All-Ireland Juvenile B Championships
Last Sunday the All-Ireland Juveniles B Championships were held in Castlelyons. It was a day filled with great excitement mixed with disappointment for some. The All Ireland is a significant event, and this was not lost on our juveniles. With the championships taking place right on our doorstep, the Club had entered 25 athletes in 4 different teams. Sadly, 5 of our athletes were unable to attend. The juvenile course was flat enough but the underfoot conditions were very soft which made it difficult.
U11
The competition got underway at 11.30am with the U11 girls who were running 1000m. With a large field of 120 girls, it was a very fast start and unfortunately our athletes were unable to respond quickly enough. Louise Finn finished 69th, Hannah O’Driscoll 80th, Christine McElvaney 82nd, Claire O’Donnell 84th and Charlotte Purcell 89th. Well done girls.
The U11 boys were next with another big field of 110 boys. Henry Bagnall was awarded an individual medal for placing 6th overall, as well as a gold medal for the Cork team. Congratulations Henry. Next from the club was Sean O’Connor in 62nd position, then Luke O’Connor 69th and Sean Hartnett 97th. Well done boys.
U13
The U13 girls were next with Alex Bagnall in 89th position and Maja Rus 107th. It was Maja’s very first XC race. Congratulations girls.
The U13 boys team who were running 1500m came 4th with Finn O’Driscoll coming 12th and also winning a gold medal with the Cork team, Fionn Hayes was 29th, Tadhg O’Mara was 47th, Senan Lynch 72nd, Tony Hartnett 74th, Matthew Long 81st and John Curtin 85th. Congratulations boys.
U15
In the U15 2500m race, Rachel O’Flynn was the only Grange runner. Rachel was unwell for the
first half of the race but recovered in the second lap, finishing 6th overall and winning gold with the Cork team. Congratulations Rachel.
Because three of his teammates were unwell, Donnacha Geary was the only Grange competitor in the U15 boys event. Donnacha was unable to complete the race after losing a shoe and becoming extremely cold. Not to worry, Donnacha; you did very well.
Unfortunately, the cross-country season is over until next September and we are now gearing up for the track and field season. The very best of luck to our athletes in the coming months.