Kavanagh and Britton are tops in Wicklow
“A fantastic morning of running and fantastic conditions,” was how Chairman of Wicklow Athletics Bill Porter described last weekend’s Wicklow Senior Cross County Championships which took place in the beautiful grounds of Avondale House in Rathdrum.
“There was a lovely frosty, crispy ground,” he added when asked to describe the scene for one of the biggest days in Wicklow athletics.
At the end of the event the names of Noelie Kavanagh and Una Britton were the ones at the top of the pile from the senior races with Kavanagh producing a scintillating burst to see off Clive Quinn while Una Britton destroyed the women’s field to win in a staggering time of 17.36.
“Una Britton stormed home,” said Bill Porter, “she just wasn’t going to be caught on Saturday. The real battle in this race was for second and Parnell AC’s Lynne Duffy secured the second spot with her club colleague Ann Marie Kenny coming in third and Catherine O’Connor in fourth,” he added.
It’s been a superb year for the Parnell AC and it got even better when they secured the team crown with Lynne Duffy, Ann Marie Kenny, Catherine O’Connor, Sheila O’Byrne, Martha O’Neill and Paula O’Byrne collecting the gold medals.
Parnell AC were also the club of the junior women’s race when Lauren O’Byrne sealed victory.
The senior men produced a stormer of a race from start to finish with four athletes breaking from the main group early on.
In this group were Noelie Kavanagh (Rondwood and District AC), Clive Quinn (Parnell AC), Neil Wiktorski (Bray Runners), and Mick Byrne (Parnell AC).
With two laps to go the title was going to go to either Noelie Kavanagh and Clive Quinn and with 1,000 meters to go Noelie made his move and he powered home to beat Clive by 10 seconds to secure his fourth title overall, 17 years after he claimed his first.
With Clive taking silver it was left to Neil Wiktorski and Mick Byrne to fight it out for third and it was the Bray Runners man who secured the medal with 55-yearold Mick Byrne coming home in an extremely impressive fourth.
In the junior race there was simply no stopping Parnell AC’s Derek Crammond.
The men’s team title was claimed by Parnell AC with Clive Quinn, Mick Byrne, Tom Moore, and Robert Murphy.
“This was a great day of watching great battles on the course and it was another successful Wicklow championships,” said Bill Porter.
The next big thing on the athletics calendar is the Inbhear Dee ‘Streets of Wicklow’ race on St Stephen’s Day at 11am.
The following day, December 27, sees a duathlon in Roundwood from 2pm
On New Year’s Day Parnell AC are holding a 5km race on the grounds of Avondale House with the kids setting off at 10.30am and the adults getting underway at 11am.
On January 8 in Shangannagh the Wicklow Masters Cross Country Championships will be held and this promises to be a superb event.
“I’d like to wish all athletes in Wicklow a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year in 2017. And we’d like to thank the Wicklow People and Garry O’Neill for their support of our races in 2016,”