Sun Shines on Day 1 of the County Cross Country Championships
After the heavy rain all day Saturday it was a welcome relief to see the sun shining on Sunday morning for Day 1 of the county cross country championships. Day 1 is the even age races and there were events for under 10,12,14,16,18, Junior and Senior athletes. Forty two athletes from West Waterford competed in the juvenile events.
Silver Team Medals for Under 10 Boys
First off were the girls under 10 and they finished 4th in the tem race. They were led home by Sarah Moynihan in 21st place with Harriet Byrne next in 25th followed by Fianna Veale in 26th, and Chloe Queally 29th. The under 10 boys team was led home by Tello de Arco Calvo 7th with Andy Zakis just behind in 8th Rian Flavin in 11th and Jamie Kiely came through in 13th for the final scoring place on the team. We also had Richard Ahern 14th, Vaughan Daly 15th, David Kiely 17th, Ruys de Arco Calvo 19th , Tadhg Kinsella 24th, Fionn McKeon 27th , Jackson Sanderson 28th . For many of these young athletes it was their first experience of running cross country and they will be in action again next week for the under 9 race.
Gold and Bronze for Boys under 12 Bronze for Girls
Next up were the girls under 12 who competed over 2000m. Ellie Mai Doherty put in a very strong second 1000m to move from 5th to 3rd place and win an individual medal. Leah Kiely made it into the top 10 and Eile de Paor 15th and Isobel Daly 18th ensured the bronze medals for the team.
Jarlath Hurney also put in a very strong finish to claim the bronze medal in the boys race while newcomer Kevin Russell ran strongly throughout the race to finish 6th. Olan Devereaux back for his first race finished 7th and Tiernan Horgan completed the team finishing 8th. Mario Zakis 12th led the second team to bronze Cormac Hallahan 15th and Eoghan Kenny 19th.
Gold for Girls under 14 Silver for Boys
We had another individual medal winner in the girls under 14 where isabelle Gaffney finished 3rd in a very fast paced race. Sophie Beresford wasn’t far behind in 5th place and with Ava Kiely and Saoirse Kinsella both finishing in the top ten the gold medals in the team race were secured. Fergus Donnolly was the first of the boys home in 8th place and Peter Ahern wasn’t far behind in 9th . Lochlann Hurney and Darren Drummy completed the 3000m course to ensure the team took the silver medals in the team competition.
County Title under 16 for Noah Commins
Noah Commins won his second individual county cross country title when he led the field home. Noah can add this title to the under 14 title he won last year and will be hoping to make it three out of three when he competes in the under 15 race next Sunday. In the under 16 race Aoife O’Donovan had a very good run to finish 3rd and Sarah Gaffney was 5th and Sarah O’Riordan 6th . It was a pity they did not have a fourth runner as it would have been a close fought contest with Waterford AC for the team title.
Gold and Silver for Grainne and Cody, Bronze for Cillian in the under 18 Races
In the final races of the day Grainne Moore finished strongly to take silver in the under 18race and gold in the junior women’s event. In the boys race Coady Coughlan was running his first race for the club finished 2nd while Cillian O’Tuathaigh returning after a long absence from the sport finished 3rd.
Well done to all who competed on the day and see you all again next week for round 2 the uneven age groups.
Primary Schools Cross Country Sponsored by JB White Accountant on Friday next Oct 6th
A big crowd is expected in the Friary next Friday for the annual Primary and Secondary Schools Cross Country. The races get underway at the earlier time of 5.30 on Friday with registration open from 5pm. This year we are using the big field and have a different start for each age group so it is important to arrive early and get to your starting position. Entry fee is 2euro per athlete and please try and bring the correct amount rather than large notes.
2nd, 3rd and 4th class will be starting near the main road while 5th will start near the gate to the field and 6th at the trees near the parking area. This year we have reduced the distances for each class with the longest distance 800m for 6th class.
Day 2 of the County Championships on Sunday next October 8th
We will be back again in the Friary on Sunday for Day 2 on the county cross country championships under 9,11,13,15,17,19. We are lucky that the Friary give their facilities so willing to the club to run these events. We had 42 athletes last Sunday and hope for an even bigger turnout on day 2.
