Success for Meath athletes in Tullamore XC

The Athletics Ireland Woodies novice and uneven ages cross country
championships took place on Sunday 16 January at Charleville Demesne,
Tullamore. The local club Tullamore Harriers used one of the best cross
country courses in Ireland for the national deciders which had been deferred
from mid December due to weather.

There were a number of good performances from the new crop of distance
talent emerging in Meath. The Star of the Sea club has turned out some
notable middle distance runners who clearly benefit from their training
regime at Ardgillan Castle when it comes to cross country racing. On Sunday
it was the turn of Andrew Coscoran to lay down a marker for the future. He
bid his time in the leading group for the early stages of the under 15 boys
race. At the bell it himself and Conor Christie stretched ahead from the
other leaders. At the top of the only significant climb on the course he
pushed on  for home. From there on over the final kilometre he put seventy
or eighty metres between himself and his nearest rival Conor Christie who in
turn had a safe margin over third placed Padraig Moran.

In the younger age groups Eoin Smith from Tara AC led Meath to fourth place
in the inter county competition when finishing second in the boys under 13
race. The next Meath runner across the line was Alan Monaghan, Bohermeen AC
in fourth place. The county team ran very well in this race to finish
fourth.

The best Meath club performance on the day was in the girls under 11 race
where  third placed Sarah Clarke led her club colleagues from Na Fianna AC
to third place in the inter clubs competition and the county to fourth. The
Na Fianna squad was completed by Amy Clarke, Emma Neary, Sara Daly and
Aideen Slattery. In the under 11 boys race the leading Meath runner was
Shane Hanley , St Brigids AC who finished  a very good 10th place.

The under 19 girls had an exciting tussle over the finishing straight
between long time leader Mary Mulaire, North Laois and Mary Ann O'Sullivan
who produced a kick that brought her into the lead and victory. Fourth place
in this race went to Shauna Moore from Dunshaughlin AC who is establishing
herself at the forefront of the very competitive womens junior distance
ranks. The county team finished second to Dublin and included her clubmate,
Shauna Moran who put in a storming final two kilometres to finish twefth two
places ahead of Rachel Neary.  Track specialist Elaine Plunkett completed
the scoring quartet.