Notes July 18-10
WOODIES DIY NATIONAL TRACK AND FIELD LEAGUES ROUND 2.
WEST WATERFORD LADIES ON TARGET FOR FINALS.
Round two of the Woodies DIY sponsored national track and field leagues took place in two separated venues last Sunday one section were in Santry Stadium Dublin while the other was held in Athlone which is where we were drawn to compete. The day was very wet but this didn’t deter our Ladies squad, with a full turn out of athletes covering the required 15 disciplines required. Lisa Houlihan was in action first and got us off to the proverbial flier finishing 1st In the 100 meters hurdles and 1st in the Pole Vault with a new personal best jump of 3.05 meters. She rounded off a great days competition with a 2nd place in the Triple Jump with a jump of 10.53.Claire Collins took a great win in the High Jump, again held in very heavy rain despite this Claire managed a winning jump of 1.60 meters. Claire also took part in the 400 meters hurdles finishing 5th here, Triona Wall did her club duty admirably when toeing the line in the 1.500 meters walk and again she did superbly well in this very difficult discipline finishing 3rd attaining valuable points for the team, Triona also finished 6th in the 800 meters race. Norma Wall as in action on the double racing in the 1.500 meters and an hour later the 3.000 meters. In the 1.500 Norma was 3rd in a very strong field of competitors and in the 3.000 meters she put in a sterling performance to claim the runner up spot. Zoe Scanlon had yet another very successful day. In the Shot she took 1st place with a throw of 10.61 Zoe followed this up with a great win in the Javelin 29.58 Guesting for the club on the day as was the case in round one of the league was K.C.K.’s Claire Morrissey and she played a big part in the teams successful day. Claire gained valuable points in her events, She finished 4th in the 200 meters and followed this with 5th in the 100 meters and a 4th placing in the Long Jump. Eadaoin Ashe waited all day until after 4 o clock for her Discus Competition but it was a worthwhile wait as she took a deserving victory here with a good throw of 30.47.To round off the day our 4x100 meters relay team consisting of Claire Collins Claire Morrissey, Norma Wall and Lisa Houlihan finished 5th and likewise the team of Norma and Triona Wall, Lisa Houlihan and Claire Morrissey finished 5th in the 4x400 meters relay. Once again sincere thanks to Mary Ashe for her work with the team on the day and to Greg for his help so early in the morning getting the pole’s sorted and getting the athletes on their merry way. We will have the full results and the final placings for next week’s notes when they become available. But it would be expected that we have should have comfortably reached he national finals.
AMBER PETROLEUM FIT4LIFE LEAGUE
RAIN STOPS JUST IN TIME
Round 3 of the predict your time Amber Petroleum League took place last Tuesday evening and with a day of rain we are delighted to report that everyone who turned out enjoyed a dry pleasant evening at the Friary grounds. There are no watches allowed in this league and runners must estimate how long it will take them to complete their chosen distance. This means everyone has a chance to take a win because it really doesn’t matter how fast or how slow you are, anyone can be victorious. We will continue this league for the next 5 Tuesday nights right up until August 17th and everyone is more than welcome to come along on any or all nights. If you haven’t run before we are available at the club van to answer any questions that you may have and get you on your way. It’s just €2 a night and there will be water at the finish line so why not give it a try?
SANDFORD SPOT ON!
71 runners took part this week and the winner was perfectly placed right in the centre of the group crossing the line in 36th place. Once again a large group of runners congregated in the final field and of course it was hectic stuff on the finish line for Liam and Shirley as they clicked the clock and scribbled names furiously to keep the line of runners moving. 10 runners crossed the line between -5 and zero which always makes this a tough ask. Liam Sandford was at the rear of this group and was he delighted he maintained his position to the finish line as just as he crossed the line the clock reached zero and he was declared the winner. 6 seconds later newcomer to this league Tina Kenneally proved that you don’t need to run every week to get your timing right as she crossed just behind Liam to take 29 points. Vincent Tutty claimed his first points of the league as he too was just 6 seconds off his predicted time but gained 28 points. Fergal Connolly (0.07) and Catriona Kiely (0.07) were also close as were Libby Mc Ginn Murphy (0.08), Adrian Fitzgerald (0.09) and also Michael Foley (0.09).
TOO FAST
It’s not everyday someone tells you that you ran too fast but in this league that’s quite possible and this week that was the bad news that greeted Tommy Lenihan (0.01), Margaret Whelan (0.01) and Onra Power (0.01) as they were all so close yet so far away from victory. Still, they all took valuable points here and these could prove vital at the end of the league. Onra has had a high points score on each of the 3 weeks of the league to date and 18 points here was another good return. Joint leader with Onra after week 2, Anna Ballott did not leave Onra out of her sight however and this proved to be a good ploy as Anna finished just 2 seconds too fast and so gained 17 points. Josie Harty joined Anna on 2 seconds while John Foley (0.03), Margaret Hearne (0.04) and Regina Cunningham (0.04) were also just off the mark. Well done to everyone who ran last Tuesday and once again well done to all those who took points and if not better luck next week.
SPONSORS AND THANK YOUS
As always we would like to thank all the runners who take part each week and of course our league sponsors Pat and Marion Keane of the Amber Garage on the Youghal Road for their support of this league. Thanks also to our hard working team of officials at the finish line who do such a great job and of course to St Augustine’s College for allowing us to use their facilities.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE
After week 2 we had joint leaders Onra Power and Anna Ballott on 56 points with Tom Leahy in 3rd spot on 45, well, the top 3 all scored well again this week as did Liam Sandford (30 points) and this win sees Liam elevated to the 4th spot. Libby Mc Ginn Murphy has climbed from 6th to 5th place courtesy of her 25 points this week and is still well in contention. It’s all to play for over the next 5 weeks so keep it up folks! The top 10 is as follows:
NAME POINTS
1.ONRA POWER 74
2.ANNA BALLOTT 73
3.TOM LEAHY 67
4.LIAM SANDFORD 64
5.LIBBY MC GINN MURPHY 63
6.ADRIAN FITZGERALD 59
7.CATRIONA KIELY 52
8.CAROLINE LENIHAN 50
9.FERGAL CONNOLLY 45
10.PADDY POWER 43
YOUGHAL 4 MILE ROAD RACE.
The inaugural Youghal 4 mile road race took place over a hilly course last Sunday and the club had 7 athletes taking part. Philip Harty fresh form his win the previous night in the Killarney 15 mile road race was our first finisher in 3rd place 21.06 followed by Padraig Healy who had an excellent run to finish 7th in 23.10 with victory going to Sergiu Ciobanu Clonliffe Harriers in 20.20 and James Mc Carthy East Cork AC was 2nd in 20.45.The Ladies race was won by local Lady Niamh Walsh Youghal 25.23. With Liam Budds getting a top 20 finishing position in 13th place 23.44.Onra Power was our sole Female competitor finishing 124th in 34.54.well done to all
3 Philip Harty 21:06
7 Padraig Healy 23:10
13 Liam Budds 23:44
22 Shane Power 25:00
37 Jim Fleming 26:16
106 John Foney 32:34
124 Onra Power 34:54
VICTORY FOR SANDIS IN PILTOWN.
Race number 3 in the Carrick road runner’s series, The Morris Oil sponsored Piltown 10k was held last Friday evening and a field of 170 runners finished the course. Sandis Bralitis was once again the man of the night just a week after another great win in the Ger Wyley series the GlaxoSmithKline 5 the previous Friday evening he again turned in a solid performance to take an easy victory in Piltown in a time of 31.56 from home town athlete Brian Murphy 32.25, Limerick’s Ruairi O’Donnell 33.41 was third. The Ladies race was won by Angela Mc Cann Clonmel AC with a time of 37.41 from Carrick AC’s Martina O’Dwyer 37.59, Diane Behan Waterford AC was third in 40.31.Des Feeney was 17th in 37.11 with John Leahy two place further back in 19th 37.17.The club had 20 runners taking part on the night. The final race in the series will take place on Friday 6th August with the Autopower Rathgormack 5 at 7.30 pm
West Waterford finishers in Piltown
1st Sandis Bralitis 31.56
17th Des Feeney 37.11
19th John Leahy 37.17
43rd Tom Leahy 40.26
52nd Jim Fleming 41.07
69th Mark Cliffe 42.52
83rd Tom Moroney 43.57
85th Ted O’Leary 44.25
86th Michael Wade 44.46
88th Gerry O’Connor 44.49
90th Shane Power 45.00
93rd Josie Ui Chuirrin 45.12
98th Trevor Walsh 45.44
104th Paul Brunnock 46.17
145th Catriona Kiely 51.15
149th Onra Power 51.2
154th John Foley 53.40
157th Ann Massey 56.23
166th Terri Gough 60.42
PHILIP HARTY WINS KILLARNEY 15 MILER.
Things are certainly on the up and up for West Waterford’s Philip Harty of late with some great victories now coming his way once again .He added yet another such victory to his belt last Saturday evening when taking part in the Killarney 15 mile road race. Philip came home a deserving victor in a time of 1.19.34 well clear of Ferrybanks John Cleary 1.20.48 with Eugene Mc Carthy 3rd in 1.25.21
Lucy Brennen won the Ladies event in 1.34.58 from local Kerry Lady Maureen Harrington 1.47.17.
COMERAGH CRYSTAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR.
TREVOR WALSH LEADS AT HALF-WAY STAGE
After narrowly missing out on some monthly awards, Trevor Walsh can take consolation in the fact that at the half-way stage he is the current leader if only by a single point. While some athletes earned many a point in some months which was followed by a month with low scores, Trevor’s consistency throughout has earned him the lead after the first 6 months of the competition. For each of the months from January to June Trevor was always within a point or two of the monthly winners and for the months of February and June he actually had the same points as the winner but didn’t get the award as in such a situation the award goes to the athlete with the higher score from the previous month. With such consistency, Trevor will surely pick up a monthly award in the near future and with a busy summer ahead on the road racing scene he will be clocking up the points nicely to add to his tally of 39. Just one point behind is Paul Brunnock who was the June winner and then it’s a tie between Angeline Drennan, Josie Ui Chuirrin and Claire Walsh who are all on 37 points. Caitriona Kiely and Ann Dunford are both on 36 points, Triona Wall on 35 with Norma Wall, Corinna Walsh and Onra Power all on 34 points. There are plenty on 33 points as well and plenty more on 32 and 31 and with a further 6 months to go in the competition it certainly is all to play for. So far the highest monthly score has been recorded by Onra Power with a truly remarkable tally of 14 points and it remains to be seen if this monthly score will be beaten or even equalled. The scores shown are for the months of January to June only.
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Trevor Walsh 39
Paul Brunnock 38
Angeline Drennan 37
Josie Ui Chuirrin 37
Claire Walsh 37
Caitriona Kiely 36
Ann Dunford 36
Triona Wall 35
Norma Wall 34
Corinna Walsh 34
Onra Power 34
RAIVIS BUSY ON THE ROAD RACING CIRCUIT.
Raivis Zakis was busy over the weekend taking part in two races back to back. He was in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Saturday for the Adidas 5 miler and finished in 8th place in a field of 6.000 starters with a splendid time of 25.02 excellent running indeed and a great time on a tough enough course on the following day he was in action in the Castle run at Waterford Castle finishing 2nd in a sprint finish with Ferrbank’s Shane Quinn.
BALLYMACARBRY 5 MILE ROAD RACE AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY
The penultimate race of the Ger Wyley Sports/Nike summer series is almost upon us with the date being set for Friday night, July 30th at 7.30 pm. A few years back it was decided to move this race from the Bank Holiday Monday to the Friday night and this has seen the numbers in the race increase steadily since. The entries will be taken in the new community centre from 6 pm onwards and the race itself starts on the Nire Road. This race is very scenic indeed given that the course takes in some wooded section and so it has a bit of everything with up-hills and down-hills and a wooded area so plenty to suit all tastes. The race itself starts at 7.30 pm and after the race, showers and changing will be available in the community centre and then it’s over to Doocey’s Bar for the refreshments and the prize-giving. The Doocey family have kindly sponsored this race once again and we appreciate their support and generosity. With some of the division tables being very close at the moment this will be a very important race for many to seal their fate on the division tables so see you all out in Ballymacarbry! The entry fee is the usual 8 Euros and the usual prizes apply. Thanks to all the crew in Ballymac who through their efforts once again this year has made it possible to hold this race.
MEN
1st 3 Senior, 1st Junior, 1st 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, 0/55, 0/60 and 1st local
Ladies
1st 3 Senior, 1st Junior, 1st 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, 0/55 and 1st local
VOUCHERS FOR THE SUMMER SERIES
All those that joined the summer series, the entry to which is now closed, will receive a 25 euro voucher if they complete any 6 of the ten race programme and for anybody that manages to run all ten races, they will receive a 75 euro voucher. We have the biggest number to date of those who are on course for doing all ten so there will be plenty of shopping done after the summer series and no doubt a pair of runners will be well and truly needed after completing all ten! Of course we won’t know the final tally until the last race which is the Ardmore 5 but at this point in time there are 27 men and 11 ladies on target.
Trevor Walsh
Gary Mc Cormack
Trevor Mason
Pearce Moloney
Pat Earley
Tom Leahy
John Leahy
Tomás Coleman
Mark Cliffe
Anthony Dwyer
Ray Burke
Pascal F Proctor
Michael Deegan
Paul Brunnock
Adrian Fitzgerald
Micheál Callaghan
James Veale
Richard Griffin
Paddy Street
Donal O Donoghue
Liam Budds
Martin Hayes
Gerry Cantwell
John Flynn
P.J. Curran
Vincent Tutty
Maurice Boland
Diane Behan
Angeline Drennan
Noelle Conway
Bernie Prendergast
Claire Walsh
Catriona Kiely
Ann Massey
Triona Wall
Martina Walsh
Mary Riordan
Marion Moloney
SUMMER SERIES LEAGUE TABLES
While the league tables are certainly taking shape it’s not until the final race that all will be revealed. In the tables at the moment, each athlete’s score is the accumulation of all the races they have done so far so it’s fair to say that it is a tad misleading. Those that have done fewer races done are obviously higher up the tables than those that have done most or all of the races so far but after the Ardmore race it will be everybody’s best 6 races that will determine their overall score and only then will the winners be declared. However, even at this stage some predictions can be made with certain conviction. Pauline Lambe will definitely take the ladies title again this year as she has run 5 races and has won all five so she needs to run only one more race and she has it all sewn up as they say. Martina O’ Dwyer has 4 races done and so must run the next two and so looks set to take second spot with Norma Wall, Corinna Walsh and Cait Caulfield left to fill the remaining top 5 positions. In 10th place at the moment is Ann Whelan on 85 points, Rosarie Kealy in 15th place on 137, Sinead Moore in 20th position on 174 points, Caitriona Kiely in 25th with a score of 290, Paula Collins in 30th on 423, Jacinta Shiel with 504 is in 35th but again as already stated this may change when the best 6 is taken into account. The men’s will be won once again by Sandis Bralitis. In fact, he has it won as he has done 6 races and has won all 6 so the title is his once again for 2010. There will be a battle for the next spot with Raivis on 10 and Brian Murphy on 12. Shane Mullaney is on 21 points, Rory Moloney on 25, Frank Quinlan on 28, Kevin Kenneally on 38, Martin McCarthy on 53, Tommy Falconer on 66 and Andrew Leary on 75. This makes the top ten but as with the ladies it can all change or it may not, either way it will be very close between some of the athletes which will make for great races over the coming weeks. Prizes will be awarded to the top ten and then every tenth person after that and currently in 20th place is Patrick Roche of Carrick-on-Suir, Yev is in 30th spot, James Veale in 40th place, Adrian Fitzgerald of Kilmac in 50th place, John Foley in 60th place, Vincent Tutty in 70th and Pearse Moloney in 80th.
MUNSTER MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD
The Munster Masters Track and Field competition for 2010 will take place on Sunday August 1st in CIT which is convenient to all at West Waterford A.C. so seeing as it’s only a short trip up the road we hope to have as many club members as possible make the effort to compete on the day. The club has a proud record in this competition over the past few years where we have taken the cup home in 2007, 2008 and 2009 so let’s hope we can make it 4 in a row for West Waterford. These victories were secured by the combined efforts of the men and ladies teams who participated in many different events with some athletes taking medals in multiple competitions. At this stage we would like to thank the athletes who have made themselves available to travel on the day and if you have yet to contact us regarding entry please contact either Ann Dunford (086 0619711) or Norma Wall (087 9385965) as soon as possible. We will announce travel details in next week’s notes.
BALLYCOTTON CHURCHTOWN SOUTH 5 MILE ROAD RACE
The third race of the Ballycotton summer programme takes place tomorrow night in Churchtown South at 8 pm. The race entry is €5 with entries taken in the local hall. Given that there have been exceptional numbers taking part in the other races; it’s advisable to get there in plenty of time. As it’s just halfway in the series the following is the total time recorded by those in the series so far.
Paul Brunnock 1.10.28
Ted O’ Leary 1.17.36
Eamon Flavin 1.17.56
John Fennell 1.20.18
Brigid Coffey 1.16.35
Onra Power 1.25.24
Mary Harney 1.29.02
TED O’ LEARY COMPETES IN CORKBEG
Club member Ted O’ Leary competed in the Corkbeg 5 mile road race recently and had a fine performance to finish in a time of 37.13, so well done to you Ted.
RUNNING QUOTE
Part of the challenge of the marathon is pushing past what you think is physically possible. You can do more than you think you can.
TWO WEST WATERFORD ATHLETES TO COMPETE AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
It’s not ever day that a club can boost to have one of its members on an Irish team for a major championship event. Well how about having two club members taking part, such is the case for West Waterford AC as in next weeks European championships in Barcelona The club proudly has two of its members taking part. Both race walkers Jamie Costin in the 20k and his girlfriend Zuzana Malikova in the Ladies 20k event. Zuzana will dawn the singlet for her home country Slovakia. Both Jamie and Zuzana have prepared well for the championships with Jamie breaking the Irish 3 k record at the recent Cork city sports and a week later finishing 2nd to Rob Heffernan in the national track and filed championships. All at the club wish both of them the very best and a group of club supporters will be in Barcelona to cheer on our club members.
Athletics Ireland has just announced a 30-strong team for what will be the 20th European championships. The team consists of 30 athletes and includes three relay teams. The team will feature all of Ireland’s top athletes including David Gillick, who will run in the 400m, Derval O’Rourke, who will compete in the 100m Hurdles and Paul Hession in the 100m and 200m, World silver medallist Olive Loughnane is also competing. Paralympian Jason Smyth is also named in the squad and will compete in the 100m.Liam Hennessy, President of Athletics Ireland, is looking forward to the Championships. “The European Championships have been the focus for all these athletes since last year’s World Championships. They have been training towards this all year and they are in great condition. Barcelona is a fantastic venue for the event and we should see some really exciting performances from the Irish team.” The European Championships take place in Olympic Stadium in Barcelona from the 27th July to 1st August. Keep an eye on our club web site for photos and updates during the championships.www.westwaterfordathletics.org
European Championships – Barcelona – 27th July to 1st August
Jason Smyth City of Derry AC 100m
Paul Hession Athenry AC 200m
Niamh Whelan Ferrybank AC 200m
Joanne Cuddihy KCH 200 and 400m
David Gillick DSD 400m
Gordon Kennedy Tullamore Harriers 800m
Brian Gregan Clonliffe AC 800m
David McCarthy Le Cheile AC 800m
Roseanne Galligan Newbridge AC 800m
Thomas Chamney Crusaders AC 1500m
Alistair Cragg Clonliffe AC 5000m
Mark Christie Mullingar Harriers 5000m
Derval O'Rourke Leevale AC 100m Hurdles
Michelle Carey Dublin Striders 400m Hurdles
Justine Kinney Loughborough 400m Hurdles
Brona Furlong Slaney Olympic 400m Hurdles
Fionnuala Britton Sli Chulainn 3000SC
Stephanie Reilly Sli Chulainn 3000SC
Deirdre Ryan DSD High Jump
Kelly Proper Ferryabank AC Long Jump
Tori Pena Finn Valley AC Pole Vault
Robert Heffernan Togher AC 20K and 50 K Walk
Jamie Costin West Waterford AC 20k Walk
Olive Loughnane Loughrea AC 20K Walk
Ladies 4x100m Relay Ailis McSweeney Leevale AC,Amy Foster Leevale AC,Claire Brady Celbridge AC, Derval O'Rourke Leevale AC, Niamh Whelan Ferrybank AC and Kelly Proper Ferrybank AC.
Mens 4x400m Relay David Gillick DSD, Gordon Kennedy Tullamore Harriers, Brian Gregan Clonliffe AC, Brian Murphy UCC AC and David McCarthy Le Cheile AC
Ladies 4x400 Relay Joanne Cuddihy KCH, Michelle Carey Dublin Striders, Justine Kinney Loughborough, Brona Furlong Slaney Olympic, Marian Heffernana Togher AC and Claire Bergin DSD