Maeve wins silver medal
WEXFORD GIRL Maeve Hayes was a member of the silver medal-winning Irish team at the schools international pentathlon at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow, last weekend.
The team, which also included Chloe Casey, Niamh O’Neill and Niamh McCorry, finished behind England but ahead of Scotland and Wales.
Maeve, of Loreto Secondary School Wexford and St. Paul’s A.C., achieved a total points score of 3,008. Her bests in each event were as follows: shot putt, 8.21m; 60m hurdles, 9.59s; long jump, 5.17m; high jump, 1.56m; 800m, 2.45 minutes.
Senior and Juvenile athletes will congregate in Adamstown next Sunday for the Leinster cross-country championships. The Senior races are always highly competitive affairs, with athletes keen to show form ahead of the national championships.
The fact that the latter takes place three weeks later means that peaking at the right time is vital. Wexford’s best prospect in the men’s race is Ger Forde of Slaney Olympic.
The Leinster Juvenile even ages took place recently in Navan. This time out it is the uneven ages, Under-11 to Under-19.
If Wexford athletes perform as well as they did in Navan, and there is no reason why they should not, we should be looking at another healthy medal haul with automatic qualification for All-Irelands.
In particular, keep an eye out for Jayden Kenny and Leah Bolger (Bree), both Under-11; Kevin O’Mahony (D.M.P.), Under-13; the dynamic Striders Under-15 squad of Myles and Cosmo Hewlett, Darragh Flannelly, Ben and Robert Wall, Aidan Shannon, Eoin Shannon, Finbar Kelly; Claragh Keane (D.M.P.), girls’ Under-15; Joe Byrne (S.B.R.) and Adam O’Connor, Aaron Brown, Cian Flanagan, Ryan Kielthy (all U.S.), boys’ Under-17; Róisín O’Reilly, girls’ Under-17; Aedan Rogers (U.S.), Under-19.
Next Sunday’s meet is hosted by Adamstown A.C. and Wexford County Board. The course, the same as was used for last year’s Leinster championships, albeit with minor modifications, is 1,500m long (with a 1,000m loop included).
The layout of the largely flat course should make for plenty of fast running The underfoot conditions are perfect at present, although the forecast for the week suggests that the ground may be a touch softer come the weekend.
Non-championship Under-9 races take place at 11.45 a.m., followed, at 12 noon, by Under-19 races. The programme then reverts to Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17, with the Senior races to finish.
Fixtures: November 9 (7 p.m.), Wexford Juvenile winter league (Under-8 to Under-16 consecutively plus tiny tots race), Enniscorthy Sports Hub, register from 6.15 p.m.; November 11, Leinster Senior and Juvenile (uneven ages) cross-country, Adamstown, hosted by Adamstown A.C. and Wexford County Board.