Saturday December 13th - East Ulster Development Squad Day, Shercock

The second East Ulster squad day was held in Shercock on Saturday and was well supported by athletes from Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Cavan. The day was co-ordinated by AAI Regional Development Officer Eamon Harvey who delivered a talk on the development of the young athlete to an attentive audience of athletes, coaches and parents. The squad was divided into event groups under the direction of coaches Francis Shaw (middle distance), Eamon Harvey (sprints), Eileen Fitzpatrick (walks), Hugh Fitzpatrick (throws) and John McGeever (jumps). Despite the cold conditions, the session was enjoyed by everyone and special thanks are due to the hospitality team from Shercock who laid on generous supplies of hot soup, tea and sandwiches for the visiting athletes and coaches.

Indoor Season Gets Underway: A number of Shercock sprinters traveled to the High Performance Centre at the University of Ulster on Saturday to take part in an early-season indoor competition organised by the IUAA. There were some encouraging performances, not least from Paul Smith, who set a PB of 7.28s when finishing second in the A final of the 60m, finishing ahead of some well known athletes including former Irish champion Paul Brizzel. James Ruxton was also rewarded with a PB of 7.41s when making a rare excursion over the shortest sprint distance. Richard Tsang finished in second place in the triple jump and also went on to set a personal best in the 60m B final with a time of 7.65s.

December 7th - AAI Novice & Juvenile Cross Country Championships

The AAI cross country championships provided a good opportunity for local athletes to showcase their talents on the national stage as the event was held on home turf in the grounds of Ballyhaise Agricultural College. The Shercock men's team (right) of Paul Fitzpatrick, Noel Carroll, Conor McCarey and John Joe Rogers produced a spirited performance with Paul first home in 23rd position, having featured among the top ten in the early stages, Noel not far behind in 35th, Conor 78th and John Joe 112th. This left the team in 11th place overall in the club standings. The quartet also featured on the county team where they combined with Martin Fulton and Aodaghan O'Reilly to finish a respectable fifth.

Brave Run: Catherina Mullen produced another great run over the country when she took the lead at the halfway stage of the under 17 2000m, putting down a firm challenge to all comers as she made good progress in the heavy underfoot conditions. As the race entered the final stages she was overtaken, however, and in the end she crossed the line in fourth place, not far behind the winner. Celine Clerkin and Hannah Schneider also ran well, finishing 53rd and 58th in the same event.

Also competing for Shercock in Ballyhaise were Niall Clerkin (33rd u15), Edel Kieran (53rd u15), Pauric Donagh (53rd u13), Shane Duffy (98th u11) and Siobhan O'Reilly (140th u13).

November 30th - Cavan Winter League Round 2

Shercock distance runners featured strongly at the second leg of the county winter league held in Bailieborough where they secured no fewer than five individual wins on the day. John Joe Rogers made a successful return to local competition with an impressive win in the masters 6km while in the senior men's race clubmate Noel Carroll was unlucky to be caught on the line by Martin Fulton from host club Bailieborough AC, leaving Noel in second place. Catherina Mullen followed up her impressive run at the Irish cross country championships in Tramore with a commanding win in the under 18 1500m, followed home by team mate Mitsumi Ito in second place. Edel Kieran and Niall Clerkin made it a clean sweep of the under 14 races as both recorded impressive wins while Shane Duffy was equally impressive when winning the under 10 400m. Also finishing well up the field were sisters Lisa and Celine Clerkin in the senior ladies and girls under 16 events. Brothers Conor, Brian and John McCarey ran impressively with Brian finishing best of the three in fourth place in the men's event.

November 23rd - AAI Cross Country Championships, Tramore

Podium Finish for Catherina

Catherina Mullen had her best run ever over the country at the weekend when she took on all comers in the under 18 3000m at the national championships in Tramore. Running positively in the opening stages, Catherina kept in contact with the lead pack and as race progressed her strength began to assert itself as she worked her way up to fourth place with a lap to go. With 400m to Catherina unleashed a sprint finish that carried her past third-placed Rachel Campbell, leaving her in the bronze medal position at the line behind winner Niamh Kearney and runner-up Fiona McKenna in second. Catherina was delighted by her result which was made all the more impressive by the fact that she was competing a year above her age group.

Also representing Shercock in Tramore was Edel Kieran who was unfortunate to be knocked out of contention of the under 14 contest when she fell soon after the start.

AAI Awards - Shercock Nominated for Club of the Year Award

Pictured at the AAI Awards at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Santry are the Shercock contingent of Matthew O'Reilly, Gerry O'Reilly, Colin Watterson, Alwynne McGeever, John McGeever and Alan McEntee. On a great night for Irish athletics, Shercock was nominated for the Club of the Year Award, which was won by Tír Chonaill AC from Donegal, to whom we offer our sincere congratulations.

Nov. 16th - Cavan Senior Cross Country Championships

Shercock Men Claim Team Trophy

The Cavan senior cross country championships took place in ideal conditions at Killinkere Leisure Centre today and Shercock interest focused on the men's 10km where a resurgent men's team took on the holders Bailieborough in an absorbing battle on their home ground. Former champion Martin Fulton led the race out and despite the close attentions of Shercock's Paul Fitzpatrick in the early stages, proved too strong for the opposition and ran out a clear winner. Paul finished strongly in second place just ahead of team mate Noel Carroll who made an impressive return to competition with a strong run from gun to tape. Next home in fourth place was Shercock's Brian McCarey, who showed few ill effects from his marathon effort in Dublin two weeks previously as he produced another good run. Following Bailieborough's Philip Smith and David O'Connor, veteran John Joe Rogers finished off the team placings for Shercock in seventh place, which was good enough to secure the team honours from holders Bailieborough.

Senior Men's Individual: Paul Fitzpatrick, 2nd, Martin Fulton (Bailieborough) 1st and Noel Carroll 3rd.

Shercock Men's Team - 1st: Brian McCarey, Paul Fitzpatrick, John Joe Rogers and Noel Carroll.

November 9th - Ulster Novice Cross Country Championships

Paul Fitzpatrick had a positive run in the Ulster novice cross country championships in Stranorlar today. Leading in the opening stages, Paul dropped down to fifth mid-race but finished strongly to finally cross the line in fourth place. Catherina Mullen also had a good run in the under 17 2000m in which she finished fourth and led home the Shercock team of Hannah Schneider, Celine Clerkin and Mutsumi Ito who did very well to take third place in the team stakes (below left). There were further positive performances in the under 15 age group by Edel Kieran and the under 13 age group by Padraig Donagh (below right), both of whom finished in seventh place. Niall Clerkin stepped up an age group to finish fifteenth in the under 15 age group while Kelly Ann Colton and Siobhan O'Reilly and did well to finish 27th and 34th respectively in the under 13 event.

Impressive Dublin Run Sets New Club Marathon Record

October 27th 2008

Brian McCarey recorded a major improvement in his marathon time when he knocked more than seven minutes off his previous best for the distance in Dublin today.

Brian covered the distance in two hours, fifty-two minutes and thirty two seconds to overtake his brother John's club record, set in Berlin last September.

This placed Brian in 121st position overall and 53rd in the senior men's category.

Congratulations are also due to club chairman Colin Watterson who finished the New York marathon in 3 hours and 22 minutes at the weekend.

Well done Brian on a great achievement!

October 25th - Ulster Even Ages Cross Country, Jordanstown

Despite stormy conditions on the day there were some excellent races at a well-attended Ulster Cross Country Championships which were held around the University of Ulster playing fields in Jordanstown. A number of Shercock athletes made the journey north to compete and were rewarded with positive results. Catherina Mullen (right) ran very well in the under 18 3000m, competing a year above her age group she led in the early stages but dropped back to fourth mid-race, a position she defended all the way to the line. Edel Kieran also displayed good form in the under 14 1200m, keeping well up in the lead pack throughout the race, Edel finished strongly in fifth place. Despite only recently returning to training, Niall Clerkin was in contention throughout the boys under 14 1500m and came from behind to gain a few places at the finish where he was eighth. Hannah Schneider impressed in her first race for the club at this level, achieving a top ten finish when she was 9th in the under 18 3000m. In the under 10 event Shane Duffy, who won an Ulster sprint title earlier this year, produced a great run to finish eighth.

More pictures available on the PHOTOS page

Shercock AC Fashion Show!

On Friday night a huge crowd packed out Saint Patrick's Hall for the club's first ever fashion show, which was held to raise funds for our new tartan track. Among the highlights of the evening were a performance by Riverdance soloist Niamh McCormack and rising star of Irish fashion Linda Sloane who displayed her latest collection.

Well done to all who took part, including the athletes who put on a great show on the catwalk and helped make the event such an outstanding success!

Over €5,000 was raised - thanks to the generosity of all our supporters!

Cross Country Season Gathers Pace

by Noel Carroll, PRO, County Cavan Athletic Board

The Cavan Cross Country began to gather pace this past weekend with the Cavan Uneven Ages and Novice Cross Country taking place in Kilinkere organised by the host club Bailieborough AC. The course itself certainly fitted Cavans description as being a county associated with undulating land and hills everywhere, which provided a stern test to athletes. These series of county races have been used in the past and continued to be used as an important phase of preparation and a stepping-stone to success in the upcoming provincial races where qualification for the elusive All Ireland Championships is at stake.

The Mens and Ladies Novice races got the proceedings under way, sadly however numbers were down due to stringent rules that allow a select few athletes to compete. Nonetheless the athletes set off undeterred on the longest races of the day, with Innyvale continuing their resurgent dominance in Cavan athletics with an impressive 1 2 3 in the mens race with Philip Donohoe prevailing over club mates Donal Briody and Pauric Corcoran. In the ladies race Nicole Egan of Innyvale edged out clubmate Sheana Kiernan followed home closely by Bailieborough’s Laura Keuck.

As is the norm in the juvenile races close battles and finishes were the order of the day. In the under 11 age group Bailieborough produced two impressive winners in the boys and girls grade in the form of Conor Smith and Leanne Kiernan both looking like two potential stars for the future. Clodagh O’ Reilly from Annalee continued to raise stock to her growing reputation as one of Cavans most talented athletes with another commanding front running performance. The boys under 13 race however couldn’t have been more different with Shercock’s Padraig Donagh and Annalee’s Conor Bradley engaging in a titanic battle all the way to the finish with Padraig edging out his gritty competitor.

Thrilling Finish

The Girls under 15 race included the most talented field of the day not only that it provided arguably the best race of the day. Analee’s Eadaoin O’ Reilly was to the fore early on however she was overtaken by the younger pair of Edel Kiernan and Aoibhinn Kienan. The previous week Aoibhinn edged out Edel in a sprint finish we were provided with a similar finish this time however the result on this occasion was reversed with the lead changing on numerous occasions with Edel having the stronger finish. Luckily for Cavan athletics we seem to be set for many exciting tussles between these two talented athletes in the future.

An interesting team battle ensued between Annalee and Shercock in the Boys under 15 race with Annalee edging their compatriots with a commanding win from Andrew O’ Brien ably backed up by team mate Darren Watters in 3^rd with Niall Clerkin splitting the pair in 2^nd position. In the Girls under 17 race Shercock scooped the top 3 places with Catherina Mullen producing another dominant front running performance, Hanna Schneider and Celine Clerkin followed her closely home. There was another dominant display in the boys grade with Cian O’ Reilly easing to a comfortable win barely looking out of breath. Aodaghan O’ Reilly eased to a comfortable win in the Boys under 19 race. In the girls race Aileen Gafney tenaciously outsprinted rival Lisa Clerkin in the run in to the finish.

The next big challenge for Cavan’s young athletes is the Ulster Cross Country taking place in Jordanstown on the 25^th of October. These series of Cavan races have proven that Cavan has the potential to have athletes in contention in all age groups.

Shercock Juveniles enjoy success at Cavan Cross Country Championships

Boys under 14 - team winners

Good Weather Brings Positive Performances at Cavan Winter League

Paul Fitzpatrick showed he can run as well as racewalk with a winning performance in the senior mens 5K.

Barry Cooney and Catherina Mullen in action in Cavan.

Niall Clerkin was an impressive winner of the boys under 14 800m, Ryan Rogers also ran well to finish third.

A mixed bunch of talents represented Shercock in the men's race as the sprinters lined out to prove their fitness in the 5K.

Barbara Ward on her way to victory in the under 16 1000m leads team mate Celine Clerkin.

Sean, Kevin and Ciaran in action in the senior race.

Noel, Hugh and Richard prove that field event athletes can run too!

Racewalking World Cup, Cheboskary, Russia, May 10th

While athletes are used to measuring their ability in local, national or even international terms, it is only rarely that an opportunity arises to measure yourself at world level. Paul Fitzpatrick experienced that opportunity when he traveled to the Russian city of Cheboskary to represent Ireland in the Racewalking World Cup at the weekend. Competing against the world's best, Paul gave a good account of himself in the junior men's 10km, holding his form well in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the World Cup, he was lying in 45th place at the halfway point. As the temperature rose into the mid-20's he pushed on over the closing five kilometers, moving up the field to finish strongly in 41st position overall in a time of 46:11. Understandably cautious in his first outing at world level, Paul received no warnings from the judges and finished with a clean sheet, which will undoubtedly boost his confidence for future competitions at this level.

The Irish team produced some very positive results at the World Cup with pride of place going to Olive Loughnane (left) who kept both her form and her concentration intact in a highly competitive women's 20km to finish in 6th place overall. Olive also dipped under the 90 minute mark for the first time, only the 12th Irish walker to achieve this, recording 89:17 for the distance. Also breaking new ground was Robert Heffernan who smashed his own Irish record and broke the 80 minute mark for the first time when he recorded 79:22 and finished impressively in 9th place in the men's 20km. Colin Griffin was lying 18th at the halfway point of the men's 50km and despite losing some ground in the closing stages had the satisfaction of breaking 4 hours once again when finishing 25th in 3:58:26, which also qualifies him for next year's world championships. Jamie Costin continued his return to form when recording 85:59 in the men's 20km which left him in 59th place. Laura Reynolds set a new PB of 51:36 when finishing impressively in 35th place in the junior 10km, as did Donna Carolan who was timed at 54:05 in 46th place.

April 27th - Cavan Road Championships

Brian McCarey Lifts County Road Title

An early taste of summer weather ironically created difficult running conditions for the athletes who turned out to contest the county Road Championships on a challenging hilly course in Bailieborough today. The senior men's 10km proved to be a true challenge of stamina in the warm, windless conditions and it was Shercock's Brian McCarey who showed the greatest ability to handle the course and the weather as he emerged as a convincing winner to claim his first county road title. Also running well for Shercock was Brian's brother Conor who finished strongly in third place. John McCarey then came home in sixth place in the field, having recently returned from working in Scotland on an tidal turbine installation. John Joe Rogers didn't have quite as far to travel to win the masters V3 class over 5km with clubmate Albert Eakins also running well to finish third. Club chairman Colin Watterson also produced a good run in the masters 5km race, taking second place in the V2 category.

With numbers down on the day, Shercock struggled to fill teams and were unable to retain the overall cup, which went to hosts Bailieborough AC, with Shercock second and Breffni AC third.

March 1st - New Mark for Paul Fitzpatrick in Isle of Man

Irish junior racewalk champion Paul Fitzpatrick made a positive start to the 2008 season at the Isle of Man Open Walks on Saturday when he dipped under the 45 minute mark for the first time over the 10km distance. Paul was competing alongside the senior athletes in the 20km race, however from the first lap it was clear that the slow pace was holding him back and he pushed forward into the lead, completing the 10km solo in a personal best of 44:58 minutes. Paul, competing in the Isle of Man for the third year in succession, was part of a large Irish contingent who braved gale force winds to travel to the popular competition. Photo by Murray Lambden.

Kevin McCloy brought the curtain down on a successful indoor season with another sub-50 performance in the 400m final at the Scottish Open championships in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall on Saturday. Kevin finished third in a time of 49.91s.

Catherina Mullen enjoyed a positive run at the Celtic International Cross Country in Edinburgh today. Despite a major step up both in distance and the level of competition, Catherina responded positively to the challenge of her first international and came home as second finisher on the Ulster team, crossing the line in 21st place overall. Unfortunately Ulster were narrowly beaten for the team bronze medals by our celtic neighbours on this occasion. Also competing in Edinburgh was fellow Cavan runner Cian O'Reilly who finished in 22nd position in the boys under 17 event.

Goal Mile 2007

The Goal Mile was held in Shercock for the fourth time this year and was boosted by the best attendance yet as more than seventy participants turned out for the annual charity fund-raiser. The weather stayed mild and dry as runners and walkers of all ages, shapes and sizes worked off the Christmas turkey with a vigorous effort around the track. Well done to everyone who took part and contributed to the successful fund raising effort for people in need in the third world. This year's total was €1250.