Munster titles for Clancy and O’Regan

CLARE won three Munster titles at the Munster Senior and Junior Cross Country Championships plus the Juvenile Inter-County Relays U-10, U-12 and U-14, which were held in Beaufort on Sunday.
Clare won titles in the boys’ U-10, girls and boys’ U-14, as well as silver medals in the girls’ U-10 and boys’ U-12, while the girls’ U-12 were pipped on the finish line for the bronze medals.
In the Munster junior ladies, the 2011 champion, Jean Clancy, St John’s retained her title with Niamh Markham, Ennis Track and Niamh Clancy, St John’s taking the silver and bronze medals with Ennis and Clare taking the team gold.
Last year’s junior men’s titleholder Jake O’Regan, St John’s, again produced a very big race to retain his title, with St John’s retaining the inter-club title.
Marie Carey, Ennis Track won a silver medal in the senior ladies’ 5000m and Ennis Track won the Munster inter-club title, while in the senior men’s 10,000m race, Michael Shannon, Kilnaboy won a bronze medal and led Clare to team gold.
The first race of the day was the girls’ U-10 4 x 250m with Niamh Conlon, Kilmihil and Keisha Attwell, St Mary’s the first two to lead the way with Amy Sexton, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare producing a great 250m lap to bring Clare from fourth to second on the third leg. Jodi Cahill, St Cronan’s and substitute Hannah Shannon, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare completed the Clare line-up.
In the boys’ U-10, five teams went to the start and Ferdia O’Lionain, Tulla and Ben Whelehan, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare were on level terms going into the third leg. Fintan Caulfield, Tulla opened a gap to hand over to Conor Hassett, St Mary’s for Clare to win gold medals, with substitute Eoin Browne, St Mary’s completing the team.
In the girls’ U-12 500m, Clare were very unlucky to be pipped on the line for bronze medals.
In the boys’ U-12 500m, Caoilfhionn O’Dea and Cian Shannon, both Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, had to work hard against a very strong Tipperary team. Luke Callinan, St Mary’s, along with Thomas Clancy, St John’s were very steady and helped Clare to the silver medals.
The girls’ U-14 4 x 500m team was very impressive. Caoimhe Harvey, St John’s in the first leg, followed by Elaine Shannon, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare and Aisling Kelly, St John’s made it very safe with a magnificent third leg to hand over to Tara Bradley, St John’s for an easy win. Sinéad Hogan, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare was the team substitute.
In the boys’ U-14 4 x 500m relay, Eoin Looney, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare had the team in third spot and Paul Martin, Ennis Track worked hard to get into second place. Mark Fennell, St Mary’s powered his way around and with a 30m lead, handed over to Cathal O’Brien, Ennis Track, who came under pressure from the Limerick athletes but with 150 metres to go, he produced a strong finish to snatch the gold medal. Patrick O’Rourke, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare was the team substitute.
In the junior ladies’ 4,000m race, Clare was well represented and, right from the start, Jean and Niamh Clancy, St John’s and Niamh Markham, Ennis Track raced into the lead. The three athletes dominated the race with Jean Clancy, for the second year in-a-row, winning the title in fine style. Clare won the county title, with the inter-club title going to Ennis Track.
In the junior men’s 6,000m, Clare was again well represented by St John’s athletes and Jake O’Regan, a Clare AAI Sports Star award winner on Friday night, set a lively pace from the start. He went on to retain the title and lead his club to the inter-club award.
The senior ladies event was run over a distance of 5,000m and this was a great contest between Marie Carey, Ennis Track; Carmel Crowley, Bandon and Niamh O’Sullivan, Riocht.
With a lap remaining, former Irish international on home ground, Niamh O’Sullivan raced away to take the Munster title from the Clare senior cross country champion, Marie Carey, Ennis Track, who won the club award, with Clare taking the bronze medals in the inter-county section.
The senior men’s 10,000m race was run over five laps and Limerick’s Michael Carmody was a very impressive winner, with Clare’s Michael Shannon taking the bronze medal and leading Clare to the Munster title.
Ennis Track won silver medals in the inter-club section.

Results
Girls’ U-10 4 x 250m: 2. Clare (Niamh Conlon, Keisha Attewell, Amy Sexton, Jodi Cahill and Hannah Shannon).
U-12 4 x 500m: 4. Clare (Áine Keane, Eimear Keane, Caoimhe Hogan, Emily Cahill and Caoimhe Carmody).
U-14 4 x 500m: 1. Clare (Caoimhe Harvey, Tara Bradley, Aishling Kelly, Elaine Shannon and Sinéad Hogan).
Junior ladies’ 4,000m: 1. Jean Clancy (St John’s); 2. Niamh Markham (Ennis Track); 3. Niamh Clancy (St John’s); 5. Laura Power (Ennis Track); 7. Aishling Darcy (Ennis Track); 8. Ciara Mulcaire (Ennis Track); 9. Meabh Hogan (Ennis Track).
Inter-county: 1. Clare = 11 points.
Inter-club: 1. Ennis Track = 22 points.
Senior ladies’ 5,000m: 1. Niamh O’Sullivan (Riocht); 2. Marie Carey (Ennis Track); 3. Marie McCarthy (Farranfore); 9. Siobhán Lennon (Ennis Track); 11. Rosemary O’Brien (Ennis Track); 13. Aoifa Nash (Ennis Track); 14. Michelle O’Mahoney (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare).
Inter-county: 3. Clare = 35 points.
Inter-club: 1. Ennis Track (2, 9, 11, 13) = 35 points.

Boys’ U-10 4 x 250m: 1. Clare (Ben Whelehan, Ferdia O’Lionard, Fintan Caulfield, Conor Hassett and Eoin Browne).
U-12 4 x 500m: 2. Clare (Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Cian Shannon, Luke Callinan and Thomas Clancy).
U-14  4 x 500m: 1. Clare (Eoin Looney, Mark Fennell, Paul Martin, Cathal O’Brien and Patrick O’Rourke).
Junior men’s 6,000m: 1. Jake O’Regan (St John’s); 2. Dean Cronin (Blarney Inniscarra); 3. Cullen Lynch (Togher); 5. Declan Keniry (St John’s); 7. Conor Madigan (St John’s); 9. Eoin Brew (St John’s).
Inter-club: 1. St John’s = 22 points; 2. Togher = 25 points.
Senior men’s 10,000m: 3. Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy); 5. Rory Chesser (Ennis Track); 12. Brian Murphy (Ennis Track); 13. Fergal Smithwick (Marian); 14. Thomas Scanlon (Ennis Track); 22. Willie Devitt (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare); 29. Micheal Keane (Ennis Track); 33. Kevin Chesser (Ennis Track); 36. Keith White (Ennis Track).
Inter-county: 1. Clare  = 69 points.
Inter-club: 2. Ennis Track  = 60 points.