Kildare Cross Country Championships

The forecasts were dismal. High winds and torrential rain moving in from the south. Orange and Yellow warnings were issued. Across the country athletics boards were frantically checking the hourly forecasts in anticipation of cancelling their county cross-country championships. The first county to cancel was Kilkenny shortly after 4pm, then came Waterford and Wexford. More were to follow. GAA fixtures, soccor, golf, all the cancellations came in. Kildare AAI toyed back and forth with the decision, finally setting on going ahead with the event.

Sure it was a wild windy Sunday across Ireland. Winds were higher than normal, but the rain held off. It was under this enormous threat of rain that the Kildare County Cross Country Championships were held. Hosted by Tir Mona AC, who did a magnificent job providing the venue and laying out the course, the event went off without a glitch or a downpour.

With winds gradually rising the rain held off its grand entrance until the final race was completed – as if it was designed to do so. You couldn’t plan it better. Numbers as expected were high in the younger ages with the novice men, the final race of the day containing twenty-eight athletes, all racing to beat the rain.

Large fields in the u10s The girls u10 had by far the largest field of the day with seventy athletes and nine club teams. With the seventy athletes scattered across the start line, the starters whistle blew and the 800m race got underway. Eibhlin Valentine (Naas) got off to a flying start. Behind her Laoise Byrne (Suncroft), Ali Doyle (Newbridge) and Sienna Cooke (Crookstown-Millview) were chasing hard to stake their claim on the silver and bronze medals. As Valentine push further ahead, the race for the final two medals became more exciting. Sienna Cooke passed Ali Doyle over the final stages of the race to take the bronze with Laoise Byrne securing the silver. With her gold medal around her neck, Eibhlin Valentine led her Naas team of Kate Geraghty, Saoirse Burke and Zoe Norton to the team gold. Newbridge were second and Suncroft took third.

The boys u10 also had large numbers, though a little less than the girls. Fifty-two boys toed the starting line for their 800m. It was Oran Tuite (Suncroft) led the field for the first part of the race with Eirnan McElroy chasing hard. Behind McElory, his clubmate Billy McCabe headed a group consisting of his clubmate Conor Farrell along with Cian Tuite (Suncroft). McElroy kept Tuite in sight and managed to catch him to take the gold medal with Tuite taking sliver and Billy McCabe the bronze. Newbridge were clean winners of the team gold, with Cillian Shields and Robert Dowling joining McElroy and McCabe on the team. Silver went to Suncroft and bronze to St Coca’s.

Waugh and McCabe take gold u12 Once again there were large fields in the two u12 races. Fifty-seven took part in the girls and fifty-two in the boys. In the girls 1500m race it was Suncroft’s Ailbhe Byrne who took the lead. Three hundred meters into the race she was ten meters clear of Ava Waugh (Eire Og) and the three St Coca’s athletes; Lucy Dolan, Holly Fagan and Mary Hughes. Sarah Cousins (Suncroft) hung on to the rear of this leading group. Ava Waugh started to pull away from the group, closing in on Ailbhe Byrne, eventually overtaking the Suncroft athlete. On the line it was Waugh who took gold, Byrne silver and Chloe O’Neill (Clane) finishing strongly to take bronze. St Coca’s took the gold team medals, seven points ahead of Suncroft. Crookstown-Millview packed well as a team to take third place ahead of the local club Tir Mona.

The boys u12 grouped much closer together at the start of their 1500m race. At the helm was Charlie McCabe along with St Coca’s Sol Flynn, Odhran Hurley and Jack Fahy. Close behind them were Robert Fernandez (Suncroft) and Patrick Guther (Newbridge). Cian D’Rosario (Clane) started with ease keeping an eye on the leading pack. Running alongside D’Rosario were Sean Dennehy (Newbridge), Max Drennan (Naas) and Charlie O’Connor (Crookstown-Millview). It was anyone’s race at this early stage. As the race progressed Fernandez faded with D’Rosario gradually gaining places working is way right up to the leaders. There was no passing Charlie McCabe however as the Newbridge athlete was running with ease. McCabe crossed the line for gold, with D’Rosario second and Odhran Hurley (St Coca’s) getting ahead of his team mates to take the bronze. Newbridge AC once again took the gold team medals. McCabe, Dennehy and Guther were joined by Joey Ryan to finish with thirteen points to spare over St Coca’s. Naas AC took bronze.