Kilrush win overall trophy in schools championships

The eighth annual North Clare versus West Clare national schools cross country championships were held on the lands of Thomas and Maureen McGuire, Carhunagry, Mullagh. Once again, they attracted a huge turnout of athletes for all six races on a beautiful morning.

Fifteen parishes from North and West Clare were represented and the James Sexton Perpetual Trophy for the best overall school went to (Kilrush) on 30 points ahead of (Cooraclare) on 29 with (Kilmaley) third on 28 points and (Miltown Malbay) fourth on 23.

The first race of the day was the girls’ U-8 500m and this was a cracking contest, with over 70 competitors going to the start. Saoirse Crowe (Kilrush) got away to a great start but she had to work hard over the final few metres to take the title from the fast-finishing Grace Carmody (Kilmaley) and Ellen Carey (Liscannor) with team honours going to Kilmaley on 29 points ahead of Kilrush on 36 points followed by Killimer on 67 points and Kilmurry-Ibrickane on 78 points.

The regional team award that went to North Clare on 35 points from West Clare on 44 points.

The boys’ U-8 was also held over 500m and this was fiercely contested, with Sean Rynne (Inagh) producing a big effort over the final 100m to take the title ahead of Conor Meaney (Lissycasey) and Cian Neylon (Marian) with Lissycasey easily taking the team title with four athletes in the top six for a total of 17 points from Kilrush on 41, Kilmaley on 70 and (Cooraclare) on 71.

The inter-regional team award went to West Clare on 32 points ahead of North Clare on 59.

The girls’ U-10 800m was always going to be keenly contested. When the race settled, Sinéad Lillis (Cooraclare) came to the front and held on to take the title ahead of the early leader Keisha Attewell with Hannah Shannon (Inagh) a very good third. (Cooraclare) won the team title on 27 points, the silver medals going to Kilmurry-Ibrickane on 57 followed by (Ennistymon) on 89 and Kilrush on 92.

The inter-region team award went to West Clare on 25 points and the silver medal to North Clare on 70 points.

In the boys’ U-10 800m, there were over 70 athletes and Brian McNamara (Cooraclare) led this race from start to finish and made light work of the conditions, with Conor Blake (Doonbeg) holding on to take the silver medal ahead of Niall Hogan (Ennistymon) with Corofin-Kilnaboy taking the team gold on 44 points and Ennistymon taking second spot on 52, just one point ahead of Cooraclare, with Doonbeg fourth on 68.

The regional team award went to West Clare on 32 points from North Clare on 46.

The final race for the girls, the O-10s, was run over a distance of 1,000m and there were six athletes on the starting line, all holders of Munster Championship medals. Caoimhe Hogan (Ennistymon) set the pace over the first lap and she controlled the race from the front, along with Emer Keane (Miltown Malbay) and Emily Cahill (Kilmaley) and with one full lap complete, these three had the big field in single file.

Emer Keane made her move on the uphill stretch and held that slight advantage all the way to the finish line to take her first big title ahead of Emily Cahill and the early leader Caoimhe Hogan with Miltown Malbay taking the team title on 35 points from Kilmaley on 40, Kilrush on 59 and Doonbeg on 67.

The inter-region team award went to North Clare on 25 points with West Clare taking the silver medals on 57.

The boys’ O-10s 1,000m attracted more than 60 athletes including no fewer than eight Munster cross country medal winners. Aidan McCarthy (Inagh) went out hard from the start and set a very good tempo with Caoilfhionn O’Dea in close pursuit. Going into the final lap on the downhill stretch McCarthy opened a few metres on O’Dea but with 400m remaining, it was O’Dea who was full of running and he went by the Inagh man on a very heavy underfoot stretch to take the title, with James McGuire (Kilmaley) a very good third and Thomas Clancy (Carrigaholt-Cross) producing a massive effort to finish fourth.

The team title went to Kilmurry-Ibrickane for the third year in a row on 37 points and second, for the third year in a row, were Miltown Malbay on 40 followed by Cooraclare on 74 and Ennistymon fourth on 74 points.

The inter-region team award went to North Clare, with West Clare taking the silver medals.

 

Results
Girls U-8 500m: 1 Saoirse Crowe (Kilrush); 2 Grace Carmody (Kilmaley); 3 Ellen Carey (Liscannor); 4 Sarah Looney (Miltown Malbay); 5 Aishling Healy (Kilmaley); 6 Aishling Brown (Killimer); 7 Marie Bermingham (Kilrush); 8 Amy Griffin (Killimer); 9 Aoibhnait O’Dea (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); 10 Caoimhie Cahill (Kilmaley); 11 Ava O’Malley (Miltown Malbay); 12 Leanna Healy (Kilmaley).
Teams: 1 Kilmaley = 29 points); 2 Kilrush = 36 points); 3 Killimer = 67 points); 4 Kilmurry Ibrickane = 78 points.
Girls’ U-10 800m: 1 Sinéad Lillis (Cooraclare); 2 Keisha Attewell (Cranny-Coolmeen); 3 Hannah Shannon (Inagh); 4 Siobhan Keane (Carrigaholt-Cross); 5 Susan Nestor (Kilrush); 6 Amy Sexton (Kilmurry Ibrickane); 7 Niamh Conlon (Cooraclare); 8 Daniela Svensson (Ennistymon); 9 Laura Quinlivan (Cooraclare); 10 Shauna O’Gorman (Cooraclare); 11 Shona Fitzhenry (Ennistymon); 12 Abby McDonagh (Ennistymon).
Teams: 1 Cooraclare = 27 points); 2 Kilmurry Ibrickane = 57 points); 3 Ennistymon = 89 points); 4 Kilrush = 92 points.
Girls’ O-10 1,000m: 1 Emer Keane (Miltown Malbay); 2 Emily Cahill (Kilmaley); 3 Caoimhie Hogan (Ennistymon); 4 Mairéad Grogan (Killimer); 5 Áine Keane (Miltown Malbay); 6 Megan White (Kilmaley); 7 Catriona Callinan Kilmihil); 8 Chloe Neylon (Kilmaley); 9 Gráinne Lynch (Miltown Malbay); 10 Siobhán Brew (Carrigaholt-Cross); 11 Emer Fennell (Kilrush); 12 Ailish Kenny (Cranny-Coolmeen).
Teams: 1 Miltown Malbay = 35 points); 2 Kilmaley = 40 points); 3 Kilrush = 59 points); 4 Doonbeg = 67 points.
Boys’ U-8 500m: 1 Sean Rynne (Inagh); 2 Conor Meaney (Lissycasey); 3 Cian Neylon (Kilmaley); 4 Fionn Cotter (Lissycasey); 5 Barry Conway (Lissycasey); 6 Shane Culligan (Lissycasey); 7 Ciarán Bermingham (Kilrush); 8 Darragh McMahon (Cooraclare); 9 Roarke Copley (Kilrush); 10 Mark Bonfield (Kilrush); 11 Diarmuid Cahill (Kilmaley); 12 Daniel Moloney (Killimer).
Teams: 1 Lissycasey = 17 points); 2 Kilrush = 41 points); 3 Kilmaley = 70 points); 4 Cooraclare = 71 points.
Boys’ U-10 800m: 1 Brian McNamara (Cooraclare); 2 Conor Blake (Doonbeg); 3 Niall Hogan (Ennistymon);
4 Orann Copley (Kilrush); 5 Killian O’Connor (Corofin-Kilnaboy); 6 Paul Keane (Miltown Malbay); 7 Keith Crowley (Kilkee); 8 Eoin Brown (Killimer); 9 Diarmuid Cahill (Kilnaboy); 10 Sean Browne (Cooraclare); 11 Brendan Rouine (Ennistymon); 12 Sean Ronan (Kilmaley).
Teams: 1 Kilnaboy = 44 points); 2 Ennistymon = 52 points); 3 Cooraclare = 53 points); 4 Doonbeg = 68 points.

Boys’ O-10 1,000m: 1 Caoilfhionn O’Dea (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); 2 Adrian McCarthy (Inagh); 3 James McGuire (Kilmaley); 4 Thomas Clancy (Carrigaholt-Cross); 5 Luke Callinan (Killimer); 6 Conor Malone (Miltown Malbay); 7 Garry Twomey (Miltown Malbay); 8 Niall Canavan (Ennistymon); 9 Seamus Casey (Kildysart); 10 Zack Whelehan (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); 11 Diarmuid King (Kilmurry-Ibrickane); 12 Seamus Hurley (Lisdoonvarna).
Teams: 1 Kilmurry Ibrickane = 37 points); 2 Miltown Malbay = 40 points); 3 Cooraclare = 74 points); 4 Ennistymon = 74 points.
Best overall parish for the James Sexton Trophy: 1 Kilrush = 30 points); 2 Cooraclare = 29 points); 3 Kilmaley = 28 points); 4 Miltown Malbay = 23 points); 5 Kilmurry Ibrickane = 20 points); 6 Ennistymon = 20 points); 7 Doonbeg = 13 points); 8 Lissycasey = 8 points); 9 Corofin-Kilnaboy = 8 points); 10 Inagh = 6 points); 11 Killimer = 6 points); 12 Lisdoonvarna = 4 points); 13 Kildysart = 2 points.