Ulster athletes found the going tough at the Glohealth Irish Secondary Schools Cross Country Championship held at a bitterly cold Sligo Racecourse. Only the Junior Boys of St. Colman’s, Newry managed to strike team gold while not one individual title came north in the eight schools races.
The day celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the schools’ athletics organisation and former stars Sonia O’Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan were out cheering on the current generation.
The hopes of Ulster champion James Edgar taking the Senior Boys’ title were quickly dashed when he came up against the exceptional Kevin Mulcaire. The St. Flannan’s, Ennis student broke John Treacy’s long-standing 5000m record last year to announce himself as possibly the best Irish U20 in a generation.
The Clare man played with the opposition for two laps before taking off his baseball cap, which he had been nonchalantly wearing in reverse, and quickly showed the opposition, including Edgar, a clean pair of heels over the remainder of the 6500m course.
Edgar seemed stunned but he was already struggling; a finely-tuned sports car, the Friends’ School student was finding that a 4x4 was more effective on the rough underfoot going. In the end he was content to settle for the minor podium spot with Bangor Grammar’s Craig McMeechan, who took second to him in Ulster, finishing like a steam train to grab fourth spot.
Loreto Cavan’s Clodagh O’Reilly, in finishing fourth, was unlucky to miss out on a medal in the Senior Girls’ race won by Eimear Fitzpatrick whose Derry-born mother represented Ireland at the LA Olympics in 1984.
Patrick McNiff, like Edgar a stylish runner, also found difficulty with the going in the Intermediate Boys’ contest. The Banbridge High School athlete was in the chasing group for most of the race and in the end crossed the line in fourth place. Omagh CBS star Sean Corry took eighth which should ensure both boys are in the selection for the forthcoming international.
The Intermediate Girls’ contest was arguably the most hotly contested of the afternoon. In the end the Blackrock AC team mates Sarah Healy and Amy-Rose Farrell prevailed but Loreto, Omagh’s Enya Haigney and Canon Maguire’s Niamh Heaney made their mark in fourth and fifth places respectively.
With Loreto Coleraine’s Niamh Carr in seventh and Strathearn’s Olivia Nelson in ninth, this was definitely Ulster’s best race of the afternoon. Add to that, Haigney also led her school to team bronze medals.
Once synonymous with gaelic football, St. Colman’s, Newry is now carving out a reputation for cross country running with possibly its eighth Irish Schools’ team title in ten years.
Ulster champion Conor Doherty led the Newry lads home in eighth and was well supported by Miceal McCaul (15th), Coileann Connell (33rd) and James Magee (35th). Coleraine Grammar’s was the leading northerner in sixth with Abbey’s Sean Campbell in ninth and St. Malachy’s Adam Ferris in tenth.
Wallace High School’s Rebecca Wallace had the best individual result of the day when she occupied the runner-up spot in the Junior Girls’ race. Ballymena Academy’s Katie Agnew in sixth, Ballyclare High’s Molly Dougan in ninth and Murphy Miller in tenth all finished in the top ten.
St. Michael’s, Enniskillen picked up team bronze in the Minor Boys’ thanks to some sound packing by Conor Murphy (33rd), Oliver Hughes-Jordan (34th), Garbhan McGovern (38th) and Dara McKenna (42nd). Methody’s Matthew Smyth was fourth while Armagh Royal’s Joseph Haynes in 9th and Colaiste Ailigh’s Oisin O’Fearan in tenth made it a good age group for Ulster followers.
Equally so the Minor Girls’ age group where Anna Hill in fourth led Victoria College to team silvers with the help of Amelia Tyler (8th) and Naoise Gormley (38th). Milford’s Gemma McFadden and St. Cecilia’s, Derry Lily Toorish also made the top ten to cross the line.
Michelle Finn (University of Limerick) and David McCarthy (Dublin City University) were the comfortable winners of the university races at the same venue while Kenyan Gideon Kimosop (50:04) and Letterkenny’s Natasha Adams (57:51) were the winners of the SSE 10 Miles in Derry. Mark McKinstry (33:10) and Julie Butler (37:35) took the top prizes at the Carmen 10K in Carrickmore.
