Historic local success at cross country champs

3/7/2007 - By: Billy Delaney

THERE was plenty for local athletes to celebrate at Saturday’s All-Ireland schools cross-country championships.

The star performance of the day came from Maedbh Áine Ní Súilleabháin from the Gaelcholáiste who put in a brilliant performance to take third place in the junior girls race and gain selection for the Irish schools cross country team.

She will take on Scotland, England and Wales at the same venue on March 31. It was a remarkable performance by the young Ballinabranna athlete and earned her school their first international vest in athletics.

Not to be outdone, Knockbeg also produced an athlete for the junior boys team when Stephen Attride, moving up for the minor grade, finished a very credible 11th.

This performance inspired his team-mates to really improve their Leinster performance and take the bronze team medal behind Drogheda and St Malachy’s of Belfast.

The back up came from James Griffin, Stephen McCormack, Daniel Aylsbury and Richard Loughman.

This was a first All-Ireland medal for the school with their first qualifying team, a very noteworthy performance.

This was as good as it got for the Carlow athletes as all the others failed to live up to their Leinster form. St Leo’s intermediate team never got to terms with the muck and with Deirdre Doyle back in the thirties their score was always going to be too big to threaten a medal.

Brian Kelly of Knockbeg never really got involved in the inter boys race and finished well down the field while Johnny Dowling from the Vocational School was a long way down in the senior boys race.

Meanwhile, athletes from St Laurence O’Toole’s AC experienced a very successful weekend at Nenagh, winning more than 40 medals, writes PÁDRAIG SWEENEY.

Simon Doyle won gold in the U15 long jump and was second at the high jump. Marcus Lawlor won two silver medals, the first in the 60m sprint and the second at the U13 long jump.

Marcus was unlucky in that he missed out on the gold medal in the long jump by just 2cm.

Alison Farrell continued her good form of late by winning three medals. Alison won silver medals at both the 60m sprint and 60m hurdles in the U14 age category and a bronze medal at the long jump.

Lauren Dwyer won two silver medals, one in the U12 long jump and another at the 60m sprint.

Aideen Brophy also won two silver medals, at the U15 long jump and the 60m hurdles.

Ruth McDermott secured two bronze medals, at the 60m sprint and long jump in the U16 category.

Aishling Kinsella came third in the U17 800m and Roisín O’Rourke was third at the long jump.

Jamie Hayes ran well to secure a silver medal in the U17 800m. Paddy McCall won a bronze medal at the U15 high jump. Jamie Keogh was third at the U17 long jump.

Congratulations to the boys U13 (4x100m) relay team of Daniel Lawlor, Keith Noctor, Ronan Lawlor and Marcus Lawlor won gold.

Well done also to the boys U17 relay team of Jamie Keogh, Jamie Shaw, Danny Jenkins and Thomas O’Reilly who also won gold.

The girls U12 team of Grace Lawlor, Lauren Dwyer, Avene Webb and Rachel Ware won silver medals at their relay event. The boys U15 relay team of Simon Doyle, Paul Farrell, Paddy McCall and Leon Carter secured second place in their race.

The girls U17 relay team of Roisín O’Rourke, Jasmine Snoddy, Amy Lawlor and Niamh Dowling achieved second place, as did the U18 team of Roisín O’Rourke, Jasmine Snoddy, Amy Lawlor and Niamh Heffernan.