Catherina Selected for World Mountain Running Championships

Catherina Mullen was the winner of the junior women's race at the Irish trials for the World Mountain Running Championships which were held in Crone Wood, Wicklow on August 7th. Catherina was selected to represent Ireland in the Junior Womens race at the World Championships in Slovenia on September 5th. Catherina also hopes to gain selection for the Irish team for the annual Irish & English Championships which are due to be held in Glendalough, Wicklow on September 19th. Catherina was delighted with her win in the trials and is looking forward to representing her country in Slovenia.

Hugh Fitzpatrick sets new Hammer Record

Hugh Fitzpatrick set a new club and county hammer record when he threw 42.15m while competing as a guest at the NI Team Trophy Competition on August 21st. This improves on his previous best mark of 41.94m set in July 2006. This placed Hugh in second place in the Team Trophy competition with clubmate Neil Williams finishing third with a best throw of 35.73m.

There was further success for the Shercock throwers at the AAI Masters Championships which were held in Tullamore. Albinas Kiltinavicius finished second in the V2 hammer and third in the javelin while Neil Williams was second in the V1 hammer with a best throw of 39.32m.

New Pole Vault Record for Brian Flatley

Brian Flatley cleared 3.90m to set a new club and county record for the pole vault when representing Reading at the Southern League in Reading yesterday. With the end of the season in sight it will be interesting to see if Brian can also better the club high jump record which he has come close to on a number of occasions.

B All-Ireland Juvenile Championships

A group of Shercock teenagers travelled to Tullamore today to compete in the B Championships and came away with a big haul of medals after a very positive day's competition. Edel Kieran had a double win in the under 16 800m and high jump. Padraig Donagh won the under 15 high jump and there was further high jump success for Senan McGeever who finished second in the under 16 age group. Emma Duffy was second in both the under 16 long jump and 100m. Naoise McDaniel was 8th in the under 13 long jump, Padraig Donagh was fifth in the under 15 800m and Jean Corbally was seventh in the under 14 800m.

All-Ireland hammer throwing medallist James Williams took a break from his holidays to compete in an open throws competition in Cork and threw the 4kg hammer 33.48m. It was James first time to throw this weight and augers well for the 2011 season when he will throw it in his own age group.

Catherina Mullen, who has had a very quiet season so far this year, competed in the Mullaghmeen Hill run organised by St. Brigid's AC and finished first in the women's section, covering the course in a time of 22:40.

Shercock has finished the national league qualifying rounds in a tie for tenth place with North Down AC. A very positive league campaign was not sufficient to secure a top eight finish and qualification for the final, however the result leaves the club in good standing going forward having stood shoulder to shoulder with the top clubs in the country and come out ranked in the top ten.

Clonliffe Harriers will go into the final as favourites with a big points score over the two qualifying rounds. They will be joined by City of Derry, DSD, Raheny, Tullamore, Menapians, Kerry and St. Abbans. Leevale were ninth just ahead of Shercock and North down in joint tenth, with Meath, Ballymena and Antrim, Crusaders, Donore and Lisburn making up the remainder of the places.

Well done to everyone from the club who put in such a great effort during this year's league campaign.

The second round of the national league was held yesterday and the Shercock men's team were drawn in Santry against Clonliffe Harriers, St. Abbans, North Down, Raheny Shamrocks, Ballymena & Antrim, Leevale and Crusaders. The standard of competition was high across all events and all teams were battling hard to qualify for the final.

James Tereanor produced the only win for Shercock on the day when he led from start to finish in the 3km racewalk. James Ruxton ran a great race to finish second to John Fagan in a close fought 400m hurdles and Craig Lynch also finished well in second place in the 400m.

Brian Flatley won valuable points with third place finishes in the 110m hurdles, pole vault and high jump. Albinas Kiltinavicius showed good form to also finish third in the javelin. On a good day for the Shercock throwers, Hugh Fitzpatrick was third in the hammer and fourth in the weight for distance with a PB of 5.69m. Matthew O'Reilly was fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put.

Richard Tsang finished fifth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump. On the track, Paul Fitzpatrick was sixth in the 5000m, Craig Lynch was fifth in the 100m, James Treanor was eighth in the 800m and Michael Muldoon made a return to competition to also finish eighth in the 1500m.

David Donagh made his first appearance on the Shercock senior team when he teamed up with Richard Tsang, Craig Lynch and James Ruxton for the 4x100m relay. The baton made the circuit of the track without incident and the team finished in sixth place in the race.

Based on rough calculations on the day, the unofficial points for the premier men's division on Santry were:

1. Clonliffe Harriers 127.5 2. Raheny Shamrocks 106.5 3. Leevale 102 4. St. Abbans 91 5. Shercock 85.5 6. North Down 80.5 7. Ballymena & Antrim 69 8. Crusaders 57.

Well done to everyone on the Shercock team for a great effort on the day and thanks to everyone who came to support the team.

Brian Flatley fulfilled a life's ambition today when he won his first senior medal at the outdoor championships when finishing third in the 110m hurdles final. Brian had previously won senior gold in the heptathlon indoors and he was delighted to add an outdoor medal to his growing collection. The medal winning performance in the hurdles made up for his disappointment in the high jump on Saturday when he struggled with his runup in in very wet conditions and only finished fourth, falling well short of the 2m clearance he achieved recently in the UK.

James Ruxton was back to his best form in the 400m hurdles, matching his personal best time of 52.98s set in 2008 with an identical run in the final today. This left him in fifth place in a hotly contested race, which was won in a new Irish junior record by Patrick Maher from Cork. Richard Tsang also showed good form in the triple jump, finishing fifth with a best jump of 12.44m, which puts the club record under threat for the reast of the season, Richard also finished seventh in the long jump. Craig Lynch progressed to the final of the 200m where he struggled to produce his best form, finishing eighth from lane 1.

Following the medal winning performances by the youngest of the club's athletes at the National Children's Games the week previous, it was the turn of the teenagers to show their ability at the National Juvenile Championships this weekend and once again the Shercock athletes rose to the occasion with a series of positive performances.

Shauna McGeever put in a great effort to win the silver medal in the under 18 pole vault with a best clearance of 2.20m.

Also achieving a podium finish was hammer thrower James Williams who impressed with a best throw of 36.83m in his first all-Ireland competition. This was good enough to secure the bronze medal, a great achievement by the young thrower.

Padraig Donagh was also in new territory when he competed in the pole vault for the first time and coped well with pressure of national competition with first time clearances at 1.5m, 1.7m and 1.9m. This left him in fourth place in the competition, a great achievement in a highly technical event.

Also trying an event for the first time at this level was David Donagh, who threw a personal best of 21.26m to finish fourth in the under 17 hammer.

On track the best performance came from Shane Duffy who produced a great run in the final of the under 12 60m to finish sixth. Also competing on track was Jamie Williams who finished seventh in his heat of the under 18 100m, and David Donagh who was fifth in his heat of the under 17 100m hurdles.

Flanders Cup, Belgium

James Ruxton took a break from the hurdles at the Flanders Cup meeting in Belgium on Saturday and contested the 400m for a change, recording a time of 50.5 seconds when finishing sixth. Also competing in Belgium was Craig Lynch who was fourth in his heat of the 200m in 22.26 seconds.

James Ruxton was in action today at the EAP Meet in Namur, Belgium where he did well to finish third in his 400m hurdles race in 53.55s.

Also competing in Namur was Craig Lynch (left) who progressed to the final of the 100m in which he finished fifth in 11.01s.

James and Craig have one more competition on the continent this weekend in which Craig will run both 100m and 200m while James will take a break from the hurdles and compete in the 400m, after which they will return home to prepare for the Irish Senior Championships.

After a very busy week's competition across a wide range of competitions and age groups....

National Junior & u23 Championships: James Treanor finished second in the junior men's 5km walk behind Cian McMennamin to take the silver medal in a time of 23:03. Matthew O'Reilly was third in the under 23 discus with a best throw of 32.55m.

James Ruxton was in action on Saturday at the EAP meet in Neuvilles, Belgium, running well to finish second in the 400m hurdles in a time of 53.85s. James will be in action in races on the continent again on Wednesday and Saturday coming, when he will be joined by clubmate Craig Lynch.

The Cavan Community Games were held in Shercock for the first time on Sunday and a large crowd turned out to see the county's best juvenile athletes in action. Shercock athletes were to the fore in many events, wearing the colours of their local community Games areas, and the sun shone for most of the day!

Ulster Juvenile Championships - June 19th & 20th: Well done to the teenagers from the club who featured in the Ulster age group championships at the Antrim Forum. James Williams impressed in the u14 hammer, winning the Ulster title with a best throw of 29.87m. David Donagh also won the u17 hammer and Darina Fitzpatrick was second in the u16 hammer. Ciaran O'reilly completed a very successful weekend for the Shercock throwers with a win in the u16 discus, also finishing fifth in the 200m. James Treanor won the under 18 walk. David Donagh picked up a bronze medal in the 100m hurdles and was fifth in the 200m in 12.27s. Ryan Rogers was third in the 250m hurdles and fifth in the high jump under 16.

The Ulster Senior Championships took place in ideal conditions at the Antrim Forum today and a number of the club's athletes featured on the medal rostrum.

Craig Lynch continued to underline his return to form in 2010 when he stormed off the bend in the final to take the 200m title with room to spare.

James Ruxton also laid down a clear marker for the season ahead when he powered down the home staright in the 400m hurdles to take the silver medal behind Irish Champion Tom Carey (City of Derry).

James Treanor was out on his own in the 3km racewalk, leading from gun to tape to take his first Ulster senior title.

Richard Tsang also featured on the podium when his best jump earned him the bronze medal in the triple jump. Paul Smith also made a return to competition in the long jump and while his best effort of 6.46m was not enough to earn a medal on this occasion, he will undoubtedly improve as the season progresses.

The Irish Schools Championships lived up to its reputation as one of the most enjoyable track competitions of the year when it was held in Tullamore on Saturday. Among those breaking new ground on the day was James Treanor, who knocked a massive 27 seconds off his personal best to win the senior boys 3km walk in a time of 12:44. James was representing Saint Macartin's, Monaghan. Shauna McGeever was also in good form, taking the bronze medal in a packed field in the intermediate pole vault with a season's best clearance of 2.30m. Shauna was representing Saint Luis Convent, Carrickmacross. Also competing in Tullamore was Ciaran O'Reilly, St. Pat's Cavan, whose best effort wasn't quite good enough to get among the medals in the junior boys discus.

There was further local interest in the junior boys 80m hurdles when Andrew Creamer (St. Pats) held off fast finishing Garvan McKenna (Beechill) in a Cavan-Monaghan 1-2.

Ulster Children's Games & under 12,13 Championships

Shercock, May 29th 2010

Results

The European Youth Olympic Trails are being held in Moscow this weekend and James Treanor was the first of the Irish athletes to compete when he lined out for the 10km walk at 7:15am on Friday morning. James put in a great effort to finish in 12th place in a time of 46:22, just outside his PB and ahead of his ranked position based on the other competitors personal bests. The first six countries to cross the line qualified their lead athlete for the Summer Youth Olympics and James came close on this count with Ireland finishing 9th of the countries represented.

With the Trials still ongoing we wish the remaining Irish athletes every success and a safe journey home on Monday.

At the Ulster Schools Championships in Antrim meanwhile, two Shercock athletes were in action on Friday. Shauna McGeever came second in the intermediate girls pole vault with a best clearance of 2.20m and Darina Fitzpatrick was sixth in the intermediate hammer with a best throw of 19.58m. Ciaran O'Reilly was third in the intermediate discus and fourth in the shot put on Saturday.

History was made in Shercock on Sunday when the Cavan championships were held on a tartan track in the county for the first time. On another bright sunny day athletes from the local clubs turned out in force to enjoy a highly entertaining days action on the track and in the field. The growth in both numbers and quality among Shercock athletes was in evidence across all age groups. In the juveniles winning performances came from Grace Kiernan, Oisin McEntee, Shane Duffy, Clara Duffy, Shauna Kerley, Liam Kieran and the girls under 9, 10 and boys under 10 relay teams. In the under 15 age group there were impressive wins by Padraig Donagh, Killian Farrelly and Ciaran Corrigan. Shercock finished in second place overall for the juvenile trophy - the Moynagh Cup.

There were impressive wins in the masters events by Jody Clarke, Brian O'Reilly, Kay McEntee, Luis Halpin and the mens relay team. Shercock finished second in the masters cup by just a point!

In the senior events Shercock athletes dominated across all categories - lead by a double win over 1500m and 3000m by Noel Carroll. Also in gold medal winning form in the seniors were James Ruxton, Paul Fitzpatrick, Matthew O'Reilly, Craig Lynch, Richard Tsang and Anne Marie Burns. In the under 18s David Donagh and Celine Clerkin led home their track events while a strong under 16 squad saw winning performances by Ciaran O'Reilly, Niall Clerkin, Edel Kieran, Darina Fitzpatrick and the boys relay team. Shercock retained the overall senior trophy - the Dr. Quinn Cup.

RESULTS

Noel Carroll had a winning run over 3000m at the annual Londonderry Trophy match between Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster at the Mary Peter's track today. Noel went into the lead in the final kilometer and held out all the way to the line to win in 8:47 from Andrew Agnew and Ryan Faulkner. At the same match Richard Tsang (right) jumped 6.02m to finish third in the long jump.

Meanwhile sprinters Craig Lynch and James Ruxton were in action at the Dublin Graded meet in Irishtown this evening. Craig won the 200m in 22.43s with James not far behind in third place.

The Irish Universities Championships took place today on the new mondo track at Santry Stadium, hosted by Trinity College Dublin. The occasion provided a chance for many athletes to open their 2010 season. Paul Fitzpatrick (Dundalk IT) held off the challenge of Tim Healy (UCC) to win the 3km walk, adding the outdoor title to the indoor title he won in February. James Ruxton (DCU) finished third in a close finish to the 400m hurdles and went on to put DCU into the lead with a strong third leg in the 4x400m relay. The lead proved to be short lived, however, as UL overtook them on the final leg leaving DCU in the silver medal position. Richard Tsang (University of Ulster) finished just short of a medal in the triple jump when his best effort left him fourth. Richard was rewarded with a personal best of 6.38m in the long jump, finishing sixth, and finally secured a medal in the 4x100m relay when his UU team finished third. Matthew O'Reilly (Carlow IT) broke new ground in the shot put, setting a new personal best and club record of 12.13m, however this was only good enough for sixth place on the day, the same position he achieved in the discus. Hugh Fitzpatrick (TCD) finished fifth in the hammer and sixth in the shot put. Noel Carroll (UU) was seventh in the 5000m with fellow Cavan man Aodaghan O'Reilly (UCD) further back in 13th place. Fionan O'Reilly (UCD) ran well in the 1500m to finish sixth while Louise Reilly (TCD) was also sixth in the women's 1500m.

Darina Fitzptrick had a very positive week's competition when she followed up winning performances in the shot put and javelin at the Cavan Secondary Schools track and field with bronze medals in the javelin and discus at the Loreto Colleges Championships in Dublin.

Coach John McGeever was elected to the coaching committee of Athletics Ireland at Congress in Sligo on Saturday.

Brian Flatley opened his outdoor season in England with a 1.95m high jump effort when competing for Reading University in Ashford. This is just short of his PB of 1.98m.