from Munster Express A bit Irish!! – Bill and Joe who had great runs in Avondale last Sunday. The first stage of the Leinster Juvenile cross country championships took place in the scenic grounds of Avondale House in Wicklow last Sunday and St Senans had a large number of athletes taking part. Bronagh Kearns and Conor Rochford were the highest placed finishers and along with Orla Butler will go on to the All Irelands in a few weeks time.
Bronagh was always well placed having led the race over the early laps and it was only in the final 300m that she was hauled back, eventually finishing a close 5th. She also led the Kilkenny county team to the gold medal position leaving her with two medals for her days work.
A great run by Orla Butler saw her also make the winning team. Conor Rochford showed great determination and coolness as he was joined the leading group of five runners that broke clear over the first lap of a tough muddy course.
He was always in contention for a top placed finish and it took a strong attack on the final hill by the top three to open a small gap, with Conor taking 5th place in a sprint finish, just a few seconds off the winner.
This was an excellent result by Bronagh and Conor as both were out of their age and it augers well for the next stage in two weeks time and well done also to Orla on making the All Ireland finals.
Young Guns
In the younger age groups there was a fine performance by the girls U/12 team of Aoife Halley, Aisling Connelly, Tara Lacey, Clare McEvoy, Michelle McDonald, Hannah Irish and Sarah Butler. Aoife was the best placed finisher but all ran very well. In the boys U/12 race the team of Stephen Green, Eoghan Wallis, Gerard Wallis, David Irish and Jonathan Crowley put in a good effort with Stephen in 32nd and Eoghan 37th the highest placed finishers.
Excellent running by Paul Manning of St Josephs saw him take silver with james Power of Thomastown in bronze just ahead of twin brother Sean.The U/14 girls race good runs from both Gemma Aylward and Rachel Butler, while in the boys race, Hugh Morgan placed 18th overall with an excellent run.
The girls U/16 race saw a great team performance with Bronagh in 5th place, followed by Orla Butler 22nd just ahead of sister Aoife who had a fine run, as did Ciara Vereker. In the boys U/16 race cousins Bill and Joe Irish showed lots of promise. Bill placed 30th overall and Joe was a little further back but considering this was their first Leinster outing it was a very fine run by both. The girls U/18 saw Sarah Dollard and Rosanne Kennedy toe the line (a first according to Bill!!) and they both had good runs with Sarah finishing in 18th position and Rosanne just a few places back in 23rd. The final juvenile in action saw Conor round off the day with a great run in 5th, so well done to all who took part and best of luck in the next stage on the 9th Nov in Ballinakill College, Co Laois.
Most of the Kilkenny athletes showed well with boys and girls from all races bar one qualifying to compete on Leinster teams in the national finals in Tramore on 28th November. The first of such qualifiers was Rebecca Kennedy, Gowran, with 10th place finish in the girls under 12. Her sister, Rose, with a superb 5th place in the girls under 14 also made the Leinster panel. The county team placed fifth in both girls and boys under 14 races. In the boys race James Maher, Kilkenny City Harriers, with an excellent run to finish 5th, clinched his place on the Leinster panel.
Kilkenny Results
The U/12 boys, where three Kilkenny clubs finished in the top six, had a really top class run. Thomastown with twins James and Sean Power, 4th and 5th respectively were 2nd club; KCH were 3rd club with Richie Leahy leading them in 11th place and St Joseph’s were 6th club with Paul Manning finishing in 2nd place as did the county team. While there was some disappointment that boys U/12 team came second it was softened by the gold medal finish of the under U/16 girls. Great running by Bronagh Kearns, St Senans and Mary Ellen Doyle, Gowran, resulted in 5th and 6th places respectively. There were solid performances from Kay Drea, Gowran (14th), Megan O’Keeffe, KCH (17th), Orla Butler, St Senans (22nd) and Maeve Keane, KCH (27th). Depleted numbers in both boys and girls U/18 teams meant that county teams had no chance of qualification. For the girls, Aoife O’Connor, Thomastown, in 12th place will run on the Leinster team in the nationals as will Conor Rochford. The U/16 boys was the only team with no individual qualifier, but tenacious performances from Ian Boland, KCH, Shawn McCormack and Ben Lahart, Gowran and Liam O’Shea, Thomastown, sees the team through to the nationals with a 4th place finish.
Conor on Development Squad
Conor Rochford has been selected as part of a Schools cross country development squad and will join the group on three days training in Cork and also in Castleisland. He has been improving steadily under the watchful eye of coach Bill Lacey and has shown great maturity in recent races. He is also one of the most committed athletes in training and a great example to all the young athletes in the club. Well done Conor and continued success.
Flying Fagan
Mullingar Harrier’s star athlete and Olympic marathoner Martin Fagan ran a superb race to take second place in the 10 mile BUPA Great South Run in Portsmouth behind Kenyan Bernard Kibyego. Fagan held of the strong challenge of Olympic marathon champion Luke Kibet to finish in a superb time of 46.58 just 15secs behind the winner. It sets him up nicely for the forthcoming European cross country championships, where he will now be one of the strong contenders for a medal.
County Novice and
‘B’ Cross Country
The County Novice and county ‘B’ cross country championships will be held in Kilmacow on Sunday 16th Nov with an 11.00am start. The novice is traditionally one of the hardest races to win as it usually throws up a few surprise athletes. It also has a superb cup for the winning team and is a much sought after prize by all clubs. The ‘B’ championships are for athletes who didn’t win a medal in either of the two county cross country championships held earlier this month. It’s a great opportunity for athletes to either secure their first win or maybe their first medal and the age groups will be from U/8 to U/16. The second stage for U/7 – U/17 will be held in conjunction with the ‘B’ Novice in Thomastown on Sunday 30th Nov.
All Ireland in Tramore
The Tramore racecourse will play host to the All Ireland Intercounty cross country championships on Sunday 23rd November with a start time of 12.00am. The first stage of the juvenile championships for even ages will also be part of the programme and local clubs will relish the prospect of having the event on their doorstep. Waterford AC will be the host club and following their success at holding the National Half Marathon, will no doubt put on a great event. The second stage of the juveniles will be held in Ballyhaise Co Cavan on Sunday 7th December.
Winter League
The popular Waterford Road Runners Winter League starts on Thurs 6th Nov and again this year expect huge numbers to take part. As always safety is the first priority, so do abide by the rules, they are for your own protection and remember no viz vest – no run. It also takes a lot of organising so a helping hand is always welcome. Entries are from 6.30pm with the first race off at 7.00pm sharp. Adele will be doing a special column in this paper to ensure no runner is not suitably slagged off over the coming weeks. Let the fun begin!!
Website
Check out www.stsenansac.com for all the latest news, views and photos.
Fixtures Nov/Dec
9th Nov Leinster CC uneven ages & Intermediate, Ballinakill College, Co Laois 12.00am
16th Nov Co Kilkenny Novice and ‘B’ CC Kilamcow 11.00am
23rd Nov AAI Intercounty and Juvenile (even) CC, Tramore 12.00am
30th Nov Kilkenny County ‘B’ novice and U/7 – U/17 ‘B’ CC, Thomastown.
7th Dec AAI Novice and Juvenile (uneven) CC, Ballyhaise, Co Cavan 12.00am
21st Dec Co Kilkenny Senior CC, Gowran 2.00am
Quoteworthy
“If God didn’t want us to eat cows, why did he make ‘em out of meat?” – from the book ‘Bullocks, Badgers and Bonhams’, by Maggie Lacey.