The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
The Clare Athletics Association juvenile U-9 to U-19 plus intermediate and U-23s cross country championships were held on the lands of Terry and Siobhán Hennessy, Kilmaley, in beautiful weather conditions over a testing course.
There were some outstanding individual performances with big fields in all races. Ennis Track captured the Clare Athletics Association Shield for the best overall club on day two with 82 points from Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare on 69 points and St John’s on 44 points.
The intermediate and U-23 ladies’ races over 4,000m were run together. Claire Madigan, St John’s, running in the U-23 event, ran a big race along with Marian Burke, St Mary’s, in the intermediate girls. They both made an early break, along with Sharon Rynne, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, with Loretta Duggan, St Mary’s, in close pursuit. On the final lap, Claire Madigan made a decisive move on the steep hill to race away to a very good victory, with Marian Burke having a great race to win the intermediate title with Sharon Rynne taking the silver medal in both races.
The intermediate team award went to Ennis Track Club on 24 points.
The intermediate men’s race was run over a distance of 8000m and seven laps. Four athletes made an early break, Michael Shannon, Kilnaboy, Jake O’Regan, St John’s, Darragh Lynch, Ennis Track and Kenneth Rodgers, St John’s.
With two laps complete, Aidan Kearney Ennis Track, along with Kevin Egan, St John’s, Keith Whyte, Ennis Track, and Fergal Smithwick, Marian, were all working hard.
At the halfway point Kenneth Rodgers was starting to take control and over the next four laps he controlled the race at the front and recorded a big win in the intermediate race with the novice champion Michael Shannon taking the silver medal and Jake O’Regan the bronze medal.
In the U-23 championship Fergal Smithwick, Marian, won the gold medal.
The team title went to St John’s, with six athletes in the top 14 on 47 points. Second were holders Ennis Track on 53 points and third Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare on 135 points.
There was a huge turnout for the juvenile races and the competition was keen.
Results
Girls’ U-9 (750m): 1 Keisha Attwell, St Mary’s; 2 Rachel Hartigan, Marian; 3 Amy Sexton Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare.
Teams: 1. Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 23 points; 2 Marian = 35points; 3 St Cronan’s = 71 points.
Girls’ U-11 (1500m): 1 Alex O’Neill, St Cronan’s; 2 Fidelma Marrinan, St John’s; 3 Emma McMahon, St Mary’s.
Teams: 1 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 37points; 2 St Mary’s = 47 points; 3 Marian = 57 points.
Girls’ U-13 (2,500m): 1 Caoimhie Harvey, St John’s; 2 Shauna Melican, St John’s; 3 Elaine Shannon, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare
Teams: 1 St John’s = 15 points; 2 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 36 points.
Girls’ U-15 (3,500m): 1 Laura Power, Ennis Track; 2 Molly Lynch, Shannon; 3 Siobhán Nestor, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare
Teams: 1 St John’s = 28 points.
Girls’ U-17 (4,500m): 1 Jean Clancy, St John’s; 2 Niamh Clancy, St John’s; 3 Laura Egan, Kilmihil.
Teams: 1 Ennis Track = 28 points.
Girls’ U-19 (5,000m): 1 Imogen Cotter, Ennis Track; 2 Harriett Flynn, Shannon.
Intermediate Ladies (4,000m): 1 Marian Burke, St Mary’s; 2 Sharon Rynne, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare; 3 Loreta Duggan, St Mary’s
Teams: 1 Ennis Track = 24 points.
U-23’s: 1 Claire Madigan, St John’s; 2 Sharon Rynne, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare
Boys’ U-9 (750m): 1 Ben Whelehan, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare; 2 Shane Harrison, St Cronan’s; 3 Conor Blake, St John’s
Teams: 1 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 32 points; 2 St John’s = 41points; 3 St Mary’s = 50 points.
Boys’ U-11 (1,500m): 1 Adian McCarthy, St Cronan’s; 2 Thomas Clancy, St John’s; 3 Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare.
Teams: 1 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 30 points; 2 Ennis Track = 41 points; 3 St Mary’s = 43 points.
Boys’ U-13 (2,500m): 1 Jamie Roche, Ennis Track; 2 Patrick O’Rourke, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare; 3 Paul Martin, Ennis Track
Teams: 1 Ennis Track = 28 points; 2 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 31 points; 3 Fergus = 46 points.
Boys’ U-15 (3,500m): 1 Michael Clancy, St John’s; 2 Stephan Rooney, Ennis Track; 3 Kevin Mulcaire, Ennis Track.
Teams : 1 Ennis Track A = 16 points; 2 Ennis Track B = 42 points.
Boys’ U-17 (5,000m):1 Ian Slobody, Kilmihil; 2 Conor Rooney, Ennis Track; 3 Caoimhin Donnallan, Kilmihil.
U-19s (6,000m): 1 Kevin Chesser, Ennis Track; 2 Eamon Murphy, Kilmihil.
Intermediate (8,000m): 1 Kenneth Rodgers, St John’s; 2 Michael Shannon Kilnaboy; 3 Jake O’Regan, St John’s.
Teams: 1 St John’s = 47 points; 2 Ennis Track = 53 points; 3 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 135 points.
U-23s:1 Fergal Smithwick, Marian.
Best overall club (day 2): 1 Ennis Track = 82 points; 2 Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare = 69 points; 3 St John’s = 44 points; 4 St Mary’s = 31 points; 5 St Cronan’s = 25 points; 6 Marian = 21 points; 7 Fergus = 20 points; 8 Kilmihil = 9 points; 9 Tulla = 8 points.
Munster Juvenile Cross Country Championships
The Munster juvenile even ages from U-10 to U-18 plus novice and U-23s cross country championships will take place in Dromindrehid, Macroom, County Cork this Sunday, with a starting time of 12 noon.
Clare clubs will be looking to do well, with athletes from Kilmihil, Ennis Track Club, Marian, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, St Mary’s, Fergus, St Cronan’s, St John’s, Shannon, Tulla, and Kilnaboy taking part.
In the girls’ U-10, Aoibheann Donnelly and Rachel Hartigan will lead out the Clare challenge, along with Emily Cahill, St Cronan’s.
In the boys’ U-10, James McGuire and Lateef Akinwale, both Ennis Track, Shane Harrison, St Cronan’s and John Murphy, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, will be expecting to do well.
In the girls’ U-12, Caoimhie Harvey, St John’s, will start as favourite to take the gold medal, with Sharon Egan, Kilmihil, Emma McMahon, St Mary’s and Elaine Shannon, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, all making up a strong Clare team.
In the boys’ U-12, Clare will be looking to Aidan McCarthy, St Cronan’s, Jamie Roche, Paul Martin, both Ennis Track, and Patrick O’Rourke, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare, to retain their Munster title.
The Clare girls’ U-14 cross country champions St John’s will lead the way with Shauna Melican, Rachel Clancy, Cliodhna Blake and Rose Marrinan. Micheal Clancy, St John’s, will lead out the boys’ U-14 along with Kevin Mulcaire, Ennis Track, and Sean Collins, Ennis Track.
The girls’ U-16 will be looking to the Clare AAI champion Niamh Clancy, along with her twin sister Jean, both St John’s. Molly Lynch, Shannon and Laura Egan, Kilmihil, should also be in contention.
In the boys, Ian Slobody, Kilmihil, is in top form and a medal contender in the boys’ U-16 along with Stephan Rooney and Declan Martin, both Ennis Track.
Harriett Flynn, Shannon, Imogen Cotter, Ennis Track, Róisín Looney, Kilmihil, will all be contesting the girls’ U-18 title.
In the boys’ U-18, Adrian Kearney, Ennis Track, Darragh Lynch, Ennis Track, will both be battling for Munster honours along with Jake O’Regan and Noel Garry, both St John’s.
The Munster novice and U-23 cross country championship will have two races on the programme, starting with the novice and U-23 ladies’ 3,000m followed by the novice and U-23 men’s 6,000m.
The Clare ladies’ novice challenge will come from Jackie O’Connor, Siobhán Lennon, Aisling Power, Deirdre Daly, Ita Hanrahan, Becky Coughlan, all Ennis Track, Sharon Rynne, Dympna O’Dwyer, both Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare.
The Clare novice ladies’ team is Siobhán Lennon, Ita Hanrahan, Deirdre Daly, Aishling Power, Jackie O’Connor, Margaret Ryan, Helen Roche, all Ennis Track, Sharon Rynne, Dympna O’Dwyer and Noreen Mackey’ Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare.
