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Shercock Junior Men Finish Second in Tuzla The Shercock junior men's squad traveled to Tuzla, Bosnia, at the weekend to compete in Group B of the European Champion Clubs Cup. A long journey by plane to Dubrovnik followed by a 9 hour coach trip through Bosnia saw the team arrive in the northern city at 5am on Friday, however they soon overcame any remaining travel fatigue and put in a good training session at the stadium on Friday afternoon in preparation for Saturday's competition. Valuable time was gained for the 4x100m relay squad which had to be re-arranged at short notice following an injury to Philip Daly a week earlier. By the end of the competition, the team would finish in second place behind hosts Sloboda-Technograd, having held off a strong challenge from Italy and Greece. Thirteen medal winning performances, seven personal bests and promotion for Ireland to Group A were the summary statistics for the club's best day's competition in its short history. |
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Strong opening performances by Padraig White in the hammer, James Ruxton in the 400m hurdles and Kevin McCloy helped Shercock into an early lead on the points table. The pole vault seemed doomed to be a Shercock graveyard, however, as Philip Daly's injury was followed by a refusal by Aer Lingus to carry the club's vault poles on their little airbus. Substitute James Muldoon was forced to use a short borrowed pole with the characteristics of a scaffold tube however two other competitors were in the same predicament and James came out the best of the threesome with a modest clearance of 3m which was enough to secure the bronze medal and some unexpected points. As temperatures soared in the early afternoon the host club edged in front and gradually moved out of reach as the day progressed. James King and Kevin McCloy kept the team in contention with silver medals in close fought 1500m and 800m races. A strategic switch of Caolán Flanagan into the long jump and Brian Flatley into the triple jump reaped dividends when Caolán produced an impressive PB of 7.02m to finish second while Brian finished third in the triple jump, also achieving a PB with a 13.14m effort. |
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| Padraig White releases the hammer on his way to securing the silver medal with a best effort of 48.57m. | |
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| James Ruxton also secured silver in the 400m hurdles behind Danish record holder Andreas Bube. | |
| The first Irish gold of the day came from sixteen year old Aaron Crawford with a great performance in the javelin while Gerry O'Reilly followed suit with a win in the 200m in a PB of 21.83s. Italian club Toscana Atletica and Greek club Eleftherios Venizelos closed to within a few points of Shercock as the final two events - the relays - approached. The 4x100m saw a spirited effort by the club team, who had been re-arranged at short notice the day before and took third place in a close-fought affair. The Italians, however, were second and closed to within a point of Shercock. The 4x400m would require something special if the chance of gaining a cherished promotion position was to be realised. Gerry O'Reilly produced a great opening leg, splitting just under 50s to send James Ruxton off in second place. James took the lead on the back straight but was overtaken by Bosnia in the run-in to the change zone as he passed to James King, who produced a great leg to claw back the advantage, taking the lead on the final baton change to Kevin McCloy. As the Irish supporters shouted themselves hoarse, Kevin ran away from the last Bosnian runner to take the gold medal with Italy well behind in 5th place. The win saw Ireland finish well clear in second place with a 78 point total behind Bosnia (88) and ahead of Italy (70), Greece (65) and Denmark (57). Promotion of Ireland to Group A - the top 8 junior clubs in Europe - was confirmed later that evening providing a great opportunity for whichever club the AAI select for the competition in 2006. | |
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Matthew O'Reilly finished fifth in a highly competitive shot putt competition. |
David Shields scored useful points when finishing fourth in the high jump with a best effort of 1.90m. |
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Kevin McCloy set a PB of 1:55 when finishing second in the 800m to Bosnia's Dusan Babic. |
James Muldoon picked up a surprise bronze medal as a late substitute for Philip Daly in the pole vault and also finished fifth in the steeplechase. |
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Results
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| Gerry O'Reilly produced another great run over 200m, winning in a new PB of 21.83s. | Aaron Crawford was also in gold medal winning form in the javelin, with a winning throw of 51.80m. |
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| Caolán Flanagan took to the long jump runway for the first time in two years and produced a sensational best effort of 7.02m in the fifth round to finish second. | The multi-talented Brian Flatley brought his skill to bear in the triple jump, producing a 13.14m effort to set a new PB and win the bronze medal. |
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| 1500m - James King tracks Bosnia's Nenad Tosevic while Italy's Giovanni Boccoli struggles to keep pace. The places remained unchanged despite a titanic struggle at the front, James achieving a new PB of 3:57.64 in the process. | 3000m - Noel Carroll was unlucky to win only a bronze medal as a strong finish saw him close down a large gap to second place on the final lap. |
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| Hugh Fitzpatrick threw a PB of 32.80m to take fifth place in the discus. | Peter Muldoon sets the early pace in the non-scoring 3000m walk which he went on to win by a large margin. |
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| Irish soldiers Jimmy Bartley, Dermot Murray, Ger Fogarty, Dave O'Shea and Pat Houlihan took time out from serving with EUFOR in Bosnia to support the Irish assault in Tuzla. | The Irish crowd take on water as the temperature soars in the early afternoon. |
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| Craig Lynch passes to Gerry O'Reilly in the 4x100m in which the team finished third behind Bosnia and Italy. | A critical changeover as Kevin McCloy takes the baton from James King in the 4x400m and takes the inside lane from the Bosnian team, who went on to set a new national record when finishing second behind Shercock. |
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| Mission accomplished - the 4x400m relay team celebrate their win which secured second place for Shercock in the overall competition ahead of Italy. | The 4x100m team were in festive mood at the medal presentation ceremony - Aaron Crawford, Caolán Flanagan, Gerry O'Reilly and Craig Lynch. |
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| Shercock are awarded the Cup for second place. | Caolán's attempt to win the best dressed medalist's award was sadly unsuccessful. |
European
Champion
Clubs
Cup
2005
The
annual
Cavan-Monaghan
Garda
Divisional
Open
Sports
were
held
in
Shercock
for
the
third
time
today
and
there
were
some
outstanding
competitions
despite
a
lower
than
expected
turnout
due
to
the
poor
weather
and
the
bank
holiday
weekend.
The
Senior
Track
&
Field
Championships
of
Ireland
took
place
in
Santry
over
the
weekend
and
featured
some
great
contests
for
the
crowds
who
braved
the
cool
and
blustery
conditions.
Shercock
had
a
number
of
athletes
in
action
including
Irish
schools
intermediate
champion
Gerard
O'Reilly
(left)
who
progressed
to
the
final
of
the
men's
200m
having
defeated
Darragh
Graham
in
his
heat
in
a
winning
time
of
22.01s.
The
final
came
down
to
a
head
to
head
between
Gary
Ryan
and
Paul
Brizzel
with
Brizzel
crossing
the
line
first
to
take
the
title.
Gerry
had
a
perfect
start
and
came
off
the
bend
in
a
phlanx
of
runners
which
included
Graham,
Caolan
Flanagan
and
Northern
Ireland
junior
record
holder
Jason
Smyth.
Graham
started
to
pull
ahead
in
the
home
straight
but
Gerry
fought
back
over
the
final
40m
and
overtook
the
Wicklow
man
on
the
line
for
a
surprise
bronze
medal.
Gerry
had
the
added
satisfaction
of
dipping
under
the
22
second
mark
for
the
second
time,
recording
21.98s
into
a
headwind. 
Three
Shercock
athletes
were
in
action
today
in
the
schools
international
between
Ireland,
England,
Scotland
and
Wales.
While
no
medals
were
won
by
the
trio
there
were
some
strong
individual
performances.
Paul
Fitzpatrick
put
in
a
battling
effort
in
the
3km
walk,
knocking
over
15
seconds
off
his
PB
for
the
event
when
finishing
fourth
in
14:38.8.
Gerard
O'Reilly
also
set
a
new
mark
for
100m
when
he
likewise
finished
fourth
in
a
PB
of
11.32s.
Gerry
went
on
to
also
finish
fifth
in
the
200m
final.
Matthew
O'Reilly
finished
in
sixth
place
in
the
shot
with
a
13.12m
putt.
At
the
Irish
age
group
championships
in
Tullamore
at
the
weekend,
Peter
Muldoon
(right)
set
a
new
championship
best
performance
for
the
5km
racewalk.
Competing
in
the
championships
for
the
last
time
before
moving
up
to
senior
level,
Peter
produced
one
of
his
strongest
performances
to
date
to
win
the
title
in
a
time
of
21:36
minutes
which
was
inside
the
previous
record
set
by
Joe
Ryan.
Peter
was
accompanied
for
the
opening
kilometer
by
Cushinstown's
Michael
Doyle
however
a
strong
pace
over
the
middle
phase
saw
him
move
into
a
clear
lead
which
he
developed
all
the
way
to
the
finish
line.
Peter
was
one
of
five
athletes
from
Shercock
won
national
titles
at
the
championships.
Gerry
O’Reilly
returned
from
the
European
Youth
Olympics
and
exchanged
the
thirty
degree
heat
of
Italy
for
the
twenty-seven
degree
heat
of
Tullamore
where
he
was
a
comfortable
winner
of
the
under
17
200m
in
a
relatively
modest
time
of
22.6s.
Philip
Daly
won
the
under
19
pole
vault
with
a
3.50m
clearance
and
finished
second
in
the
100m
in
11.25s
and
fourth
in
the
200m.
Kevin
Ruxton
won
the
under
16
pole
vault
for
the
second
year
in
succession
and
finished
fourteenth
in
the
800m
in
2:13.
Paul
Fitzpatrick
was
the
sole
competitor
in
the
under
17
3km
racewalk,
however
he
was
accompanied
in
the
early
stages
by
Kerry's
Niall
Prendeville
who
was
competing
in
the
under
16
age
group.
Paul
finished
the
race
comfortably
in
15:05
and
then
competed
in
the
pole
vault
in
which
he
finished
fourth
with
a
PB
of
2.70m.
There
were
further
medal
winning
performances
by
Shercock
athletes
James
Muldoon
(third
under
18
steeplechase
and
pole
vault),
Matthew
O’Reilly
(third
under
17
shot
putt)
and
Hugh
Fitzpatrick
(third
under
19
hammer).
A
number
of
athletes
narrowly
missed
out
on
medal
positions
including
Craig
Lynch
(fourth
under
16
high
jump),
Fiona
Murray
(fourth
under
18
1500m)
and
Paul
Smith
(6th
under
15
long
jump).
Three
Shercock
athletes
-
Gerard
O'Reilly,
Matthew
O'Reilly
and
Paul
Fitzpatrick,
shared
in
the
success
of
the
Ulster
team
which
won
the
Tailteann
Games
inter
provincial
competition
in
Tullamore
recently.
Gerry
repeated
his
schools'
sprint
double,
winning
the
100m
in
11.2s
and
the
200m
in
22.4s.
Paul
came
from
behind
in
the
3000m
racewalk,
taking
the
lead
at
the
halfway
point
and
producing
a
strong
finish
over
the
final
kilometer
to
win
by
a
large
margin
from
Munster's
Niall
Prenderville
in
14:57.5.
Matthew
produced
a
good
effort
to
take
third
place
in
the
shot
putt
behind
Leinster's
Luke
Mangan
and
his
Ulster
team
mate
Ashleigh
McCleneghan.
Gerry
finished
the
day
with
a
third
gold
medal
winning
performance
when
he
anchored
the
Ulster
4x100m
relay
team
to
victory.
There
was
further
good
news
for
the
three
Cavan
men
when
they
were
all
selected
for
the
Irish
Schools
team
who
will
compete
in
the
home
countries
international
against
England,
Scotland
and
Wales
on
July
16th,
when
Matthew
and
Paul
will
receive
their
first
Irish
vests.
Dublin
Grand
Prix
of
Racewalking
Gerry
O'Reilly
has
been
selected
for
the
200m
event
in
the
European
Youth
Olympic
Festival
which
takes
place
in
Italy
at
the
start
of
July.
Gerry
has
already
enjoyed
a
very
successful
season
in
2005,
winning
the
Irish
junior
indoor
200m
title
in
February
and
scoring
a
sprint
double
at
the
Irish
Schools
championships
in
Tullamore
in
his
first
year
in
the
intermediate
age
group
(left).
We
all
wish
him
our
warmest
congratulations
on
his
selection
and
every
success
to
the
Irish
team
in
Italy.
The
Shercock
men's
4x100m
relay
team
were
in
action
today
at
the
AAI
senior
relay
championships
in
Tullamore.
It
was
the
first
time
that
the
quartet
had
competed
together
as
a
4x100m
team
and
hopes
were
high
that
both
the
title
and
a
fast
time
were
within
reach.
Shercock
were
drawn
in
the
outside
lane
with
Clonliffe
Harriers
on
their
inside
and
from
the
gun
it
was
clear
that
it
was
going
to
be
a
two
horse
race.
Philip
Daly
started
for
Shercock
and
maintained
the
stagger
over
his
Clonliffe
opponent
before
passing
early
in
the
zone
to
Gerard
O'Reilly.
Gerry
matched
Clonliffe's
John
Laffey
stride
for
stride
down
the
back
straight
before
passing
to
James
Ruxton
who
ran
a
strong
bend.
Clonliffe,
however
pulled
ahead
on
the
third
leg
and
despite
the
best
efforts
of
Alan
McEntee
on
the
final
leg
he
was
unable
to
close
the
gap
and
Shercock
had
to
settle
for
second
on
this
occasion.
The
squad
were
consoled
with
a
new
club
record
of
43.24s,
however,
while
Clonliffe
won
in
42.95s
with
third
place
going
to
Carrick-on-Shannon
AC.
The
picturesque
venue
of
Belfast's
Mary
Peters
track
provided
the
setting
for
this
year's
combined
AAI
Ulster
and
NIAF
senior
track
and
field
championships
which
took
place
today
in
brilliant
sunshine
as
the
Irish
summer
finally
arrived
for
the
Ulster
athletics
community.
Initially
the
programme
dragged
and
faltered
as
heats
were
cancelled
due
to
a
lack
of
entries
leaving
long
gaps
in
the
schedule,
however
there
were
some
very
exciting
events
later
in
the
afternoon
when
the
finals
got
under
way.
The
first
title
of
the
day
was
won
by
Shercock's
Peter
Muldoon
who
powered
to
the
front
of
the
field
after
a
conservative
opening
lap
in
the
3km
walk
and
maintained
the
pressure
all
the
way
to
the
finish
line
to
win
convincingly
from
John
Egan
in
a
new
personal
best
of
13:14.
In
so
doing,
he
retained
the
title
he
had
won
for
the
first
time
in
2004.
Peter
is
pictured
left
tracking
Egan
on
the
opening
lap. 
Noel
Carroll
showed
no
sign
of
nerves
as
he
led
out
the
men's
3000m
steeplechase
on
the
opening
lap
(right)
in
his
first
major
senior
competition.
Noel
kept
up
the
pressure
throughout
the
race,
moving
quickly
to
the
front
whenever
the
pace
dropped
as
he
broke
away
from
the
rest
of
the
field
in
the
company
of
Andrew
Dunwoody
and
Turlough
Donnelly.
He
appeared
to
have
done
enough
to
secure
at
least
the
silver
medal
by
the
final
lap
as
Donnelly
dropped
behind,
however
the
Abbey
man
made
a
final
challenge
in
the
closing
stages
and
overtook
Noel
who
finished
just
one
second
behind
in
third
place.
The
story
was
all
about
the
time,
however,
as
the
clock
confirmed
that
his
dogged
perseverance
at
the
head
of
the
field
had
yielded
a
remarkable
improvement
in
his
personal
best,
which
he
reduced
by
over
30
seconds
when
finishing
in
9:42.
Briain
O'Dowd
from
Bailieborough
also
contested
the
steeplechase,
however
he
was
unable
to
reproduce
his
best
form
on
this
occasion
and
finished
down
the
field
in
a
time
of
10:50.
James
Ruxton
found
himself
in
his
second
race
in
just
a
matter
of
days
following
his
win
in
the
Tuesday
match
between
the
Irish
Universities
and
a
Northern
Ireland
under
23
team.
In
Belfast
the
opposition
came
from
Ian
Neely
from
B&A
and
Thomas
Patton
from
Thames
Valley
Harriers.
Neely
never
looked
under
pressure
for
the
title
however
James
started
well,
lying
in
second
place
after
the
first
three
hurdles.
A
disrupted
stride
pattern
on
the
final
bend
cost
him
valuable
time,
however
and
he
was
overtaken
by
Patton.
Coming
under
pressure
from
Ben
McIlroy
in
the
home
straight,
James
responded
positively
and
pulled
away
after
the
pair
cleared
the
final
hurdle
(left)
to
take
the
bronze
medal.
Matthew
O'Reilly
struggled
to
qualify
from
the
Ulster
championships
in
which
he
had
finished
in
third
place
in
the
intermediate
shot
and
discus
and
initially
it
seemed
as
though
he
was
destined
for
an
inauspicious
day
out
in
Tullamore
as
he
struggled
at
the
bottom
of
the
field
in
the
discus.
Matthew
kept
a
surprise
up
his
sleeve
for
the
shot
putt,
however
when
he
let
loose
the
best
putt
of
his
life
to
break
the
ground
at
a
distance
of
14.03m,
improving
his
personal
best
by
almost
70cm
and
securing
the
silver
medal
behind
the
impressive
Luke
Mangan
from
Belvedere
(14.57m). 
The
celebration
of
50
years
of
Ballymena
&
Antrim
athletic
club
coincided
with
the
official
opening
of
the
refurbished
track
at
the
Antrim
Forum
today
with
the
holding
of
the
Antrim
Games,
which
featured
many
of
Ireland's
leading
athletes.
Two
Shercock
athletes
featured
in
the
programme
-
Gerard
O'Reilly
in
the
men's
200m
and
James
Ruxton
in
the
400m
hurdles.
Gerry
continued
an
impressive
start
to
the
2005
outdoor
season
with
a
strong
run
in
the
200m,
coming
off
the
bend
in
tandem
with
Darragh
Graham
as
Paul
Hession
pulled
away
from
the
pair
for
a
commanding
win.
Gerry
matched
Graham
stride
for
stride
down
the
home
straight
into
a
fierce
headwind
until
the
greater
strength
of
the
Wicklow
man
came
to
bear
and
he
pulled
ahead
of
his
fifteen-year
old
opponent
over
the
final
10m.
Gerry
finished
strongly
in
third
place
just
behind
Graham,
recording
a
useful
22.65s
into
the
headwind.
Pictured
right
are
Darragh
Graham,
2nd,
Paul
Hession,
1st
and
Gerry
O'Reilly,
3rd.
James
Ruxton
found
himself
in
a
head
to
head
battle
with
Ronan
Foulkes
from
Togher
AC
in
the
400m
hurdles.
The
race
was
won
by
Liam
McDiarmid
from
Ian
Neely
while
Ruxton
and
Foulkes
battled
it
out
for
third
place.
Despite
leading
into
the
final
straight,
Ruxton
lost
the
advantage
to
Foulkes
in
the
closing
stages
and
had
to
settle
for
fourth
place
on
this
occasion. 
Caolan
Flanagan
reached
new
heights
when
he
cleared
2.05m
to
win
the
men's
high
jump,
left.
Paul
Hession
produced
a
sprint
double
when
also
winning
the
100m
in
Antrim
while
Anna
Boyle
repeated
the
feat
to
win
the
women's
100m
and
200m.
Ciaran
O'Connell
powered
to
the
front
of
the
men's
800m
to
win
convincingly
however
any
chance
of
a
fast
time
was
blown
away
by
the
gale-force
winds.
The
men's
1500m
was
led
in
the
early
stages
by
Paul
Pollock
however
the
race
was
dominated
on
the
final
lap
by
Dominic
McAlister
and
the
precocious
talent
of
Waterford's
young
middle
distance
star
David
McCarthy
(right).
The
pair
battled
all
the
way
to
the
line
where
McCarthy
crossed
first
for
an
impressive
victory
in
3:58.
The
Antrim
Games
were
both
a
triumph
and
a
celebration
for
the
founders
of
Ballymena
&
Antrim
AC,
Sean
&
Maeve
Kyle,
who
are
celebrating
both
the
50th
anniversary
of
their
club
and
their
golden
wedding
anniversary.
Together
with
their
many
friends
in
the
Irish
athletics
community,
we
offer
them
our
warmest
congratulations
and
best
wishes
for
the
future.
The
AAI
Games
took
place
today
at
Ireland's
latest
athletics
venue,
Irishtown
Stadium.
In
its
short
life,
the
Dublin
track
has
gained
a
reputation
for
producing
fast
times
and
despite
adverse
weather
conditions,
three
of
our
club
athletes
set
impressive
new
marks
in
their
events.
Peter
Muldoon
made
a
successful
return
to
competition
in
the
5km
racewalk
and
broke
new
ground
when
he
covered
the
distance
in
a
useful
time
of
22:32,
which
he
achieved
as
a
solo
effort
in
the
absence
of
any
opposition.
James
Ruxton
dropped
down
from
his
usual
400m
hurdles
to
try
to
improve
his
400m
flat
time
and
was
rewarded
with
a
new
PB
of
50.18s,
knocking
over
a
second
off
his
previous
best
mark.
The
race
was
won
by
Antoine
Burke
from
Ciaran
O'Connell.
Perhaps
the
race
of
the
day
was
the
mens
200m
in
which
three
of
the
country's
best
sprinters
went
head
to
head
with
Paul
Hession
looking
highly
impressive
as
he
won
by
a
large
margin
from
David
Gillick
and
Paul
McKee.
Shercock
interest
was
focused
on
the
B
race
in
which
Gerry
O'Reilly
(above)
produced
another
strong
performance
to
win
from
John
Laffey
in
a
new
PB
of
22.45s.
Also
representing
Shercock
in
Irishtown
was
Noel
Carroll,
who
was
disappointed
to
find
that
the
programmed
3000m
had
grown
into
a
5000m,
which
he
dutifully
completed
in
a
time
of
16:02
while
Michael
Muldoon
contested
the
800m
and
finished
in
2:08.
Annalee's
Louise
Reilly
put
in
a
great
run
in
Irishtown
to
win
the
women's
1500m.
The
performances
matched
the
conditions
and
several
of
our
club's
athletes
featured
in
the
shake
up
for
the
medals.
Matthew
O'Reilly
(right)
was
first
up
in
the
intermediate
shot
putt
and
discus,
winning
a
bronze
medal
in
each
with
throws
of
12.68m
and
34.10m.
Paul
Smith
found
himself
in
a
highly
competitive
junior
boys
long
jump
where
the
talented
pairing
of
Gary
Coulter
and
Scott
Hamilton
battled
it
out
for
the
top
honours.
In
the
end
it
took
a
new
record
of
5.97m
by
Coulter
to
overcome
Hamilton's
best
of
5.95m.
Paul
also
broke
new
ground
with
a
PB
of
5.57m
which
was
enough
to
carry
him
clear
of
the
rest
of
the
pack
into
third
place.
Gerry
O'Reilly
was
in
his
first
year
as
an
intermediate,
however
he
never
looked
pressurised
as
he
powered
away
from
the
field
to
win
both
the
100m
and
200m
by
a
large
margin.
Gerry's
winning
times
were
11.4s
and
22.6s.
In
the
middle
distance
events,
Luke
O'Brien
produced
a
good
effort
to
take
6th
place
in
his
first
steeplechase
competition,
however
he
was
unlucky
to
lose
fifth
place
on
the
line
to
Neil
Gibbons.
Derrice
McPhillips
finished
in
eighth
place
in
the
junior
girls
800m,
dipping
under
2:40
with
a
time
of
2:39.85.
Kevin
Ruxton
achieved
a
PB
of
2.55m
in
the
junior
boys
pole
vault,
which
was
enough
to
secure
fourth
place
while
club
mate
Philip
Daly
cleared
3.30m
to
also
finish
fourth
in
the
senior
age
group.
Racewalkers
Paul
Fitzpatrick
(IB)
and
Peter
Muldoon
(SB)
progressed
to
the
nationals
without
opposition.
In
the
Leinster
Schools,
James
Muldoon
finished
in
third
place
in
the
senior
boys
pole
vault
with
a
3.20m
clearance
and
also
contested
the
2000m
steeplechase
in
which
he
finished
in
fifth
place
after
a
fall
at
a
barrier
cost
him
valuable
time. 
The
Cavan
track
&
field
championships
were
held
in
Navan
for
the
first
time
today
as
the
Shercock
track
was
unavailable
due
to
construction
work.
The
change
of
venue
proved
to
be
a
popular
choice
as
numbers
appeared
to
be
up
in
both
the
juvenile
and
senior
competitions.
The
Shercock
juveniles
began
the
day
with
a
lead
in
the
Moynagh
Cup
following
strong
performances
by
the
under
11
and
12
age
groups
in
the
first
stage
a
week
previously.
The
club
had
won
the
Cup
every
year
from
1995
to
2002
before
losing
out
to
Innyvale
AC
in
2003
and
2004.
Outstanding
individual
performances
in
Navan
by
Celine
Clerkin,
Derrice
McPhillips,
Paul
Smith,
Kieran
McDermott,
Niall
Shannon,
Daniel
Muldoon,
Micheal
Gargan
and
Brian
Sankey
combined
with
a
strong
rearguard
action
by
the
relay
teams
overcame
the
challenge
of
the
numerically
superior
Innyvale
side
to
bring
the
Moynagh
Cup
back
to
Shercock.
A
delighted
Bridie
Clerkin,
who
heads
up
the
juvenile
coaching
team,
accepted
the
cup
on
behalf
of
the
club
from
Carol
Kiernan,
chairperson
of
the
county
board
(right).
Muldoon
made
the
early
running
after
a
cautious
start,
however
Ruxton
looked
relaxed
as
he
tracked
the
leaders
in
third
place
before
releasing
a
sprint
finish
that
saw
him
accelerate
into
the
lead
to
take
the
title.
James
Muldoon
came
from
behind
to
take
the
silver
medal
while
Michael
held
off
the
challenge
of
Noel
Carroll
and
Sean
Smith
to
take
the
bronze.
There
were
further
impressive
performances
by
Albert
Eakins
and
Geraldine
O'Reilly
in
the
masters
1500m
while
Fiona
Murray
dominated
the
women's
800m
and
1500m.
Alan
McEntee,
Philip
Daly,
Gerard
O'Reilly
and
Craig
Lynch
were
dominant
in
the
sprints
while
Hugh
Fitzpatrick
and
Matthew
O'Reilly
impressed
in
the
shot
putt.
In
the
high
jump
there
were
winning
performances
by
James
Ruxton
(senior),
Craig
Lynch
(u17)
and
Niamh
Traynor
(u17).
When
the
competition
had
ended,
the
Shercock
seniors,
combined
with
the
under
16
and
17
age
groups,
had
amassed
a
total
of
139
points,
an
increase
of
over
50
points
on
their
2004
performance,
to
retain
the
Dr.
Quinn
Cup
for
2005.
Team
captain
Alan
McEntee
accepted
the
cup
on
behalf
of
the
club
from
Carol
Kiernan
(left).
A
number
of
Shercock
athletes
were
in
action
at
the
Irish
universities
track
&
field
championships
at
the
new
track
in
Irishtown,
Dublin
today.
James
Ruxton
(Sligo
IT
right)
produced
a
sensational
start
to
his
outdoor
campaign
in
the
400m
hurdles
when
he
powered
off
the
final
bend
to
overtake
Maurice
Donoghue
and
Barry
Upton
and
open
up
an
impressive
lead
over
the
final
flights.
James
crossed
the
line
in
first
place
having
smashed
his
personal
best
with
a
54.66s
clocking
which
puts
him
within
range
of
the
European
Junior
Championships
qualifying
time.
Michael
Muldoon
(UCD)
put
in
a
strong
effort
to
finish
in
third
place
in
the
3km
racewalk
in
a
time
of
17:14.
Michael
led
for
the
opening
laps
before
dropping
back
to
third
in
the
closing
stages.
Hugh
Fitzpatrick
(TCD)
was
busy
in
the
throwing
events,
tossing
the
16kg
weight
out
to
a
new
personal
best
of
6.58m
to
finish
6th
in
the
weight
for
distance
(below).
Hugh
also
contested
the
hammer
where
he
finished
7th
with
a
24.14m
effort
using
the
senior
weight.
Noel
Carroll
(Sligo
IT)
struggled
to
find
his
best
form
in
the
steeplechase
(below)
as
he
was
recovering
from
a
heavy
dose
of
a
cold
however
he
still
acquitted
himself
well
to
finish
in
fifth
place,
also
achieving
a
personal
best
time
of
10:13.
Alan
McEntee
(DKIT)
narrowly
missed
out
on
qualification
for
the
final
of
the
100m
when
he
finished
in
fourth
place
in
his
heat
in
10.78s.
The
annual
AAI
Star
Awards
ceremony
took
place
in
Knock,
Co.
Mayo
at
the
weekend
and
the
award
for
the
leading
juvenile
from
county
Cavan
in
2004
was
won
by
Gerard
O'Reilly.
Gerard
had
an
outstanding
season
in
2004
which
included
sprint
doubles
over
100m
and
200m
at
the
AAI
Age
Group
Championships,
Schools
Championships
and
Celtic
Games,
a
60m
and
200m
double
at
the
AAI
indoor
championships,
a
double
silver
over
200m
in
the
AAA
championships
indoors
and
outdoors,
a
win
in
the
schools
pentathlon
and
a
silver
in
the
AAI
indoor
pentathlon.
Gerard
follows
in
the
footsteps
of
Shercock
club
mates
Brendan
Corrigan
(1998),
Patrick
Corrigan
(1999
&
2000),
Alan
McEntee
(2001),
Sean
Smith
(2002)
and
Anne-Marie
Burns
(2003)
who
were
previous
winners
of
the
Cavan
award.
The
award
was
presented
by
Michael
Gaffney
of
Waterford
Crystal
(left),
also
pictured
are
Patsy
McGonagle
and
Breda
Synnott
of
the
AAI.