from A.A.I Twenty one year old Brendan O’Neill of Dundrum South Dublin athletic club yesterday stormed to victory in the Woodie’s DIY Intermediate Men’s Cross Country Championship of Ireland at Lough Key Forest Park in Boyle, county Roscommon.
O’Neill, who competed on the Irish under 23 team at the European Cross Country Championships last December, struck out on his own after halfway in the 10,000 meters event and won comfortably. John Henegan, who closely tracked O’Neill in the opening laps, placed second and Thomas Evans of Gowran A.C finished third.
City of Derry were best in the club team championship with 23 points ahead of Clonliffe Harriers, 30 and Donore Harriers, 50.
"I felt confident after the first few laps and decided make a bid for victory," Brendan O’Neill said. "I am delighted to have won the championship and it is a good confidence boost."
Twenty year old physiotherapy student Maria Walsh made it double delight for Dundrum South Dublin when taking the intermediate women’s championship from Pauline Lambe of Tullamore Harriers, and Sarah Mulligan of DSD.
Walsh, who is now coached at DSD by Eddie McDonagh, finished a clear winner after leading for most of the race. "I used to run with Blackrock A.C and I only joined DSD some months ago" Walsh said. "I have been running for about ten years and this is my biggest win to date."
Walsh also led DSD to team victory with 11 points from St Finbarr’s A.C,25 and Sportsworld A.C, 30.
It is eight years since Peter Matthews of DSD won his last national senior Inter county cross country title at ALSAA at Dublin Airport.
Yesterday, forty year old Matthews was back competing in the Masters’ championships and where he proved an impressive winner ahead of a large and high quality entry. The DSD man, who now works as a personal trainer and masseur, looked in terrific form as he finished ahead of Ciaran O’Doherty of Letterkenny A.C and another former senior cross country champion, John Downes of Donore Harriers.
That ageless master runner Annette kealy of Raheny Shamrock A.C won the women’s master title from Rhona Lynch, Eagle A.C and Pauline Curley of Tullamore Harriers. North Belfast Harrriers took the team title with 24 points from Sportsworld A.C and Eagle A.C