Róisín enjoys dream debut
Hogan marks return to cross-country with clinical win
CHAMPIONSHIP cross-country running resumed in Wexford on Sunday with the Mr Oil Wexford Juvenile relays and the Masters, Juniors and Intermediate championships, the latter rescheduled from last December.
Hosted by Menapians A.C., the event took place in a field on the outskirts of Wexford town. The club chose this particular field, which slopes down to the Slaney Estuary, because of its excellent drainage and moderately testing inclines.
How were they to know that the week leading up to the race would be one of unrelenting rain with the result that the ground was like a massive unforgiving sponge?!
The Juvenile relays started with the non-championship Under-10 4 x 250m races. Given that a good number of these young athletes were not wearing light-weight running shoes with the requisite ground-grabbing big spikes, the cornering was a little out on occasion while the baton changes led to several wipe-outs!
The weather conditions meant that overall numbers in the Juvenile races were somewhat down. That said, there was quality in abundance with some close, hardfought races.
In terms of overall team success, United Striders had four wins while there was one win each for Menapians, D.M.P., Bree and S.B.R.
The course set for the Junior, Intermediate and Masters races was also going to be a tester. With the surface cutting up underfoot, it very quickly became something of a classic cross-country course.
The women were first to go with all three categories running together, the distance 4,000m. The experienced Kilmore athlete Jackie Carthy and Róisín O’Reilly (Menapians), the latter competing in her first Junior race, took up the pace and very quickly opened a gap on the rest of the field.
By the halfway mark Róisín had pulled away from Jackie. By the final lap she was well clear and, despite efforts by Jackie to reel her back in, Róisín had enough in the tank to maintain her lead and take the Junior title.
Helen Doyle (Kilmore) was a good third (second in Masters) with clubmate Fidelma Rossiter just behind her to take the Intermediate title and Masters bronze.
Belinda Kehoe (S.B.R.) was second Intermediate athlete home with Ciara Jones (Croghan) in third.
With three in the top four in overall classification, Kilmore took the Masters team title with ease, with S.B.R. second and United Striders third.
The men’s 6,000m race attracted a large field. As with the ladies all three categories - Junior, Intermediate and Masters - were sent off together.
The experienced S.B.R. athlete, Tom Hogan, running his first cross-country race in a long time, made his intentions clear from the start. The only one willing to go with him was recent runner-up in the county Senior race, Niall Sheil (St. Killian’s).
For the first couple of laps there was little between them. A little injection of pace by Hogan changed that and in no time there was daylight between them. Try as he did to close the gap, Sheil could only watch as Hogan edged further ahead.
In the end the S.B.R. man had almost half a minute on his pursuer. This meant Masters gold for Tom Hogan, silver for Niall Sheil, with the fast-finishing United Striders athlete John McGrath taking the bronze.
In fourth place overall, and taking the Intermediate title, was Slaney Olympic’s Enda Cloake. Directly behind him, and second Intermediate athlete home, was Pat Foley of Croghan, with Alan O’Connor (U.S.A.C.) a place further back, taking Intermediate bronze.
First Junior athlete was D.M.P’s Liam Turner (ninth overall) with clubmate Peadar Byrne second and Joseph Hanlon (Taghmon) third.
The Intermediate team title went to Slaney Olympic with United Striders second and Croghan third. The Masters team title went to S.B.R. Striders were just seven points behind in second and Slaney Olympic were third.
Juvenile results - Under-10 girls’ 4 x 250m: 1, Menapians (Lara Walsh, Lucy McCormack, Issy Kearney, Niamh White); 2, D.M.P. (Judy Sinnott, Abbie Harrington, Saoirse Flanagan, Moya Brownwigg); 3, Bree (Leah Bolger, Maeve Hennebry, Sophie Furlong, Riona Kehoe).
Under-10 boys’ 4 x 250m: 1, Bree (Jayden Kenny, P.J. Breen, Shane Laffan, Jack Doyle); 2, United Striders (Jake Sutton, Fionn Kehoe, Gearóid Byrne, Donagh Grennan); 3, St. Paul’s (David Byrne, Adam Meyler, Elijah Paige-Redmond, Artem Kelly).
Under-12 girls’ 4 x 250m: 1, D.M.P. (Layla Stafford, Éabha Keane, Rachel Cullen, Aoife Walsh); 2, Bree (Katie Doyle, Maura Doyle, Ciara Laffan, Kiera Wilson); 3, D.M.P. (Emma Barrett, Nicole Lageu, Sarah O’Mahoney, Rachel Whelan).
Under-12 boys’ 4 x 250m: 1, United Striders (Ronan Shannon, Sam Myers, Seán O’Brien, Olan Delaney); 2, D.M.P. (Darragh Stone, Cian O’Dowd, Kevin O’Mahoney, Rian O’Dowd); 3, Menapians (Ryan Wycherley, Oisín McDonagh, Alfie Whelan, Jack McCormack).
Under-14 girls’ 4 x 500m: 1, S.B.R. (Orlaith Byrne, Orlaith Deegan, Shona Holloway, Grace Byrne); 2, D.M.P. (Ellie O’Mahoney, Cara Kenny, Danielle Stone, Emma Cullen); 3, Kilmore (Freya Thompson, Niamh Fortune, Arwin Thompson, Donna McKenna).
Under-14 boys’ 4 x 500m: 1, United Striders (Eoin Shannon, Cosmo Hewlett, Ben Myers, Myles Hewlett); 2, S.B.R. (David Kirwan, Thomas Kirwan, Darragh Breen, Leo Cloney); 3, Menapians (Conor Wycherley, Jack Halpin, Eoin Kennedy, Rúairí Byrne).
Under-16 girls’ 4 x 500m: 1, United Striders (Eve Byrne, Erinn Shannon, Clodagh Foran, Louise Doyle); 2, Menapians (Anoushka Nolan, Eimear Halpin, Ciara Dolan, Amy Cantwell).
Under-16 boys’ 4 x 500m: 1, United Striders (Darragh Flannelly, Owen Lennon, Adam O’Connor, Oisín Mac Eochaidh); 2, S.B.R. (Joe Byrne, Conor Holloway, Jack Byrne, Richard Brennan).