Fiona and Ger shine on road
Co. Senior championships
THE MR Oil Senior men’s and somen’s county Wexford road championships took over the village of Murrintown recently.
Event hosts Wexford Marathon Club chose a rather testing route which included a long 1.5k uphill drag. The central part of the course was a loop of just under 5k, with the women running one lap, and the men two.
In the women’s 5k race, Fiona Kehoe delivered her trademark blistering early pace which meant that she was soon out on her own. She maintained this hot pace all the way to the finish, winning with ease.
The battle for second and third was a much closer affair, with D.M.P. clubmates Katie Wilson and veteran Ann Sullivan keeping each other company in the first half of the race.
While Katie pulled ahead at one point going up the long incline, Ann reeled her back in. The latter put her experience to good use as she opened up a narrow lead on Katie who, try as she might, could not get her nose back in front.
They finished in that order, Ann taking silver and Katie bronze.
The men’s 10k race was dominated from the early stages by Slaney Olympic’s Ger Forde. He looked effortlessly smooth as he eased away from the field.
Niall Sheil (St. Killian’s) was the only one to try to match his pace, but by the end of the first lap he knew that silver was the best he could hope for. Forde went on to win with Sheil 20 seconds back.
Paul Lynch of S.B.R., showing a welcome return to form, ran a very strong race to take the bronze. He was followed home by Aedan Rodgers (United Striders), competing in his first Senior championship race.
S.B.R., with four in the top ten, took the team title, just four points ahead of United Striders. Slaney Olympic took team bronze.
Senior ladies: 1, Fiona Kehoe (Kilmore), 18.04; 2, Ann Sullivan (D.M.P.), 19.51; 3, Katie Wilson (D.M.P.), 19.54; 4, Elaine Cardiff (Kilmore), 20.14; 5, Catherine Roche (S.O.), 20.18; 6, Sharon Cloney (Kilmore), 20.33; 7, Helen Doyle (Kilmore), 20.43; 8, Mary Gorham (S.O.), 20.44; 9, Sinéad O’Brien (Kilmore), 21.26; 10, Ciara Bowe (S.B.R.), 21.32; 11, Christine Stone (D.M.P.), 21.52; 12, Lillian Lawless (S.B.R.), 21.58; 13, Beth O’Connor (U.S.), 22.02; 14, Angie Redmond (S.O.), 22.07; 15, Esther O’Leary (S.O.), 22.10; 16, Fidelma Rossiter (Kilmore), 22.30; 17, Louise Gregan (S.B.R.), 22.34; 18, Belinda Kehoe (S.B.R.), 22.38; 19, Emma Morris (S.B.R.), 22.44; 20, Catherine O’Connor (Menapians), 22.48; 21, Yvonne Kelly (St. Paul’s), 23.03; 22, Kelly Long (S.O.), 23.04; 23, Angie Whelan (W.M.C.), 23.24; 24, Sarah Walsh (S.O.), 23.41; 25, Maura Neville (S.O.), 23.49; 26, Mag Balfe (W.M.C.), 23.57; 27, Lisa Murphy (S.B.R.), 24.15; 28, Malgortza Srymura (S.O.), 24.19; 29, Mag Cahill (S.O.), 24.21; 30, Aoife Kavanagh (S.O.), 24.24; 31, Carol Devereux (Kilmore), 24.27; 32, Suzanne Foley (Kilmore), 25.11; 33, Helen Sinnott (Menapians), 25.53; 34, Kay O’Brien (W.M.C.), 26.17; 35, Gretta Roberts-Tyrrell (S.O.), 26.20; 36, Catherine Conroy-Breen (S.O.), 29.43.
Teams: 1, Kilmore 18 (1, 4, 6, 7); 2, S.O. 42 (5, 8, 14, 15); 3, S.B.R. 57 (10, 12, 17, 18).
Senior men: 1, Ger Forde (S.O.), 32.49; 2, Niall Sheil (St. Killian’s), 33.09; 3, Paul Lynch (S.B.R.), 34.53; 4, Aedan Rodgers (U.S.), 35.08; 5, Alan O’Connor (U.S.), 35.15; 6, Myles Gibbons (S.B.R.), 35.25; 7, Paul Gibbons (S.B.R.), 35.28; 8, Noel Kennedy (S.B.R.), 35.32; 9, John McGrath (U.S.), 35.37; 10, Brendan Lyng (U.S.), 35.41; 11, George Delaney (U.S.), 35.49; 12, Brian Maher (Croghan), 36.02; 13, Patrick Curley (S.B.R.), 36.04; 14, Denis Moynihan (S.B.R.), 36.22; 15, David Kehoe (S.O.), 36.24; 16, Seán Murphy (U.S.), 36.32; 17, Brian O’Shaughnessy (St. Killian’s), 36.47; 18, John Stone (D.M.P.), 36.54; 19, Paul Doran (U.S.), 37.00; 20, Ben Hill (S.O.), 37.04; 21, Trevor Conroy (S.B.R.), 37.18; 22, David Barron (S.O.), 37.31; 23, Jim O’Malley (S.B.R.), 37.42; 24, John Egan (St. Killian’s), 37.49; 25, Ger Moloney (St. Paul’s), 37.51; 26, John Foley (S.O.), 37.53; 27, Bobby Redmond (S.O.), 37.59; 28, Brendan Radford (D.M.P.), 38.02; 29, Tommy McElwaine (S.B.R.), 38.08; 30, Conall Cooper (S.O.), 38.15; 31, Niall O’Connor (S.B.R.), 38.17; 32, Michael O’Flaherty (Kilmore), 38.36; 33, Pádraig Coone (S.O.), 38.45; 34, Will Doyle (S.O.), 39.07; 35, David Leonard (S.B.R.), 39.23; 36, Pat O’Callaghan (U.S.), 39.33; 37, Peter Ryan (S.O.), 39.35; 38, Jessie O’Connor (S.O.), 39.43; 39, Declan Ivers (S.O.), 39.47; 40, Eugene Doherty (S.B.R.), 39.57; 41, Paul Browne (S.O.), 39.59; 42, Dermot Foley (Menapians), 40.05; 43, Adrian Doyle (S.B.R.), 40.22; 44, John Kent (U.S.), 40.54; 45, Michael Quigley (S.O.), 42.32; 46, Clinton White (S.O.), 42.58; 47, Brendan Dillon (S.O.), 43.01; 48, Paul Colfer (U.S.), 43.41; 49, Colm Stafford (U.S.), 43.46; 50, Garry Murphy (S.O.), 44.10; 51, Mick Nolan (S.O.), 45.01; 52, Micheál Kinsella (Menapians), 45.04; 53, Anthony Sinnott (U.S.), 45.36; 54, Adrian Reville (Kilmore), 45.51; 55, Sunday Nzerem; 56, Ray O’Brien (W.M.C.), 47.19; 57, Ger Murphy (S.O.), 47.52; 58, Emmett Malone (U.S.), 48.03; 59, Ger Mulhall (Menapians), 48.44; 60, Noel Kelly (S.O.), 49.20; 61, Kevin Walsh (Kilmore), 52.43.
Teams: 1, S.B.R. 24 (3, 6, 7, 8); 2, U.S. 28 (4, 5, 9, 10); 3, S.O. 58 (1, 15, 20, 22).
Fixtures: June 2, All-Ireland schools track and field, Tullamore; June 3, Leinster Under-23, Senior and Masters championship (Junior steeplechase), Tullamore; June 4, Leinster Under-9 to Under-15 team event, Tullamore; June 8 (7.30 p.m.), Mr Oil Wexford Masters road race championships, Ferns, hosted by S.B.R. A.C. THE LEINSTER Under-9 to Under-19 inter-club track relays took place at the Enniscorthy Sports Hub recently.
This is the first time the facility has hosted a regional championship event. Athletics Wexford hopes that, once planned improvements have taken place at the Sports Hub, further high-profile regional, and national, events will come to Enniscorthy.
On a day when some of the top young sprinters in the province were present, it was never going to be easy for Wexford clubs to make the podium. While gold proved elusive, there were a number of silver and bronze medal performances.
The first precious medals went to the Bree Under-10 boys’ team of Jayden Kenny, P.J. Breen, Shane Laffan, James Wall, Sam Devereux and Billy Doyle.
The boys, who had just one team in front of them at the finish line, were delighted to win silver medals.
There were also silver medals for Bree’s Under-11 girls’ team of Maura Doyle, Keira Wilson, Ciara Laffan, Chloe Casey, Léa Bolger and Ava Doyle.
United Striders had a very strong team in Under-15 boys. Darragh Flannelly, Aidan Shannon, Oisín Mac Eochaidh and Cosmo Hewlett worked really well together to take the silver.
The club’s Under-17 boys’ team of Conor Murphy, Aaron Browne, Patrick Doyle and Adam O’Connor finished in the bronze medal position.
The United Striders Junior girls’ relay team won bronze medals, took themselves away for a short break, then came back and won another set of bronze medals Under-18. Well done to Aisling Power, Becca Bawden, Grace Costello, Alannah Byrne and Aoife Níc Eochaidh.
Finally, there was bronze for D.M.P’s boys’ Under-18 relay team of Conor Brennan, Paul Gately, Adam Kehoe and Adam Peilow.