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.
