Newcastle AC’s finest produce at Delamont

Newcastle AC’s finest produce at Delamont

8 February 2023

A LOW-LYING February sun shone down upon Delamont Country Park on Sunday afternoon as East Down AC hosted the third race of the 22/23 McGrady’s Financial Services Junior Cross Country Series.

Many of Newcastle AC’s juniors welcomed a return to the course after representing their schools in the second round of the Flahavans Primary Schools Cross Country League and at the Ulster Schools’ district heats. 

First up we welcomed back the shortest legs in the competition for the P4 and under category.

Méabh Flynn was on fire as she led from the front and tackled the first hill like it was a Hill and Dale race, pushing hard right to the end.

Not far behind was Sophie Kerr, who used the final downhill to stretch out and finish strong. Rua Gosling was hot on her heels and with more race experience will definitely come into her own.

Event favourite and newly turned four year-old Charlotte Kerr was flanked on all sides by her cheer squad as they encouraged her and kept her focused on the finishing flags.

The P4 and under boys’ race welcomed Ruaidhri Watson back to the field, who had missed the previous race due to illness. He fought so hard at the end but was pipped to third place. Luca McIntosh ran well over the 500m course and led clubmate Mark McDonald across the line.

The P5 race witnessed some amazing performances from our juniors. Harry McVeigh took a convincing win in his first of three races in the next five days for the current U-10 Ulster XC champion. Rossa McAleenan tussled with East Down’s Mark Canavan throughout but it was the opposing red and yellow jersey that secured second place with Rossa taking third. Cuan McMurray followed shortly behind with a focused and smooth run.

Elizabeth Houston took second place in the P5 girls’ category as she dug deep on the final straight to finish well.

The P6 race was entertaining to watch as the boys and girls both lined up together. Always a fan of the mixed races as it does give a different dynamic to the event, this race surely showed it.

Leading young lady Emily Kerr was matched stride by stride by clubmate Senan Gosling, who was not going to let up even if it was Emily’s 10th birthday. The two of them crossed the line together to rapturous applause for a well fought battle right around which earned Senan second boy and Emily first girl.

It was fantastic to see Isla McMullan back to herself and maybe the welcomed addition of a puppy to the family and the day’s support crew helped encourage her to take third place. Luke McDonald was close behind in her footsteps for fourth boy home.

The P7 category reverted to the boys and girls only races to accommodate numbers.

A superb and confident run from Connaire Og McVeigh rattled a few of his competitors at different points throughout. He crossed the line comfortably in second place as he prepared himself to toe the line against some of the same runners the next day.

Training partner Saorlaith McAleenan made light work of the P7 girls’ race. Running a conservative race with her focus on the upcoming Flavahans race, it was still a sight to behold — impeccable form with a controlled run, never challenged from the whistle.

Mary Houston, Lily McMurray and Aoife Grant all knew that they would be joining Saorlaith on the same start line in Newtownards for their respective schools the following day. However, this didn’t stop a passion-filled display of talent from these young ladies, who all finished well under six minutes for the 1200m route.

As the day progressed into the post primary categories,  strategies moved from those preparing for Flavahans to those having to consider the Ulster Schools finals on Wednesday with some runners opting to not take part on the day to save themselves and avoid a potential injury.

The Year 8 girls’ race saw a return to winning ways for Masie McVeigh, just in time for a confidence boost and a reminder of the talent that she has before she heads to Mallusk. She cruised through the finish line with 15 seconds to spare over second place.

Estelle Austin has really come into her own and that mixing up the Monday night sessions between speed work and trips to the Mast are paying off as it was clear she believed in herself and her natural running abilities.

She secured a very convincing fourth place and was soon joined across the line by Niamh Watson, who has also continued to embrace the Monday climb to overlook a lit-up Newcastle.

The craic and banter on the Year 8 boys’ start line was soon silenced as spectators witnessed a hard fought battle throughout the race.

Fiachna McAleenan found the skilled race tactics of Paddy Sherrard posed a challenge and at many stages they were shoulder to shoulder. Paddy had spent the morning at the Mary Peters Track for his final meet of the Flahavans Endurance Squad and maybe the drive and acceleration of Fiachna in the closing stages was just too much this time for him to take the lead. Both boys admitted it in the aftermath that it was a great race and the spectators are looking forward to the next race.

Fionn McEvoy put in a steady race and showed promise over the 1400m with Rónán Grant taking the race to a close with a finish even Euild Kipchoge would be proud of.

Aaron O Boyle continues to lead the Year 9 boys’ category and although he was at no point even threatened with an 18-second cushion, in the end he pushed himself and showed grit and determination to the last stride.

Clubmate Jamie O’Flaherty continues to make his mark in this category and displays remarkable courage and drive just losing out to 2nd place. Rowan Bailey competed in the competition for the first time this series and produced a confident display throughout the race. 

The Year 9 girls race marked another win in the competition for Erin Easton using the second lap to widen the gap between school and club mate Sarah Uhomoibhi in second. 

Emily McMullan joined both the Year 10 girls’ and boys’ race as the only Newcastle AC representative for a multi-lap 1800m. She was focused and steady throughout, taking fourth place. 

To finish, the Year 11+ race ensured that the day ended on a cliff edge. There was a smart, controlled run from Euan McIntosh, who employed the sit tight and know your competition tactics. As the race neared a close, the early acceleration from East Down’s Daryl Glennon unlocked the most powerful finish of the day with Euan driving forward in a straight out sprint for the line. His strength, determination and knowledge of his own abilities was clear as he crossed the line in third place with a two-second advantage over fourth spot.

Sophie Neill went out hard and soon found her pace settling over the 2000m. She eventually finished second in 9.10. 

A huge thank you to the team at East Down AC for an efficient and smoothly organised event and to the event sponsors McGrady’s Financial Services for affording the opportunity to our local young athletes to participate in such an amazing event. 

Next up in the series is race four, which will be hosted by Newcastle AC on March 5 in Tollymore Forest Park.