Britton and Quinn win cross country crowns
WICKLOW Athletics Chairman Bill Porter believes that last Sunday’s Wicklow Senior Cross Conty Championships was run in the wettest conditions he can ever remember.
Bill is also of the opinion that it was lucky the event was held at Avondale House because the grounds at the Rathdrum venue can drain the water better than other venues and, while it was wet, it wa perfect cross country running conditions.
It was the ladies who got the show up and running at 11am when a strong field took to the track.
However, the race wasn’t long on when it became clear that the only race here was going to be for second spot with Kilcoole’s Úna Britton storming home almost two minutes ahead of her nearest rival thanks to a superb run.
Úna finished 10th in the Antrim International recently and followed that excellent run up with this demolition job on the rest of the Wicklow field.
The race for second and third was an intriguing one.
Parnell AC pair Sile O’Byrne and Catherine O’Connor were the two slugging it out, but it was Catherine O’Connor who successfully passed O’Byrne to claim the silver in a time of 20.58, 44 seconds ahead of O’Byrne.
Parnells won the team event with nine points, Kilcoole finished in second while Inbhear Mór of Arklow came home an outstanding third.
It was on to the men’s race then and what an absolute belter we had in Avondale House last Sunday.
Fresh from winning gold in the Leinster masters over-40s last week, and the Wicklow Masters Cross County title, it was Clive Quinn who flew home to claim the top prize on Sunday.
A group of five set off together at a reasonable pace. The group were made up of Clive Quinn, Derek Crammond, Luke Lennon, Brian Gurrin, and Mick Finan.
However, with two laps to go it was Clive Quinn and Derek Hammond who broke away and both men gave it absolutely everything but with half a lap to go, Clive used all his experience to edge in front and claim victory by 13 seconds.
This was Clive’s first victory in the Wicklow Senior cross county and it was Crammond’s first Senior cross country race so a second placed finish was superb.
There was great racing down the field and Brian Gurrin and Luke Lennon were battling it out strong but it was Lennon who came home to claim the bronze.
Strong packing by the Kilcoole AC side secured them their first team victory in 29 years and they beat Panell AC back into second after the Rathdrum club had won the last five team titles.
Inbhear Dee came home to claim the third team spot on the day.
“I want to say well done to everybody,” said Bill Porter, “especially the supporters who came out in big numbers,” and he thanked Garry O’Neill for enduring the conditions to get the photographs from the event.
Bill Porter also wished all runners the best of luck in two events this weekend. The first is a Raheny five-mile event and the second is the 10km Charlie Curran race in Carlow, both events on Sunday.
There were excellent results for Wicklolw athletes in Leinster competitions recently at the Leinster Masters in Dunboyne on January 14.
Aisling Smith won her first Leinster gold medal in the over-45s after finishing fifth overall. Catherine O’Connor finished back in 14th while Ann-Marie Kenny joined them in winning silver for Sli Cualann in the team event.
Clive Quinn won gold in the over-40s and finished seventh overall in the men’s race in Dunboyne while Cormac Conroy came home in 4th position in the over45s and Dominic Horan came 4th in the over-50s.
Also running under the Sli Cualann flag were Ray Kenny, Bill Porter, and Paul O’Kelly with Sli Cualann finished fourth in the team and sixth in the county results.
This Friday night the Wicklow Star athletics awards wil take place in the Royal Hotel in Bray. The event gets underway at 8pm.
Full coverage in next week’s Wicklow and Bray People newspapers.
Senior Cross Country Championships results from Avondale, Rathdrum on January 21:
WOMEN
1st: Úna Britton (Kilcoole) 19.00; 2nd: Catherine O’Connor (Parnell) 20.58; 3rd: Sile O’Byrne (Parnell) 21.42; 4th: Ann Marie Kenny (Parnell) 22.11; 5th: Susan Lawless (Kilcoole) 22.48; 6th: Laura McCann (Inbhear Mór) 23.06; 7th: Lauren O’Byrne (Parnell) 23.26; 8th: Sandra Pegman (Kilcoole) 24.30; 9th: Niamh O’Ceallaigh (Parnell) 24.41; 10th: Jannette Byrne (Inbhear Mór) 24.57; 11th: Sinead Wall (Kilcoole) 25.02; 12: Marie Sharpe (Inbhear Mór) 25.12; 13th: Samantha Kelly (Inbhear Mór) 25.58; 14th: Maria Messitt (Kilcoole) 26.49; 15th: Paule O’Connell (Parnell); 16th: Niamh O’Kelly (Inbhear Mór) 30.41.
TEAMS
1st: Parnells: (2) Catherine O’Connor 20.58, (3) Sile O’Byrne 21.42; (4) Ann Marie Kenny 22.11 - Total 9
2nd: Kilcoole: (1) Úna Britton 19.00; (5) Susan Lawless 22.48; (8) Sandra Pegman (Kilcoole) 24.30 - Total 14
3rd: Inbhear Mór (6) Laura McCann 23.06; (10) Jannette Byrne (24.57); (12) Marie Sharpe 25.12 - Total 28
MEN
1st: Clive Quinn (Parnell) 37.07; 2nd: Derek Crammond (Parnell) 37.20; 3rd: Luke Lennon (Kilcoole) 37.48; 4th: Brian Gurrin (Kilcoole) 38.23; 5th: Damien Byrne (Kilcoole) 38.34; 6th: Cormac Conroy (Slí Cualann) 38.38; 7th: Darren Cullen (Kilcoole) 38.46; 8th: Colin Wendell (Kilcoole) 39.04; 9th: 9th: Mick Finnan (Parnell) 39.18; 10th: Andrew Lawless (Kilcoole) 39.31; 11th: Ray Kenny (Parnell) 39.36; 12th: Tim Grummell (Inbhear Dee) 39.56; 13th: Darragh Flynn (Kilcoole) 40.03; 14th: Mick Byrne (Parnell) 40.36; 15th: Robert Murphy (Parnell) 40.38; 16th: Tom Moore (Parnell) 40.49; 17th: Alan Duffy (Inbhear Mór) 41.06; 18th: Aaron Mooney (Kilcoole) 41.15; 19th: Ronan King (Inbhear Dee) 41.21; 20th: Ben Mooney (Inbhear Dee) 41.37; 21: Ben Kinsella (Parnell) 42.38; 22nd: Shane O’Connell (Inbhear Mór) 42.42; 23: Alan Dempsey (Inbhear Mór) 43.04; 24th: Billy Tyrell (Parnell) 43.17; 25th: Anthony Breen (Parnell) 43.40; 26th: Michael Priest (Inbhear Mór) 45.00; 27th: Bill Porter (Parnell) 45.12; 28th: Robin Mooney (Inbhear Dee) 46.16; 29th: Alan Holt (Inbhear Mór) 46.51; 30th: Justin Doyle (Kilcoole) 48.28; 31st: Cormac O’Ceallaigh (Parnell) 49.04; 32nd: Slawek Bosy (Inbhear Mór (50.54); 33rd: Alan Plunkett (Inbhear Mór); DNF: David Coyle (Greystones & District)
TEAMS
1st: Kilcoole - (3) Luke Lennon 37.48, (4) Brian Gurrin 38.23, (5) Damien Byrne 38.34, (6) Darren Cullen 38.46 - Total 18
2nd: Parnells: (1) Clive Quinn, (2) Derek Crammond 37.20, (8) Mick Finnan 39.18, (10) Ray Kenny 39.36 - Total 21
3rd: Inbhear Dee - (11) Tim Grummell 39.56, (15) Ronan King 41.21, (16) Ben Mooney 41.37, (20) Robin Mooney 46.16 - Total 62
4th: Inbhear Mór - (14) A Duffy 41.06, (17) SO’Connell 42.42, (18) A Dempsey 43.04, (19) M Priest – Total 45.00.