn, Ruth Gillespie, Eireann Hoey and Orlaith Carolan all completed the course and the first four in won bronze for their mighty efforts in the team event.

Last out to compete for Ardee & District was Emma Gillespie in the Girls Under-15 3,500m and, with the help of great cheers from the crowd, she took home a county medal after crossing the sixth place.

The next event for juvenile athletes is the Leinster Even Age line in Cross-Country next weekend, while some of Ardee & District’s senior athletes take on the Dublin City Marathon.