Ulster Schools Intermediate bronze medallists, St Michael’s Enniskillen
The old addage that ‘what is seldom is wonderful’ probably sums up the reasons for the overall feeling of anticlimax which followed St Michael’s capture of a twelfth Ulster schools cross-country title in eight years, and a couple of team bronze medals, at a suprisingly dry, sunny and firm Mallusk on Tuesday last.
The fact that the ‘blue vests’ have been winning provincial gold with great regularity since 2006 coupled with very disappointing senior boys performance, which saw the overall title revert to St Malachy’s, should not take from some fine running from the Enniskillen lads, most notably an emphatic victory for the U13 team.
With 55 points the St Michael’s ‘mini’ team had exactly half the points total of their nearest challangers Our Lady & St Patrick’s Knock. Lead by a fine individual effort from Jack Largo Ellis in 6th, St Michael’s packed well with Joe McDade 13th, Keelan Farry 14th and James Cox 22nd completing the scoring quartet. They were well supported by Oisin McGrath, Ben Corrigan and Pierce McGovern and there is certainly a lot of talent in this team, whether they all maintain their interest in the demanding sport of cross-country remains to be seen, but the realistic prospect of an All-Ireland minor title should be a good motivator twelve months from now.
In the mini girls Mount Lourdes finished 7th in the team event lead by Rhiannon Dolan in 26th place.
The minor boys saw St Michael’s improve from a 10th place finish in the mini race in 2013 to a competitive 7th and well within striking distance of the 5th and 6th place teams. They were lead by Sean Vaugh in 21st with Jimmy Tormey, Glenn Treacy,Jack McDade, Tyler McKenna, Achlinn O’Cathain, Cormac McHugh and Mark Monaghan completing a team who have worked hard all season. There were also good runs from Shea Leonard and Anthony Anderson of St Aidan’s Derrylin while Lucia Warnock of St Fanchea’s finished a fine 11th in the Minor girls with Mount Lourdes, lead by Aoife Farrell in 26th, finishing 8th in the team event.
St Michael’s took a good bronze in the junior boys behind the two Newry schools, Abbey CBS who won their first ever Ulster cross-country gold and St Colman’s. James Boyle and Gavin Green were the leading scorers ably backed by Ryan Breen, Rory Baird, Ronan Beattie and Conor Clarke.Niamh Fitzpatrick was the leading Mount Lourdes finisher in the junior girls as they finished in 10th position.
The inter boys provided a fine team struggle between St Malachy’s Belfast who had a number of last years All-Ireland winning team back to try and defend their titles and St Michael’s who’s team was almost entirely made up of first year intermediates. St Malachy’s proved a bit stronger over the closing kilometre and deservedly won an interesting battle, but it was the performance of Rathmore Grammar, who produced the proverbial ‘rabbit out of a hat’ with their third scorer, to edge the silver medal and give notice that they will be real challangers at both Ulster and Irish level twelve months fron now.The south Belfast school are lead by the exceptional duo of Christy Conlon and Eoin McCann and will merit careful watching in 2015.St Michael’s were lead home on Tuesday by Jacob Britton who edged Domhnall Lynam in the run to the line, with Ryan Flanagan just a few seconds further back and the much improved Bruce Worley completing the scoring quartet. Conal
Boylan had his best run to date to be fifth man home ahead of Oisin Morris, Joe Worley and Conor McNally, with all eight St Michael’s athletes finishing in the top 50 in the large field. Another local Year 11 athlete Edel Monaghan of Mount Lourdes finished an excellent 8th in her first year in the intermediate age group.
The final race of the day the senior boys, brought only huge disappointment, as a St Michael’s team, who had justifiable hopes of at least equalling last years silver medal, and possibly making a strong challange for a firstsenior gold since 2010, failed totally to function on the day, apart from an excellent run from Year 11 athlete Paul Breen, who moved up to the senior team, and was their first scorer as they inexplicably failed to get into the medals. Apart from the disappointment of losing an expected senior medal, there was the added set back of seeing St Malachy’s secure the overall team trophy courtsey of their gold medal winning performance, with a score worse that what was largely the same group of St Michael’s athletes achieved tweleve months ago when finishing second in this event.
Nonetheless this was a very good day overall for St Michael’s, the ninth consecutive season where they have won at least one provincial title over the country, and they reamin the main challangers to the all powerful St Malachy’s title winning machine which continues to set the standards for other schools. The Antrim Road school are aided by the fact that they are an athletics club based in a school and have a tradition of developing, promoting and supporting athletics and athletes, that is unrivalled in any other school and is greatly admired and respected across the country.
Despite qualifying two teams,junior and intermediate, for the All-Ireland finals, St Michael’s will not be making the trip to Cork in three weeks time, so all that remains this winter season is a trip to the always enjoyable Armagh Road races on Thursday night.