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25th
Nov 2010
Masters International Cross
Country
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McMonagle Wins Local M65 Battle.....Lynchs Claim Double Team
Silver In Santry
Dublins Santry Demense hosted a top class Masters International
cross country championships last Saturday and North West athletes
including ten City of Derry runners were centrally involved
in the action packed programme of three age graded races.
Indeed both Roisin Lynch and Gerry Lynch came home with team
silver medals from their respective Republic of Ireland F60
and Northern Ireland M65 squads:Christy McMonagle won the
local and Irish M65 head to head with his clubmate by five
seconds,in the tough 6K race to finish fifth overall and just
out of the indivual medals, with his Irish squad unfortunately
not making the podium and Declan McCarthy and Damien McGinty
saw their M45 N Ireland team miss bronze by just one point
after an intense battle with the Welsh squad
Anne Paul was the third N Irish female finisher and seventh
overall in her F45 category;Jacqueline McGinley led the N
Ireland F40 team to foutrh spot,beaten to bronze medals by
just three points and there were also terrific efforts from
F45 Bridgeen Byrne, M50 Dermot connolly and M55 Peter Lilburn
on a day when the best Masters fron England,Scotland, Wales
and Ireland combined to produce a terrrific afternoon of full
on cross country competition.
Both Irish squads had their best ever collective showings
in this annual event now in its 23rd year, with the perennial
English domination challanged to the extent that the red rose
vests only retained the overall Trophy by three points,the
tighest margin ever since the inception of the competition.The
N Ireland athletes contributed double Individual bronze via
M40 David Morwood and F50 Ruth Magill ;double Team silver
from the M40 and M65 squads and another brace of Team bronze
from the F35 and F50 squads.
Donegal runneres were prominent in the Ireland teams excellent
day with Letterkennys Ciaron Doherty winning a magnificent
Indivual M35 gold and leading his squad to Team gold; Pauric
McKinney and Finn Valleys Domnic Bonner were on the winning
M45 team while another Finn Valley pair Kieron Carllin and
James McMahon were on the respective M40 and M50 podium teams.
Silver Roisin
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But back to the local runners and Roisin Lynch,aware that
there was no N Irish F60 runners around had qualified for
selection on the Ireland team and on Saturday fully justified
that decision with a magnificent run over the 6K distance
to score second of the Irish and help the F60 squad to team
silver behind the formidable English quartet. This was a great
effort from the recently retired St Cecelias teacher and all
round sports woman and is directly linked to her decision
to link up again with the local Spartans womens training group,
a move which upped her performance levels significantly.
The M65 race was always going to be spiced with local interest
with last years individual runner up Christy McMonagle lining
up alongside his clubmate Gerry Lynch who returned to competitive
action back in June. Each was wearing a different shade of
green vest on Saturday and to add to the mix, Davy Seaton
of the NI squad was also there to battle for the" best
of the Irish " kudos.
The 6K race was over four laps,one long plus three shorter
loops and conditions underfoot were fairly testing. McMonagle
got away quickest with Lynch tracking him and Seaton who had
beaton Lynch a week earlier in Ballyclare surprisingly slow
to show. The eventual English top three finishers were leading
the race out followd by the trio of green vests and a lone
Welsh athlete as Lynch took up the pursuit from McMonagle
as the first lap unfolded. The top two Englishmen had some
daylight, the third was just ahead of Lynch who had McMonagle
in close attendance as Seaton and then the Welshman began
to come through to challange the two Spartans.
The race was being run in conjunction with the Women,from
F35 upwards and there was a lot of traffic to negotiatite
for everyone as the action moved into the penultimate lap.The
English duo Renyard and last years winner Martin Ford were
contesting individual gold and silver and finished well clear
in that order. Bronze was still in the mix at this stage with
the third white vest way off the leaders but hanging on grimly
ahead of the four chasers who were now beginning to close
up as the race moved beyond half way. Coming up to 4K McMonagle
made a significant move to gain a few metres on Lynch and
the Irish trio were now foutrh,fifth and six with Bowen of
Wales sitting just behind and the rest of the field nowhere.
It stayed that way through the bell with 1600m left,about
20 seconds covering the four of them and the white vest of
Allen dangling out in front by another ten seconds or so.
Christy Wins Local M65 Battle
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About 500metres into the last lap Lynch finally yielded to
the twin attack of Seaton and Bowen but all four were digging
in for the dog fight to the finish line as McMonagle pushed
on without gaining any more than a five metre advantage over
the chasing trio. The Welshman moved in behind McMonagle as
they headed for the run in to the finish,third was just out
of reach now as Allen had enough of a gap to allow him claim
bronze by a mere five seconds at the line and despite Seaton
and Lynchs best efforts it was the Welsh red vest and McMonagles
green which contested fourth spot. A sharp left off the main
drag followed by another ninty degree right onto the long
finish straight and a bit of confusion prior to the finish
funnell resulted in Bowen claiming fourth place,five seconds
off bronze with McMonagle another five seconds back but grabbing
the local and Irish bragging rights by three seconds from
Seaton,with Lynch a further two seconds down in what had been
a pulsating duel.
With no genunine back up in the Irish squad the leading Spartan
however had no team medal consolation,unlike Seaton and Lynch
whose strong up front showing combined with Fred Murdoch and
Gary Nicholl,admitidly a long way behind them, won a hard
earned and deserved team silver by just two points from the
Welsh.
So another good showing by local runners at what was a terrific
advertisement for Mastes Athletics who offer competition at
all age groups on road, cross country and track at local,regional,national
and international level. For many then it can truly be said
that "life begins at 35 and continues long after pension
age"
Photos here
mostly from Bridgeen Byrne
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