17 November 2007
CITY OF DERRY ATHLETES HELP NI MASTERS TO MEDALS
City of Derry athletes played their part in Northern Ireland’s best ever
performance at the British & Irish Masters’ Cross-Country International at
Stormont.
Making the most of home advantage North Belfast Harrier Dave Morwood was a
convincing winner of the M35 race while for south Belfast GP Karen
Marshall it was back to winning ways taking her ninth title in ten years.
Steven Cairns was third in a very competitive M40 category and City’s
Gerry Lynch was a member of the M60 squad which took bronze medals.
There were team medals as well for the men’s M35 squad which finished to a
Republic of Ireland team including Donegal men Kieran Carlin and Gary
Crossan.
The M35 age group was introduced into the championships for the first time
and the entry reflected the general unease in the sport since masters’
athletics opened its door to men as young as 35 years.
Scotland did not send a team and some of the better performers in the age
group voted with their feet and chose not represent their respective
countries.
But that is not to take away from an outstanding victory by Dave Morwood
who produced a strong last lap to seal a 27 second victory over Finn
Valley’s Kieran Carlin who was representing Ireland.
The Republic prevailed in the team contest with Carlin leading them home
and Letterkenny’s Gary Crossan also among the scorers.
Twelve months ago Karen Marshall was thwarted from taking an unprecedented
ninth consecutive victory by a viral infection.
This year the St. Anne’s athlete returned to dominate the F50 age group
again winning by 17 seconds. Such was the quality of her performance that
she was the second NI female across the line behind Louise McClean who had
one of her best ever performances at this level.
City of Derry Secretary Gerry Lynch (7th) picked up his first
international medal at a sprightly 61 years when he combined with Jim
Patterson (5th) and Jim Hayes (16th) to take third
in the M60 team race.
Christy McMonagle missed out on a medal by opting to compete for the
Republic instead of Northern Ireland after finished ahead of the third man
of the northern squad.
Anne Paul was also unlucky not to gain a place on the podium in the F40
age group after finishing fifth in the F45 age group.
There were other excellent performances from local athletes. Damian
McGinty from the Foyle Valley club and City’s Declan McCarthy were the
leading two NI finishers in the M45 race.
Another Foyle Valley athlete Sammy McAnaney was NI’s second scorer in the
M50. Hannah Shields occupied the same finishing position on the women’s
M40 team with Paula McGilloway also running well for the fourth spot.
11 November 2007
CITY LIFT
McCONNELL SHIELD IN BALLYCLARE
Winning Team and Mentors (Eoghan
Furey)
City of
Derry athletes scored their most important victory of the new
cross-country season when they lifted the coveted McConnell Shield in
Ballyclare.
A change of
rules by the organising club, East Antrim Harriers, meant that the
Spartans could field some of their more experienced runners in a
competition that was only open to novices and veterans in the past.
Up front
Willowfield Harrier Brian Campbell notched up his third individual win of
the season with an impressive display of front-running.
After
scoring at both Comber and Coleraine, the four-time Liam Ball Triathlon
winner came home 70 metres clear of Ballymena’s Jarlath Falls who edged
out Owen Carleton from the Abbey club for the runner-up spot.
City’s
Colin Roberts had one of his best runs for some time to take an excellent
fourth place and was just 16 seconds off a place on the podium .
His brother
Gregory was next across the line in seventh to lay a solid foundation for
a memorable City team victory.
Emmett
McGinty followed up his recent good run at Jordanstown by taking 10th
and Declan McCarthy grabbed 14th to complete the job.
Colin Roberts (Declan Roughan)
McCarthy
also picked up the prize for the first M45.
Gerry Lynch
shared the M60 category award after agreeing a non-aggression pact with
rival Jim Patterson of Newcastle halfway through the race.
Neither man
wanted to over-extend himself in advance of next weekend’s masters’
international.
Andy
Maguire also made a welcome return to competition taking 30th
just five places ahead of Dara Furey.
Also
returning to the competitive fray was Manus Coyle in 45th while
Oliver McCullagh will have been pleased with his performance in taking 83rd.
Foyle
Valley athletes were also in action with Declan Reed impressing with his
seventh place overall. Gerry Duddy also caught the eye with second in the
M45 listings.
Newcastle’s
Kerry Harty was the runaway winner of women’s race romping home a massive
44 seconds clear of Suzanne McCormick with Cathy McCourt another 54
seconds back in third.
Everest
conqueror Hannah Shields ran very well to take fifth and the first prize
in the F40 age group.
Olivia
McCullagh also looked to be getting back to top form finishing a close up
12th in a good size field.
CITY NOVICES TAKE ULSTER
TEAM TITLE
Photo: Paul O'Neill
City of
Derry’s novices capped a brilliant weekend for the northwest club when
they successfully defended their Ulster title after the closest finish
ever in the event.
After six
kilometres around a flat and fast course in the Finn Valley Centre at
Stranorlar three teams were tied on 43 points.
However,
using the countback rule the victory went to City of Derry by virtue of
having its fourth scorer over the line before either of the other two
teams.
Michael
Finnegan got the ball rolling for the red and blacks with his best run
ever to take seventh.
The St.
Joseph’s starlet can be prone to starting too fast but on this occasion
timed his effort to perfection.
Kevin
Carlin, consistent as ever, took 10th just one place ahead of
team mate Conor Johnston.
Oran
McBride completed the scoring quartet in 15th to clinch his
first novice team gold after many years of trying.
Jason Walsh
was the winner of the race and helped Omagh to second ahead of an unlucky
Bailieborough squad who had to settle for team bronze despite putting
three runners in the top six.
City had
further success when Aileen Morrison quickly slipped away from the
opposition for an emphatic win in the women’s novice championship.
Jackie
McMonagle (5th) and Linda Hall (22nd) completed the
scoring to give the Spartans third place in the team classifications.
City’s
youngsters also in medal winning form in the second part of the Ulster/NI
juvenile championships held in conjunction with the novice deciders.
St.
Cecilia’s schoolgirl took runner-up spot in the U13 race after leading for
most of the way.
Aileen
McDaid’s eighth place in the U15 race paved the way for the team to lift
bronze medals and qualify for next month’s national decider in Waterford.
Also on the
way to Dungarvan will be Andrew Bolster and Declan Burns after qualifying
as individuals.
4 November 2007
CITY ATHLETES DOMINATE IN
COLERAINE
Anne Paul Leads the Women's Race in Coleraine
City of Derry athletes
dominated the Pegasus Cross-Country Meeting at Coleraine lifting three
team trophies as well as two individual victories and several age-group
awards.
Anne Paul survived a late
onslaught from fast-finishing City of Derry clubmate Aileen Morrison to
win the senior women’s race.
The UU Leisure Centre
manager had looked to be well clear before Morrison mounted a last ditch
challenge which left her only three second seconds adrift at the line.
Newcastle’s Alwynne
Shannon took third ahead of Olivia McCullough who completed the City
scoring trio in fourth.
Hannah Shields, in fifth
overall, and Jacky McMonagle, seventh, collected the F40 and F35 awards
respectively.
Irish triathlon champion
Brian Campbell took the honours in the men’s race from North Belfast’s
Dave Morwood.
Foyle
Valley’s Declan Reed had his best run ever at this level
overhauling four-time winner of the race Deane Fisher in the closing
stages to take third.
Some judicious packing
from the City men saw them lift the Marcus McMains Trophy for the winning
team through Kevin Carlin (10th), Paul McCafferty (12th),
Connor Johnston (13th) and Dara Furey (14th).
There was a cleansweep of
the individual places by City athletes in the boys U18 race. Irish
Schools’ international Eamon Colhoun came home well clear of Michael
Finnegan with Declan Burns turning in a fine performance to nail down the
bronze medal.
With the first three
finishers across the line team victory was a formality for the young
Spartans.
Club secretary Gerry
Lynch completed a memorable day for the Derry club when he won the M60 section in the masters’ race.
Meanwhile Pauric McKinney
was the winner of the Donegal Senior Cross-Country Championship in
Stranorlar.
McKinney, fourth Irish
finisher in the Dublin Marathon just six days earlier, had 49 seconds to
spare over Gary Crossan who had beaten him to the bronze medal in the
capital.
A further three seconds
back Ciaran Doherty completed a cleansweep of the individual awards for
the Letterkenny club and laid the foundations for a comfortable team
victory over arch rivals Finn
Valley.
The Valley did however
hold on to the women’s team title with Theresa McGloin leading home Breda
McGinty and Shauna Guthrie to lift all three individual medals as well.
In Cork Cathal Lombard
made his return to competition after a two year ban for drugs in 2004 when
he finished second in the county’s senior cross-country championships
behind Alan O’Shea.
22 October 2007
ANNE PAUL DOMINATES VETERANS' TRIALS
Anne Paul Leads
City of Derry’s Anne Paul was an impressive winner of the women’s race at
the NI Veterans’ Cross-Country Trials held in grounds of the Billy Neill
Soccer Centre at Dundonald
The 45-year-old Portrush woman tracked long time leader Suzanne McCormick
before applying the coup de grace on the final straight to claim
overall victory by a single second.
McCormick drew some consolation from being first in the open race while
Alwynne Shannon (F45) and Louise McClean (F35) claimed the minor podium
places in the veterans’ listings.
Paul is now assured of leading the NI over 45 squad at the British & Irish
Veterans’ Cross-Country international next month on home soil at Stormont.
City club mate Hannah Shields can also look forward to a nomination for
the Over 40 team after a remarkable run.
Despite complaining about being unwell before the race the Kilrea native
produced a gritty performance to finish eighth overall and second in her
category.
First F40 was Andrea Dennison who made the long journey from Yorkshire for
the race. Mary Mackin maintained her dominance of the F50 age-group and
Brigid Quinn was top F60 competitor.
Unfortunately sisters, Paula McGilloway and Jackie McMonagle, look set to
miss out on selection after finishing just outside the top four places in
their respective age-groups.
There was further good news for local athletics with three men set for a
call-up to next month’s showpiece.
Declan McCarthy Wins the M45 Section
City’s Declan McCarthy continued a very successful year by easily winning
the M45 section while clubmate Gerry Lynch overcame a recent illness to
finish runner-up in the M60 age-group.
Foyle Valley’s Sammy McAnaney made it a hat-trick of local successes when
he crossed the line in second spot in the M50 category.
Annadale’s Steven Cairns was the impressive winner of the race after
breaking the tape 18 seconds clear of his nearest adversary.
Dave Morwood produced a storming finish to claim second place ahead of
Paul Rowan who was the first M40 to finish.
The Over 65s ran a shorter trial of five kilometres with Gary Nicholl
(M65), Ken Hawtin (M70) and Jim Metcalf (M75) coming out on top. However,
85-year-old John McKeag got the loudest ovation of the day as he crossed
the line in a speedy 33:33 for the 3.1 mile distance.
Only 21 runners turned up for the Open men’s race with victory going to
reigning Irish triathlon champion Brian Campbell who covered the 6.5
kilometres in 20:39.
The improving Brendan Teer took the runner-up 11 seconds back with Keith
Purdy the same distance back in third.
Andrew Gourley impressed with the ease with which he repelled the
challenge of Noel Collins in the Youths’ (U18) race.
The Omagh lad won a silver medal in the 2000 metres steeplechase at the
European Youth Olympics this summer but had no answer to Gourley who won
by a massive 42 seconds.
Rachel Gibson won the Girls’ (U18) race contested over the shorter 3Km
distance while Sarah McGowan the first Junior (U20) in the combined
women’s Veterans/Open Race. See Results
MAHER SEEKS GOLD IN NORTHWEST
Irish 100 metres champion Emily Maher believes that a move north may be
the key to getting her athletics career back on the rails after years of
struggling with injury.
Maher has only improved her times fractionally in the past seven years
despite being tipped for future Olympic success at 17 after being crowned
World Youth champion at 100/200m.
Her national Junior (U20) 200 metres record of 23.34 seconds set at Santry
on 29 July 2000 remains her personal best while in the same
period
she has only sliced two-hundredths off her 100 metres time of 11.58 posted
in Bedford the previous month.
Mentored as a junior by Robert Norwood in her native Kilkenny, Maher
subsequently moved to England where she was guided by Linford Christie for
six years before moving to the US for a spell in Texas.
Now she has taken the bold step of relocating to the northwest to work
with Strabane man Stephen Maguire who coached her to a second national 100
metres title this summer after a gap of eight years.
Photo: Courtesy of AAI
Irish athletes have traditionally gone west to the United States to
further their careers and more recently European Indoor champion David
Gillick headed in the opposite direction to Loughborough.
But why has Maher decided to follow a northern path to train with
Maguire’s Derry-based group which also includes World Paralympic champion
Jason Smyth and NI record holder Anna Boyle?
“Really I was going to come up last year,” said Maher. “I worked with
Stephen Maguire when I was in Limerick and he helped me to a national
title off very little work.”
Although Maher now has her sights set on qualifying for next year’s
Beijing Olympics she does not see 2008 as a defining year despite being
now 26.
“I’m refusing to even think of not going to the Olympics but I don’t see
that as being the end of my career, I’m up here for the long haul,”
explained Maher.
The Kilkenny City Harrier also feels that her injury problems may be at an
end after the discovery a previously undiagnosed bulging disc.
“I have only found out recently after all these years that all my injuries
might have been coming from my lower back. The positive side is that I
have less heavy training in my legs now than my contemporaries which I can
use to my advantage.”
Maguire is also confident that Maher can at long last fulfil the potential
shown as a junior.
“She has had so many injury problems in the past,” said Maguire. “But if
we can keep the injuries at bay I’m sure she can qualify for the 200
metres at next year’s Olympics.”
“And hopefully we can go to get her to realise some of that potential she
showed as a youngster which can only be good not only for herself but for
Irish athletics as well,” concluded Maguire.
