Valuable experience for young Blackrock outfit
THE ladies from Blackrock AC gained valuable experience against some of the very best athletes in Ireland as they made their debut in the first round of the Irish Life Health National Indoor League at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown on Saturday.
The team were Co Louth’s only representatives on the day and each member performed exceptionally well despite most of the line-up conceding years of experience to much older competitors.
Gemma McCrave was back in action after a break and she set the tone for the day ahead by finishing third in her 60m hurdles, posting an impressive time of 10.09 seconds to put five points on the board for Blackrock.
Next up for the team was Sarah Clarke, returning from injury, and she jumped a creditable 4.23m in the long jump. Sarah also guested in a 60m sprint later in the day, finishing strongly and laying the foundation for a solid season ahead.
Lining up as the youngest competitor in the 60m sprint, Hannah Reilly looked like she would have her work cut out to stay in touch. However, she posted a personal best of 8.41 seconds to achieve an excellent second place and increase the team’s points tally.
In the field, Shauna McMahon put a niggling injury behind her with a series of great throws in the shot put. Her best throw of 8.61m secured a third-place finish and added a further six points for the team.
Mary Scanlon performed well in her first outing of the season, running her 60m in a fine time of 8.95sec and throwing 8.52m in the shot put to start 2018 in fine style.
The newest member of the Blackrock AC team, Erin McShane, did herself proud in her very first competitive 60m sprint, clocking an impressive 8.86sec, and she demonstrated her versatility later on in the day by running an excellent 800m against some of the very best middle-distance runners in the country.
Round two of the league takes place in Athlone IT on Saturday week when the team will be bolstered by the return of Annabelle Morris and Kelly Breen. The final is scheduled for February 3rd at the National Indoor Arena, Abbotstown.
The club are hosting its annual cross-country meeting at the Geraldines GFC grounds next Sunday, with the first race off at noon. All are welcome.