from The curtain came down today on the domestic Track & Field season with the Woodie’s DIY Club League Final taking place in Tullamore Studium. The top athletic clubs from all across the country battled it out for the top positions in both the Premier Division and Division 1 categories. There was a big turn-out of athletes who competed in the Woodie’s DIY national senior championships in Santry a week ago, with several of the winners in action today. Reigning champions Clonliffe Harriers regained their Men’s Premier division title in convincing style with 123 points with Crusaders in second with 102 points. Tir Chonaill AC also retained their title winning the Women’s Division with 114 with only one point ahead of Ferrybank AC.
In the Men’s Division 1 City of Derry will gain promotion to the Premier Division winning with 122 points. In the Women’s only a point separated winners Kilkenny City Harriers (119) and Athletics Kerry.
Throughout the course of the day there was many fine individual performances which contributed to their team tallies.. Kelly Proper was in great form in the long jump and her winning leap of 6.51m equalled her own outdoor record of 6.51m, and then headed off to the track to anchor the Ferrybank 4X400m relay team into second place.
Ian McDonald took maximum points for Crusaders when winning the 110m hurdles in 14.8H from North Down’s Irish schools champion Ben Reynolds.
European Youth Olympics silver medallist Christine McMahon won both 100m in 14.8H and 400m hurdles in 61.35 in the Premier Division for Ballymena & Antrim. Sandra Lawlor won the Division 1 100m hurdles for Athletics Kildare.
Tom Carey won the Division one 110m hurdles for City of Derry in 14.7H and made it a double when he also won the 400m hurdles in 53.29.
Steve Fleming added a win in the long jump to his national title for Crusaders with a best of 7.36m.
Claire Wilkinson from Ballymena & Antrim suffered the same fate after winning the pole vault with 3.80m and then missed out with the bar at 4.01m.
Padraig Whyte from Raheny Shamrock repeated his win over Leevale’s Pawel Hazler for full points in the hammer.
High jump champion Barry Pender took full points for St. Abban’s with a clearance of 2.10m, with Kourosh Foroughi from Athletics Meath with 2.06m reversing the positions from the Nationals last week.
There was a double for Mary McLoone from Tir Chonaill with victories in the triple jump and 400m in the Premier.
Gavin O’Sullivan from Raheny sprinted into the lead from the gun in the Premier 1,500m and was 80m clear of the field at one stage. They chased and there were four together across the track with 50m remaining, with Alan O’Brien from Crusaders strongest in the sprint to the line to win in 3.53.60 from Aidan Bailey from Clonliffe Harriers, 3.53.66 and Mark Hanrahan from Leevale in 3.54.66.
The Division 1 1,500m produced a solo performance from Sean Connolly from Tallaght who won unchallenged in 3:50.63.
Mark Kenneally from Clonliffe was another in solo form with a runaway victory in the 5,000m in 14.17.42. While his clubmate, Pole vault champion David Donegan won that event for Clonliffe Harriers with a clearance of 4.60m and then knocked the bar in his three attempts to equal the Irish record of 5m.
Jason Smyth from City of Derry made a rare appearance over 200m and coasted to victory in 21.40, the third fastest in Ireland over the distance this year. Later on he again coasted to victory in the 100m in 10.50 (+0.3). He rounded off the day anchoring his club to victory in the 4X400m.
Roseanne Galligan dropped down a distance to win the 400m in 56.88 for Athletics Kildare.
Niamh Whelan from Ferrybank, fourth in the European junior championships, was an easy winner of the 200m in 24.59, and followed up with a win in the 100m in 11.80 (-0.4) over last week’Ailis McSweeney Leevale in 11.84.
Colin Quirke contributed two wins to Crusader’s total with victory in the shot with 14.77m, and the discus with 53.52m.
Women’s Premier Division
Tir Chonaill AC 114
Ferrybank AC 113
Ballymena and Antrim AC 90
Leevale AC 90
Bandon AC 84
Meath Athletics AC 72
Borrisoskane AC 68
North Down 52.5
Men’s Premier Division
Clonliffe Harriers AC 123
Crusaders AC 102
Raheny AC 99
Leevale AC 92
Meath Athletics 86
St.Abbans 79
Tullamore Harriers 71
North Down 70
Women’s Division 1
Kilkenny City Harriers AC 119
Athletics Kerry 118
Clonliffe Harriers 96
St. Abban’s 84
Athletics Kildare 78
City of Derry 62
Sli Chualainn 55
Raheny 46
Men’s Division 1
City of Derry AC 122
Athletics Kerry 113.5
Limerick County 104
Ferrybank AC 91
Athletics Sligo 85.5
Sli Chulainn 72
Tallaght AC 70
City of Lisburn 23
Sinéad Galvin
Marketing Manager
Athletics Ireland
Tel: 01 886 9963
Mob: 087 9748052