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UPDATED 8TH 7Nov 2010
City of Derry win Ulster
Novice
The season gets even better for local athletics kingpins
City of Derry Spartans with two excellent back to back weekend
performances at Ballyclare and Scotstown in Monaghan where
on Sunday, the clubs Novice Men and Womens squads grabbed
NI/Ulster Team Championship gold and silver in true battling
fashion; Jackie McGinley went desperately close to individual
Womens Novice gold and there was also individual Boys U19
bronze from a determined JP Williamson. Saturdays trip to
the McConnell Shield meeting in Ballyclare was also very positive
with the mens squad finishing a close up third in their taem
race,ably led by Diarmuid Grant and Aaron Doherty;Roisin Lynch
won the F60 age group category and there were a host of other
encouraging performances from the rampant red vests.
Scotstown however was the stand out show of the weekend as
the Spartans went head to head with arch NW rivals Finn Valley,in
both Novice championship races on a cold,windy and difficult
underfoot day in Monaghan. Both races attracted their biggest
fields in recent years and both produced nail biting team
battles which had the massed spectators in doubt practically
to the end.
Jackie McGinley was involved in a dramatic struggle with Inishowens
Theresa Doherty in the Womens 3.5K race. The NW duo tracked
early leader and eventual bronze medallist Rachel Gibson of
City of Lisburn AC for the first1500m before the Spartan took
over and pushed on with the Donegal athlete hanging on grimly
as Gibson faded. McGinley kept pushing,Doherty dug in just
behind her;the pace was relentless and the enthusiastic spectators
enthralled as the drama unfolded.
Inside the final 500m Doherty got her nose in front but McGinley
hung on a few paces behind.The Inishowen woman kicked again
with 300m remaining and got a five metre gap heading down
the finish straight.The Spartan kept up the pursuit but at
the line had to give best to her Inishowen rival but it was
a great battle and all credit to both athletes for their courage
and tenacity. Both had fought out many local road races over
the spring and summer months and it looks like that rivalry
has transferred now to the country.
Intense Team Battle
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Meanwhile the race for team honours was just as intense,this
time the Donegal challange coming from Finn Valley whose leading
runner was safe in fourth spot but with three to score it
was a real ding dong between the red and blue vests further
down the field.Up to half way the Spartans perhaps had the
edge with Catherine Lagan,Ciara Fraser,Grainne Kearns, Catherine
Lilburn and Karen Cutliffe packing very well. Lagan was right
in a large group with a few Finn Valley athletes with Fraser
and Kearns running together not far behind and while the Donegal
girls held a small advantage as the distance ran down nothing
was certain.
Fraser made a late surge which took her up to and past her
clubmate as both chased down the third Valley scorer but they
ran out of track and the better packing of the blue vests
saw them home for the team title by a mere four points,21
to 25 as the Spartan duo finished 11th and 12th to pick up
their first ever Provincial championship medals. This was
a good effort by the scoring trio,McGinley, the much improved
Fraser,and Lagan in her first cross country race and Kearns,Lilburn
and Cutliffe showed that they will contribute as the season
unfolds. Rosie O Brien had a great run for Foyle Valley in
fifth spot but the purple vests were unlucky in the team race
finishing out of the medals in fourth,just a point behind
bronze medallists Letterkenny AC.
Male Spartans Dig Deep For Novice Team Title
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The final race of the day was the much awaited Mens 6K championship
and here again it was set up for a Derry/Donegal duel with
the Spartans and Finn Valley squads the clear pre race favourites
as the large field lined up for what would prove to be an
intensely competitive four 1.5K laps round,by now a strength
sapping circuit.
From the gun Valleys Pauric McLaughlin and Ian Ward were prominent
and bossed the early stages. Indeed a Donegal individual one,two
looked on right up to half way before Ward surprisingly dropped
off the pace as the pressure came on from the Spartans pair
Richard Johnston,not long back training after a horse riding
accident and the impressive new boy Noel Logan,running only
his second competitive race. Both were racing cross country
and in spikes for the first time ever but with a confidence
and belief fantastic to see,the red vests
moved clear of the chasing pack with only the free striding
McLaughlin ahead. Behind them Brendan Murphy and Gary Slevin
were holding top twelve positions and the Derry squad with
back up from another debutee Mark Mullan and Philip Donaghy
were looking good.
Finn Valley had McLaughlin out in front,a position he would
hold right to the line for an impressive individual victory.
Ward was under pressure and dropped back to sixth going out
on the final lap,their next scorer was hovering around the
top ten and the vital fourth man was struggling to crack the
top twenty.The Spartans were two,three turning into the last
1.5K as Johnston and Logan belied their inexperience with
strong up front efforts. Brendan Murphy was locked in battle
with Foyle Valleys Scott Rankin who was also having a great
run,both just inside the top ten,but Gary Slevin was losing
ground badly and Mark Mullan,performing brilliantly, was unlikely
to compensate for his teammates implosion.
The Derry boys led by four points into the last lap,Ward began
to revive inside the final 800m and got up for what seemed
to be a title winning fourth on the line as Johnston buckled
with about 1K to go and fell back. Logan had moved into second
which compensated somewhat,Murphy and Rankin were still locked
together in eight and ninth and the Spartans supporters were
frantically urging Slevin to hang on and not concede further--he
had slipped to 17th and wasin trouble. Mullan was digging
in just outside the top twenty but the gaps ahead of him looked
too big to bridge and influence the destination of the team
title.
It was a real war of attrition as McLaughlin strode home for
individual gold,North Belfasts Philip Goss and Gleason of
Glasslough Harriers stormed through late to snatch silver
and bronze just ahead of Ward with Logan and Johnston rallying
magnificiently to follow him home.
First strike to the Donegal boys and their supporters sensed
victory but it is a four to score race and there was still
bodies to get across the line for both clubs. In seventh was
an athlete from Balmoral with no team back up and then it
was Murphy and Rankin sprinting to the line head to head.
Only the electronic chip timing could seperate them and eight
spot went to the Spartan from Strabane,ninth to the gallant
Foyle Valley man.
Murphy,s Run
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Murphys effort was to be crucial; Finn Valley had their third
finisher in eleventh ad were three points up but a clearly
distressed Gary Slevin was digging really deep for seventeenth
place and it now was all down to Valleys fourth finisher.
Mark Mullan was tracking him as they hit the final 200m but
appeared to have little chance of catching up before the finish
line in the battle for 21st place. However an enermous last
surge from the red vest got him past the Valley man, John
McElhinney and ensured a narrow two point victory-36 to 38-for
the delighted Spartans. Philip Donaghy completed the squads
complement with a gritty 36th place finish as the points were
totalled and finally the Derry celebrations could begin.
So an eventful day in Scotstown ended positively for the local
club,regaining the Mens Novice team title was mission accomplished
and the overall performances were confirmation that the Spartans
are on song and look set for yet another superb season in
Provincial and National competition.
Ballyclare on Saturday saw F60 Roisin Lynch set herself up
nicely for this weekends Masters International in Dublin with
an excellent winning outing over 3miles at the County Antrim.
Dermot Connolly, Damien McGinty,Declan McCarthy,Peter Lilburn,Gerry
Lynch and Bridgeen Byrne-all also Dublin bound-had good runs
in their races and age grades.
The mens quartet of Diarmuid Grant,Aaron Doherty,Kieron Hurley
and Padjo Hamilton combined for a third place team finish
behind Annadale Striders and North Down in the featured McConnell
Shield 5 miler won impressively by Annadales Eddie McGinley.
Good to see both Grant and Hurley back in competitive action
and going well. Doherty returned to the fray after his recent
European clubs Half Marathon outing and finished just seven
seconds behind Grant as they lead the Spartans home. Padjo
finished like the proverbial train edging out Eoghan Furey
from the team scorers as they finished only one point behind
runners up North Down AC.
Paul McCafferty, Cathal Logue,Martin Byrne and Noel McMonagle
were also in action in Ballyclare in a busy and successful
weekend.
Scotstown results here
Gerry Lynch 7/11/10
Full Results From Scotstown Novice Cross Country just recieved
and more good news for Derry clubs as the Novice Mens Team
bronze medals have gone to Foyle Valley via terrific runs
from Scott Rankin 9th, Cathal McLaughlin 13th, Chris McGuinness
15th and Declan Doherty 18th.
A tenacious top ten effort from their lead out man Scott Rankin
was matched by impressive packing by McLaughlin,McGuinness
and Doherty and their combined 56 points total gave them a
well deserved third place ahead of Letterkenny AC and several
other more fancied clubs.
This was the local purple vests best cross country showing
in years and can be attributed perhaps to a recent adjustment
in their training regime and the hands on coaching work done
by Gabriel Bell and others at the club. In fact Foyle finished
two squads in Sundays mens race,the "B" team also
placing seventh overall.
Race photos by Dara here.
Yesterday City of Derry men finished 3rd in a high quality
McConnell Shield in Ballyclare. Results here.
Some photos taken by Bridgeen Byrne here
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