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2nd
Jan 2012
CONNOR LEADS SPARTAN PHALANX TO GRANSHA CROSS COUNTRY SUCCESS
City of Derry Spartans Connor Bradley stormed
to an impressive win at Saturdays NW cross country 6K race
in the Gransha grounds, leading the 111 finishers,including
a phalanx of the local red vests to a facile mens team success
as the Spartans provided an unpreceedented first seven across
the line, and their womens squad, fronted by Catherine Lilburn
added the female team honours to notch an impressive double.
The Open 6K was the feature race on the four
race programme and catered for the U20,s, Masters and Seniors
with the men and women all lining up together on a cold but
generally dry December morning. Underfoot was on the sticky
side given the recent wet weather and the 2K Gransha lap although
mainly flat, included three small inclines which over the
full distance definitely boosted the degreee of difficulty
on the day.
Foyle Valleys Scott Rankin bolted off from the gun and quickly
opened a 15 metre gap on the red vest dominated chasing group.
Going into the second lap however Rankin was just inside the
top ten as the eventual three podium placers , Bradley and
his fellow Spartans, Declan Reed and Greg Roberts led the
way just ahead of a still bunched group of chasers. This trio
were always moving well and Bradley,s sustained pace up front
allowed him to stretch out to an eight second winning margin
ahead of Reed who got home just a single second in front of
Roberts.
Behind the top three the battle was on for the other three
scoring places on the City of Derry team. JP Williamson was
always going to take the U20 top spot and he cemented fourth
overall with a strong second lap and held off clubmates Emmett
McGinty and the fast finishing M40 winner Colin Roberts ,
as the trio finished within four seconds of each other to
complete the leading sextet. This gave the red vests an unchallangable
finishing points total of 21 and a handsome team victory.
Spare a thought for seventh placed Noel Logan who faded badly
in the closing stages, dropping two places and missing out
on the Spartans scoring sextet. North Belfast Harrier Alan
O Hara was eight ,ahead of yet another Spartan, Paddy mhor
Doherty and the top ten was completed by Pius McIntyre of
Foyle Valley.
Spartan Women Top Team
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Catherine Lilburn in fourth place was the leading local finisher
in the Womens race moving through from sixth after the first
lap for fourth at the finish line. This run comes hot on the
heels of her good effort at the previous weekends National
Novice in Kildare and supported by Marina Campbell 6th; Jackie
McGinley 10th and Sarah Mahon 14th the female Spartans edged
a strong North Down squad for the team win.
Cathy McCourt is a frequent visitor to the North West and
once again the North Belfast Harrier made her presence felt
with a strong winning run on Saturday. She was matched for
most of the first two laps by newcomer Fionnuala Ross but
a storming final lap gave her a 14 second advantage at the
finish line. The unattached Ross impressed everyone with her
excellent run and finished a further 15 seconds clear of third
placer, Patricia O Hagan of St Peters AC.
Category awards in the Womens race went to North Down duo
Stephanie Hambling F40 and Roberta Dornan F35; Anne Stanford
of Newcastle AC F45 and the Spartans pair of Hannah McGowan
U20 and Una Gavin F50.
Colin Roberts was the top M40; Alan O Hara the M35 winner;
Domnic Bonner of Finn Valley took the M50;Springwells Gerry
Doherty the M55 and Francis Boal of Lagan Valley the M60.
City of Derry men Declan McCarthy and Christy Mcmonagle were
the M45 and M65 winners and JP Williamson topped the male
U20 rankings.
The three Juvenile races were also hotly contested and among
the notable pereformances were those of the Boys U17 winner
Connor Christie of Springwell and the Spartans Connor Breslin,
4th in that 3K race. Amy Jackson was the top U17 girls finisher
and another Spartan who impressed was Matt Doherty, runner
up in the Boys U15 2K.
THANKS
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Promoting club City of Derry Spartans wish to thank sponsors
the Foyle Valley Wine Club; the WHSCT for permission to use
the Gransha grounds and facilities; U3A Foyle for their premisses;
St Johns Ambulance service for their presence and all the
club members and friends who worked hard to make the event
possible.
NW Cross Country Results here
Spreadsheet including junior race results here
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