Newcastle AC juniors star at Fab 5 series

Newcastle AC juniors star at Fab 5 series

17 April 2024

THE adverse weather didn’t deter over 500 participants from eight years-old up to master athletes from getting stuck into the first meeting of this year’s Lagan Valley AC, Fab 5 series at Mary Peters Track last week. 

With record numbers signed up on the day, registration was flawless and every event went off without a hitch, even gaining time and running ahead of schedule much to the delight of those whose events neared the 10pm start. 

Newcastle AC had members involved from U-10 to the senior ladies, covering all three disciplines of running, jumping and throwing. 

Continuing the assault on the series from the juniors last year, there were a number of podium finishes and plenty of memories made. 

At U-10, Ruaidhrí Watson was welcomed to the track. With so much to take in regarding track etiquette and the enormity of the event, it would be easy to get overwhelmed, however, the young man toed the line in the 60m sprint against boys two school years older than him to secure fourth place in his heat and ninth overall in 10.92. 

He moved onto the long jump and set his first distance to beat in 2.23m, finishing in eighth place.

At the other end of the track, Cliona McAleenan tentatively took on the U-10 turbo javelin. 

Cliona threw 7.25m to win her first track and field medal at her debut event with second place and a year to spare in this age category.

The U-12 category welcomed the fearless duo of Harry McVeigh and Rossa McAleenan back to the track, who took club-mate Cuan McMurray under their wing. They kicked off the evening with the 100m clocking times of 14.88, 15.93 and 19.50, respectively. 

They also headed to the long jump pit together in far from ideal conditions as the heaviest rain of the event relentlessly fell. Rossa had recently missed out on an All-Ireland qualifying spot in Dublin at the Ulster Indoor Championships, though since then he hadn’t lost his drive and determination, jumping 3.55m to take second place. 

Elated with his performance and bursting with excitement on the podium filtered through the crowd watching on delighted for the young man. 

Harry also gave plenty in the event jumping 3.46m, however, his mind was firmly focused on his upcoming 600m that got underway shortly afterwards. 

Cuan continued to improve through his jumps finishing with a strong jump of 2.36 for 16th place. All three lads joined the two heat line-up to round off their evening. 

In heat one of two, Harry put last week’s All-Ireland start to bed as he went off hard and the whole race was dictated by Harry and A Keep Er Lit athlete, who were clearly well ahead of the rest of the pack. 

Harry pushed hard and secured a track 600m PB in 1.49 in woeful conditions but was pipped to the post on the line and picked up the silver medal as the second fastest overall. Rossa had a really strong race too and fought for his position right to the end to finish in 2.04 for 11th place on a distance PB. 

Cuan was the only Newcastle AC runner in race two, fighting hard to the final line to finish overall 22nd place. A great start to the outdoor season for all three boys. 

The U-14 category was well represented by the club yet again. 

Heat one of the 100m saw the club’s two most decorated athletes, Eve McNamara and Maisie McVeigh, go head to head. 

Eve set off at a blistering pace with a phenomenal start though once she had straightened up, the girls were shoulder to shoulder and pulled each other through the mid section of the race.  

With 20m to go, Maisie got a stride in front and her core strength drove her over the line to take the win with Eve just a breath behind. 

This race alone produced second and third place overall for Maisie and Eve once all heats here completed with their Rising Stars team-mate taking first place. 

In the following heats, Aoife Grant and Lily McMurray had great runs to finish in 17.29 and 19. 68, respectively. 

Saorlaith McAleenan put in a strong finish to secure third place in her heat in 15.38 and with another year in this category shows great promise as a sprinter. 

The club also welcomed Leah Savage to her first event in yellow and red to finish the race in 19.15. 

Over at the long jump pits, the U-14 girls category was the busiest of all the events 40 participants entered. 

Eve’s vast improvement in her self belief and acknowledging her abilities as a multi-eventer shone through as with each run up she drove hard and gained distance each jump. 

Hitting the sand with forward grace she found herself on top of the podium with a new PB of 4.29m. 

Maisie and Saorlaith showed improvement on last year’s long jump distances, taking 3.48 and 3.45 each for 11th and 12th place. 

Mary Houston had joined the U-14 line up, avoiding the 100m and jumping strong for 3.22m. 

Aoife improved on last year’s distance, also with 2.37m, and Lily found herself cruising over the 2m marker for 2.04. 

Leah made great strides for her first attempt at long jump for the club and with more practice will refine her form and use those long legs to gain several centimetres finishing in 31st place with a jump of 1.87m. 

The 800m race was more like a duathlon as the rain didn’t give up at all. Eve claimed third place in her heat with a strong run of 2.40.19 which equated to ninth overall across all three heats. 

Mary Houston found speed on the second lap and capitalised on tired legs in front as she finished in 3.01.26. 

Lily McMurray held strong to finish in 3.39.47. 

Connaire Og McVeigh also had a notable evening across all his events at U-14, proving that over both short and mid distance races, that he has plenty to offer. 

He also entered this category as a junior and so far this year he is making a name for himself moving forward. 

His 100m time was 15.26 and it was evident his training support for younger brother Harry in his preparation for All-Irelands was invaluable as his 800m was the best race Connaire Og has ever ran in recent years, winning his heat by two clear seconds and securing fifth place overall.

At senior level, Siobhan Grant made her field debut for the club moving from junior coach to participant from the throwing circle as she stepped up to the senior ladies shot putt. 

With conditions tricky underfoot to ensure a solid glide throw she was well grounded and technique was flawless throwing the 4kg implement for 5.90m to secure fourth place overall. 

A sound start for this year’s road to masters in June. On the track it was time for the recent NI & Ulster Intermediate Cross Country champion, Joanne Mills, to leave the muck and gutters behind and embrace the track. 

Joanne finished fourth overall and was first senior lady across the line in 2.21.98.