Climax of West Cork Race Series at Cross Country Championships

By Kate Coveney (West Cork Athletics Board PRO)

The West Cork Cross Country Championships marked an opening and a conclusion in the one event. It was the opening race of the Cross Country season and also the concluding race in the West Cork Race Series. There was a good turnout at the Showgrounds in Clonakilty particularly of juvenile athletes and a number of Senior athletes also made the trip for the Open competition. Steven Macklin of Togher AC won the Senior Men’s Cross Country run. A number of athletes from the newly registered Clonakilty AC also competed. Liz Barry of Bandon who won the Senior Ladies event on the day was the overall winner in the Senior Women Race Series with Anna O’ Neill (Doheny) second and Geraldine O’Shea (Bantry) in third place. John Collins (Skibbereen) who was second overall at the Cross Country but first in West Cork was the overall Senior Men winner of the Race Series followed in second place by Kevin Wilmot of Bandon AC. Tom Laffan also of Bandon AC took third position. The West Cork Athletic Board will present prizes to the above athletes who scored highest across a series of road races in West Cork during the summer. The first in the race series was the West Cork Road Races in Dunmanway, followed by the Bandon 10k, Courtmacsherry, Dunmanway and Bantry Road Races. It is intended that the series would be an annual competition for West Cork athletes.

Results as follows: Senior Ladies, 3,000m 1st Liz Barry, Bandon, 2nd Anna O’Neill, Doheny, 3rd Teresa O’Brien, Skibbereen. Senior Men, 6,000m 1st Steven Macklin, Togher, 2nd John Collins, Skibbereen, 3rd Tom Laffan, Bandon. Open Senior 1st Steven Macklin, Togher, 2nd Pat Murphy, Togher, 3rd Donal Looney. West Cork Senior 1st John Collins, Skibbereen, 2nd Tom Laffan, Bandon, 3rd Donncha O’Brien, Skibbereen.

U10 600m Girls 1st Molly O’Neill, Skibbereen, 2nd Katelyn Kelleher (West Muskerry), 3rd Marie Crowley, Doheny. Teams Doheny 1st, West Muskerry 2nd, Bandon 3rd. Boys, 1st Tim Twohig, Bandon, 2nd Fionn Harrington, Bandon, 3rd Peter Collins, Doheny. Team Bandon 1st, Skibbereen 2nd, Courceys 3rd.

U12, 1,000m Girls – 1st Moira Barrett, Bandon, 2nd Laura Nicholson, Bandon, 3rd Sophie Harrington, West Muskerry. Team, Bandon 1st, West Muskerry 2nd, Skibbereen 3rd.

Boys1,200m 1st Liam Cotter, Bantry, 2nd Daragh McElhinney, Bantry, 3rd Conor Calnan, Bandon. Team Doheny 1st, Bandon 2nd, Skibbereen 3rd.

U14 Girls 1,200m – 1st Stephanie Cotter, West Muskerry, 2nd Caoimhe Harrington, West Muskerry, 3rd Fiona Everard, Bandon. Team – Bandon 1st, Doheny 2nd with three runners. Boys , 1,500m – 1st Cathal McCarthy, Doheny, 2nd Killian Burke, Bandon, 3rd Padraig Moynihan, West Muskerry. Team – Bandon1st (three runners).

U16 Girls 1,500m 1st Niamh Cotter, Bantry, 2nd Aisling Everard, Bandon, 3rd Melissa Duggan, Doheny. Team Bandon 1st (three runners). Boys, 2,000m 1st Gerard Crowley, Bandon, 2nd Eoghan McElhinney, Bantry, 3rd Billy Cronin, West Muskerry. Junior Girls 2,000m 1st Rachel O’Shea, West Muskerry, 2nd Kate McCarthy, Skibbereen.

Bandon AC athletes turned out in force for the first event of the Cross Country Season which took place in the Showgrounds in Clonakilty on Sunday 18th September. Rain threatened throughout the event but held off and conditions underfoot were reasonably good. Liz Barry was the overall winner of the Senior Women’s race over 3K. Tom Laffan finished third overall in the Senior Men’s race with a distance of 6K and was second in West Cork. This event also marked the final race in the inaugural West Cork Race Series. Liz Barry has won the Senior Women’s section and Kevin Wilmot took second place in the Senior Men’s category with Tom Laffan in third position. The West Cork Athletic Board is to present prizes to the athletes who competed in a number of mainly road races during the summer, including West Cork Road Races, Bandon 10K, Courtmacsherry 10k, Dunmanway and Bantry Road Races. The competition was open to athletes registered with West Cork Clubs. There were some super performances from the Juvenile club members at the event. It was the first taste of cross country competition for many. Winning individual medals were Tim Twohig and Fionn Harrington (gold & silver U10) and Moira Barrett and Laura Nicholson (gold & silver U12). Conor Calnan won bronze with a fine race U12. Fiona Everard finished third U14. Killian Burke won silver in the U14 race with Aisling Everard taking silver U16. Gerard Crowley had to sprint to outrun strong competition from Bantry and West Muskerry athletes to win a well deserved gold medal over 2,000m U16. As well as individual medals, the club won a number of Team medals, the listing includes all those who who competed in the the various age categories but who did not win individual medals – Girls U10, bronze, (Cora Ní Gallchóir, Sarah & Hannah Buckley, Lauren McCourt, Orla O’Sullivan, Amy O’Donoghue, Sarah O’Connor, Niamh Sugrue, Erin de Burca, Hannah Brinds, Maeve O’Flynn, Jane Buttimer) Boys U10 , gold (Mark Collins, Brendan Twohig, Ruairí Harrington, Andrew O’Leary, Callum McCourt, Dave Cottrell, Max Hallahan, Liam Buckley, Girls U12, gold, Orla Fahey, Ciara McKeon, Alice Maher, Kendra Kingston, Saoirse McCarthy, Clodagh Young, Michelle O’Donovan) Boys U12, Silver,(Christian Buttimer, Mike Laffan, Brian Riordan, Naoise Flahartaigh, Brian McSweeney, Aodh O Gallchóir, Ben Carthew) Girls U14, Gold, (Carina Crowley, Ingrid Burns, Eva Stack Aoife Riordan)Boys U14, gold,( Eamon O’Sullivan, Fiachra Harrington) Girls U16, gold, (Ciara Houston, Lisa Lovell). The Juvenile Even and Uneven age Cross Country Championships will take place in Carrig na bhFear and Conna in early October. The annual Primary Schools Cross Country Championships takes place on 23rd September in the Rugby Club at 11am. All primary schools in the area have already been contacted by the Club.