Nenagh athletes claim Munster Cross Country medals
Middlepiece, Two Mile Borris was the venue last Sunday for the Munster under 20 and Novice Cross Country Championships.
Conditions were ideal and great credit to Moycarkey/Coolcroo AC for having the course well laid out in such short notice.
In the Women under 20 race over 4500m, Jennifer O’Leary of Nenagh Olympic was well in contention throughout the race and she maintained that strong effort to win the bronze medal in 14 mins 57 secs.
There were also good performances from Alanna Spillane Moyne AC 9th (15.29), Emer Brennan Clonmel AC 18th (16.08), Eadaoin Duffy Clonmel AC 20th (16.10), Hannah Murray Clonmel AC 27th (16.50), Alice Meegan Clonmel AC 31st (17:04), Bibi Russell Moyne AC 35th (17.17), Kate Delaney Moyne AC 43rd (18.11), Anna Butler Dundrum AC 47th (19.06) and Lily Casey Clonmel AC 49th (19.17).
The Clonmel team of Emer, Eadaoin, Hannah & Alice combined very well to win the bronze medals. The County team lead home by Jennifer and consisting of Alanna, Emer, Eadaoin, Hannah & Alice won the silver medals.
In the Men’s under 20 4500m race we had two great performances from the Nenagh Olympic duo of Diarmuid Moloney winning the silver medal in 12 mins 35 secs and Kevin Finn winning the bronze medal in 12 mins 51 secs. Daire O’Donnell, also of Nenagh Olympic finished strongly in fifth place in 13 mins 5 secs.
There were also good performances from Conor Kiely Newport AC 35th (15.16) and Ruairi Walsh Nenagh Olympic 43rd (19.16). The Nenagh Olympic team of Diarmuid, Kevin, Daire & Ruairi won the inter-club silver medals.
The Novice Women’s race over 5k also saw County athletes to the fore right from the start. As the race progressed the leading group was down to a small group of athletes including Aoife Delargy Nenagh Olympic, the current County Novice champion. Aoife kept the strong pace going to win the silver medal in 17 mins 17 secs.
There were also had good performances from Sharon Cantwell Moyne AC 7th (18.04), Eileen McCullough Moyne AC 9th (18.28), Orla Healy Moyne AC 14th (19.04), Catherine Fogarty Dundrum AC 18th (19.35), Suzanne Shine Clonmel AC 19th (19.37), Carol Molloy Fethard AC 24th (20.16), Edel Delaney Moyne AC 25th (20.23), Tanya O Brien Fethard AC 30th (20.39), Jessica Kennedy Fethard AC 31st (20.44), Sareen Walsh Clonmel AC 33rd (21.09), Aine Roche Clonmel AC 38th (21.24), Paula Hendricksen Fethard AC 39th (22.18), Michelle Doherty Clonmel AC 40th (22.19), Martina Ryan Thurles Crokes 41st (22.22), Liz Lalor Clonmel AC 42nd (22.25), Joan Stakelum Thurles Crokes 43rd (22.39), Aimee Gallagher Thurles Crokes 44th (22.42), Regina Dorney Thurles Crokes 47th ( 23.55), Kitty Conry Fethard AC 49th (24.24), Fiona Judge Thurles Crokes 50th (24.39), Nollaig Heffernan DBB AC 51st (24.44), Aine Crosse DBB AC 52nd (25.04), Catherine Dunne Thurles Crokes 53rd (25.29) and Emily Butler Thurles Crokes 54th (26.34).
The Moyne AC team of Sharon, Eileen, Orla & Edel combined very well in a tough interclub competition to win the bronze medals with Fethard AC 6th, Clonmel AC 7th & Thurles Crokes 8th. It was brilliant to see athletes representing seven clubs from the County competing at this level. At Inter- County level, the team of Aoife, Sharon, Eileen, & Orla won the silver medals.
The last event was the Novice Men 6k race. Right from the start Emmet McNamara of Fethard AC was in the leading group and at times throughout the race dictated the pace at the front, testing the other contenders. Then with a kilometre to go, Emmet went to the front and put in a strong surge that soon saw him open a lead on the chasing pack. He held this pace all the way to win the Minster title very impressively in 17 mins 49 secs.
There were also had good performances from Louis Rice Fethard AC 11th (19.25), Mark Corcoran Nenagh Olympic 14th (19.37), Hugh Morgan Fethard AC 22nd (20.29), Fintan Rice Fethard AC 29th (20.56), Eugene O’Keeffe Carrick-on-Suir 31st (21.07), Paul Halloran Clonmel AC 33rd (21.09), James Maher Fethard AC 34th (21.18), Conor Fleming Clonmel AC 36th (21.28), Patrick Roche Carrick-on-Suir AC 37th (21.29), Jody Sweeney Moyne AC 38th (21.40), Jack Spillane Fethard AC 39th (21.53), Kevin Tobin Fethard AC 40th (21.54), John Renehan Moyne AC 47th (22.36), Willie O’Donoghue Mooreabbey Milers AC 51st (22.20), Jim Halley Dundrum AC 53rd (23.48), John Butler Thurles Crokes 54th (23.51), Austin Ryan Thurles Crokes 55th (23.59), Niall O Ceallaigh Clonmel AC 59th (24.33) and Michael Moore Dundrum AC 60th (24.46).
At Club level the Fethard AC team of Emmet, Louis, Hugh & Fintan combined to win the silver medals, a brilliant achievement.
Juvenile
In the first race, Girls U10, Caoimhe Leamy (Dualla-Ballytarsna-Boherlahan AC) was the first Tipperary athlete home in 23rd place and led the county team to a fifth place finish. Fresh from his county title win last weekend, Daniel Maher (Templemore AC) backed up that performance to finish in fifth place and claim an individual provincial medal. Alongside this, Daniel and his county teammates claimed a bronze team medal in the inter-county competition. The team consisted of Daniel Maher, Billy Horn (Fethard AC 17th), Jim Cantwell (Nenagh Olympic AC 20th), Adam Healy (Newport AC 26th), Conor Fahey (Fethard AC 40th), and Robert Kelly (Dundrum AC 44th).
Annie Ely (Moyne AC) was Tipperary’s first athlete across the line in the Girls U12 race in 15th place. The county team finished just outside the medals in fourth place. Tipperary were very much to the forefront of the Boys U12 race. Darragh Joyce (Moyne AC) and Dylan Noonan (Fethard AC) finished 2nd & 7th respectively to claim individual medals and spots at the National Championships in Derry. To add to this success, they led the county team to third place overall and secured a place at the National Championships. The team was made up of Darragh Joyce, Dylan Noonan, Philip Croke (Dundrum AC 14th), Cian Long (Thurles Crokes AC 20th), Billy Heaney (Clonmel AC 29th), and Kieran Girard (Nenagh Olympic AC 32nd).
U14 Girls county champion, Orlaith Frisby (Carrick-on-Suir AC) showed her class while finishing tenth overall to earn an individual medal and one of the sought-after National Championship spots. The Tipperary team were narrowly out of the medal in fourth place, only seven points behind Waterford.
Michael Hynes (Nenagh Olympic AC) matched the performance of Orlaith Frisby in the previous race by also finishing in tenth place in the Boys U14 race. This brilliant performance will see Michael travel to Derry and represent Munster at the National Championships. The county team performed well to finish in fifth overall.
For the third race in a row, a Tipperary athlete finished in tenth position and this time it was the turn of Neasa Moloney (Mooreabbey Milers AC) in the Girls U16 race. Neasa was closely followed by Caoimhe Slevin of Moyne AC in 12th place. This ensured both girls will travel to Derry in search of National honours. The county team finished in fourth place overall.
Albert Maher (Dundrum AC) was the best of the Tipperary athletes in the Boys U16 race where he just missed out on a medal in 13th position. He also led the county team home to a fourth place finish.
The U18 and Junior women’s race was run together as they compete over the same distances. The first Tipperary athlete home was U20 Irish International Jennifer O’Leary (Nenagh Olympic AC) as she claimed a bronze medal. She was closely followed by Alana Spillane (Moyne AC) who was sixth in the U18 race and ninth overall. Tipperary claimed silver and bronze in the County team competition in these age groups. The teams were made up of Jennifer O’Leary, Alana Spillane, Emer Brennan, Eadaoin Duffy, Hannah Murray & Alice Megan (Clonmel AC) and Bibi Russell (Moyne AC U18). Clonmel AC also claimed silver and bronze in the club competition with the aforementioned girls making up their squads.
Diarmuid Moloney (Nenagh Olympic AC) was Tipperary’s first athlete home in the Men’s U20 & U18 race as he claimed second overall. He was closely followed home by his club mate Kevin who finished third overall and in doing so claimed the U18 title. Daire O’Donnell continued the Nenagh Olympic success as he finished in fifth place overall. These three lads along with Ruairi Walsh’s combined to finish second in the club competition.
The next County event will take place on Sunday, 26th October as we return to the Turnpike, Twomileborris for the County Uneven Age Championships.