Clonliffe, just like the Dubs in today’s GAA Leinster championships, found that every roll comes to an end. So it was for the Clonliffe men’s team having won the national road relay championship for the past 3 years in a row found that the best achievable today was bronze. It was bronze also for the Clonliffe M35 team.
It was once again a fine club outing for the Harriers, between senior and masters men and senior and masters women an impressive 16 teams were fielded, by far and away the most by any club in the championship today.
First in action where the master women’s W35 teams. There was an excellent performance by the teams, particularly the A team of Ciara Peelo, and the most welcome return to the Clonliffe fold of Eleanor Alexander and Aisling Andrews with the team finishing in 6th position. The B team of Catherine Harvey, Sinead McDermott and Finonnuala Smith, a graduate of the Clonliffe Fit4Life group, finishing in 12th position.
The M35 A team of Tom Sherlock, Cathal McHale and Niall Sherlock faced very strong opposition indeed, in particular from a crack Letterkenny squad prevails to take 1st with Raheny 2nd and the Clonliffe boys taking a well-deserved set of bronze medals. The B team also put in a commendable performance finishing in 18th – Peter Bissett, Mick McMahon and Dave Comiskey.
In the M50 race the Clonliffe teams finished 10th (Declan Grant, Tom Griffin and Mick Gleeson) with the 2nd team of Shane Rooney, Tom Monks and Alan Worrall finishing 14th.
Although the senior women’s team took a hit with a number of withdrawals from key members through injury and illness, the 3 teams competing all rolled up the proverbial sleeves to put in fine showings. The A team of Alannah Cooley, running her 1st race for Clonliffe since her return back to these shores from Australia, Rachel McFadden and Aoife O’Reilly finish in 8th position, 2 places back was the B team of Katie Halpin, Jess Gallagher and Chloe Heaslip and to place further back again in 12th, the C team of Ailbhe Morgan, Jess Lafamme Yonkman and Sarah Hawkshaw, another Clonliffe athlete making her return to racing. All performed superbly however it must be said that the standout performer across all 9 athletes was Ailbhe Morgan’s excellent opening mile leg of 5.33.
The senior men’s race was a real dogfight. It was brilliant to see 7 Clonliffe vests out of 26 starters. It was neck and neck throughout the race between the Clonliffe A team of Ben Guiden, Sean Cronin, Colin Rooney and Stephen Cashin and Ennis TC, DSD and Craughwell AC. Throughout the course of the race it was ‘nip and tuck’, DSD only dropped out of the reckoning on the final lap of the 3 mile leg, and going into the final leg it was anyone’s race. At the end Ennis TC took a deserved win clocking 37.11, Craughwell were 2nd 37.13 with the Clonliffe taking bronze (37.32). The B team of Lorcan Benjacar, Sean Carrigg, Ian Guiden and Fintan Kerins finished 7th (38.42). In 13th was the C team: Sean Doran, Ed Tottenham, Malcom Kiplagat and Mark McDonald (41.28), 16 was the D team (Evan Lynch, Oren Kenny, Lee Duddy and James Murphy) having clocked 42.14. Then it was the E team in 21st ( Niall McCaffrey, Aidan Benjacar, Damien Prendergast and Ian McAweeney), 44.22. The F team finished 24th (Greg Hosseny, Jack Woods, Darren Morris, Eamon Harkin), 46.49 and in 26th having clocked 49.49 the team of Maxime Bernard, Ronan Fitzpatrick, Jack Lafferty and Ben Power).
Well done to each and every athlete who ran today, every single athlete gave their all for the cause.
To see photos by Carl Fleming https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCbwLx