McPhillips is the league leader
After the second round of the junior cross-country league, held in the Kilmacow Sports Complex on Sunday, Orla McPhillips, Kilkenny City Harriers has established a clear lead. A second place finish on Sunday coupled with her first place two weeks previously puts her in a commanding position. A reasonable finish in the final round on January 17 should give her outright victory.
After Sunday’s race the Gowran ladies have moved into first place in the team competition with Gretta Kennedy finishing first, Eleanor Kennedy third and Johanna Morrissey in fifth place. Kilkenny City Harriers who in addition to McPhillips had Sarah Nolan fourth, Maeve Keane sixth, and Niamh Tuohy seventh, are in second place. The lead in the Junior Men’s League is shared by Darragh Buggy, Gowran and Conor Mahon, Kilkenny City Harriers, with Gerry Walsh, Gowran, in third place.
“B” Novice
Eilish Cantwell and Caoilte Malone, both Kilkenny City Harriers, finished first and second respectively in the Ladies B Novice. In the Men’s B Novice St Senans had good results with Martin Delahunty first and Colm Sheridan second. Steve Dermody, Kilkenny City Harriers, finished third ahead of Mick Walsh, Gowran.
Good competition by juveniles
Despite the harsh winter conditions there was a good turnout for the county “B” juvenile cross-country championships hosted by the St Senan’s club on Sunday. There was also some excellent competition with the spoils being well distributed around the county.
Castlecomer struck twice with Ross Connolly winning the boys’ under 11 and Tom Phelan taking the gold in the under 15 race. Kate Drennan and Nicole Carter brought gold and silver to Gowran in the under 11 race, and Cormac Buggy added another gold with an excellent win in the boys under 13. Thomastown had individual winners with Jordan Knight, under 11; Ciara O’Keeffe, under 9; and with Marita Butler, Aoife Farrell, and Sive Behan won gold, silver and bronze in the under 13 race. St Joseph’s had winners with Aine McDonald, under seven and Darragh McDonald, under 9. As with the individual winners there was a variety of team winners. First team medals were won by Kilkenny City Harriers in girls’ under 11 (Rebecca Keane, Adrienne King and Ella Richardson ), St Senan’s in boys under 11 (Aaron Donnelly, Thomas Sheridan and Bill Dempsey ), Thomastown in girls under 13 (M Butler, A Farrell and S Behan ) and Brow Rangers in boys under 13 (J J Kelly, A Kelly, and T Quirke ).
National finals in Coleraine
Athletes from the south of the county will face a round trip in excess of 800 kilometres to the course in the grounds of The University of Ulster, Coleraine. There will be a considerable number of Kilkenny athletes making the long journey in search of the honours. After a good return from the Leinster finals in Tullamore expectations will be high that the performances of a month ago can be repeated. Individuals like Luke FitzPatrick, Aughavillar, under 11; Rebecca Kennedy, Gowran, and Sean Power, Thomastown, under 13; James Maher, Kilkenny City Harriers, and Megan Morrissey, Thomastown, under 15; Mary Ellen Doyle and John Murphy, both Gowran, under 17 and Conor Rochford, St Senan’s, under 19, will all be hoping for top 10 finishes. The boys under 13 team with four members, Sean Power, Paul Manning, James Power and Cormac Buggy, on the Leinster panel look the strongest team going from the county. The girls under 17, with Mary Ellen Doyle at the helm, will also be in contention.
