Caffrey and Kelly make it a St Coca's double
Celbridge AC's silver medal-winning team; their ten-year-in-a-row club title success finally broken
There were two team medals: following Griggs individual win, he led the Irish U23 team to European gold. In the Senior men’s event, Jack O’Leary finished 6th leading the team to a historic silver. It has been over ten years since the senior men, secured a team placing.
While the sun might have been shining and the silverware sparkling, it was a little different on the domestic front. A typical winter’s day greeted Kildare athletes has they took to the Curragh for the Kildare Senior Cross-Country and Juvenile Relays.
There was a St Coca’s double as Meabh Caffery took the ladies individual title with clubmate Kevin Kelly taking the men’s individual title. St Coca’s won the men’s team while Newbridge retained their ladies title.
Meabh Caffrey (St Coca’s) took her first ever county senior cross-country victory just as news was filtering through regarding Ireland’s astounding success in Portugal. Over 20 ladies lined up for the 5000m event on the vast rolling plains of the Curragh, amongst them, last year’s winner Emma Boland. Boland was making it a bid for two in a row and her club Newbridge had every intention of aiming to retain the club title they won (on count-back) last year.
Caffrey, who has had a great cross-country season, had no intention of letting the Newbridge ladies get it all their own way. She had competitive idea’s of her own. Discussing pre-race tactics with her coach Larry Kelly, she was ready to take on the challenge. Heading straight to the front from the gun Caffrey was closely tracked by Boland. After less than a kilometre completed, it was evident that the title was going to be between these two athletes.
Much as the individual title was going to be a thrilling battle, so too was the team. Last year St Coca’s and Newbridge finished on even points, with Newbridge taking the title on count-back (based on the position of the final scorer). The chasing group contained two St Coca’s ladies, Aoife McNerney and Sinead O’Rielly, and two Newbridge ladies, Alison Duff and Vicki Browne. Could Anita Rimmer (St Coca’s) keep in pace with the four Newbridge ladies running beside her?
By the half way stage it was still Caffrey and Boland out in front, with Caffrey looking a little more relaxed that her rival. The battle for the bronze medals was now between Sinead O’Rielly (St Coca’s), Alison Duff (Newbridge) and Aoife McNerney (St Coca’s). As the field strung out, it was looking like a Newbridge victory in the team competition.
With 500m to go Caffery moved up a gear, with Boland unable to respond. Seizing the opportunity Meabh Caffrey had a clear run ahead to the finish to take the county senior ladies title. It was Emma Boland who took silver and Sinead O’Rielly with a storming final kilometre, took bronze.
The team title went to the Newbridge quartet of Emma Boland, Alison Duff, Vicki Browne and Niamh O’Boyle who had three points to spare over St Coca’s who took silver. Clane AC led by Shannon Denagher in sixth place took bronze.
A large field of almost 40 athletes took part in this year’s county senior 10,000m cross-country. Making his comeback debut was Kevin Kelly, a previous podium medal winner at this county event. Also present was Alex Wallace, the 2024 winner who was keen to retain his title.
Rob Hewison (Kildare AC) was keen to make an impression while the large contingent from Celbridge had nothing other an 11th county team title in a row on their mind. The two St Coca’s athletes, Wallace and Kelly, eyed each other anxiously on the starting line. They both wanted that title. Was it going to be the extraordinary fit Wallace who in his forties has had resounding success on the roads and country over the past three years, including being the winner of this year’s European Masters Marathon Championships. Or would it be the more youthful Kelly, a former national senior silver medallist and U23 European participant on the track?
From the early stages five athletes broke away from the main field. Wallace and Kelly were joined in his leading group by Rob Hewison (Kildare AC), Colm Roche (Celbridge), and Connor Burke (Celbridge). Roche has had a good amount of success this year. He finished 4th in the Leinster Novice in Gowran and led his Celbridge team-mates to club bronze. All were aware that it was Rob Hewison, the 800m runner, who had the raw speed. Understandably, no one wanted to be in a sprint finish with Hewison, as he would unleash his killer kick for home.
Gradually over the course of the race, members of the top group began to fall away. The pace was blistering. Kelly who was making his comeback, did not know what to expect. He felt good and matched every surge in pace by Wallace. The pace was too much for Conor Burke who was the first to drop back from the leading group. Then Hewison began to struggle somewhat. Soon he too was trailing behind. Roche looked comfortable for another kilometre or two until he too began to feel the effects of the fast pace set by the two St Coca’s men.
Finally it was just Kevin Kelly and Alex Wallace, the two St Coca’s athletes who were left to battle for the individual title
. Several times Kelly tried to make a surge to create some distance between himself and Wallace. Each time Wallace matched his pace. Finally with about one kilometre to go, Kelly was making headway and created a small gap on Wallace. This got a little wider in the final stages of the race, and by the time the finishing chute was in sight, it was clearly going to be Kevin Kelly (St Coca’s) who was going to be crowed the 2025 County Senior Cross-country champion. Alexander Wallace (St Coca’s) finished second with Colm Roche (Celbridge) in third.
Behind these athletes, the battle of team honours was raging. St Coca’s had the first two past the line and Marc Augustin produced a stormer of a final lap to finish 5th. Colm Roche (Celbridge) was third and Conor Burke sixth with former Irish marathon champion Martin Hoare (Celbridge) in 8th.
It was down to the fourth scorer to decide the fate of the teams. Thanks to an excellent final lap by Shane McNerney, it was St Coca’s who took the team title from Celbridge in silver. The chain of Celbridge team success had finally been broken. Naas AC finished third.
Held in conjunction with the county senior championships was the county uneven age mixed cross-country relays. The event was well support by Kildare Juveniles with the largest race of the day being the U11 event, where 72 athletes making up 18 teams took part. These relays always produce great excitement, with all the juveniles cheering on their respective clubs.
The U9 title went Naas AC who claimed the first of their four relays medals on the day in a large field of 17 realys. The team of Tom Holland, Roisin O’Mahoney, Jack O’Dwyer and Lucy Young, worked well together to take the gold medals. Behind then it was St Coca’s who took silver and Suncroft the bronze.
Naas produced a double as they strode to victory in the U11 event. The quartet consisted of Eibhlin Valentine, Fionn Sheridan, Saoirse Burke and Eoin Sheehan. Suncroft took the silver with Naas B taking the bronze. Newbridge were placed fourth as they had a phenomenal six teams compete in this age group.
It was Suncroft who topped the table in the U13 event as Sarah Cousins, Ailbhe Byrne, James Duffy and Glen Galloway produced a stunning display of relay racing to take gold. Naas finished second with Clane AC taking third.
Newbridge took their first gold of the day with a victory in the U15 mixed relay.
The team of Robyn Browne, Anna Cullen, Harry Boland and Jack Brennan secured their sole relay medal of the day. It was Le Cheile in second and Naas AC taking their fourth relay medal in third.
This concludes the 2025 Cross-country season for adults and juveniles.
