Fiona races to South Munster senior cross-country success

BY JOHN WALSHE

FIONA Everard of MICC, Dunmanway, was one of the big winners at the South Munster Schools Cross-Country championships.

Weather conditions dictated a move from the original venue of Cork IT to the Munster Agricultural Showgrounds at Curraheen but this also provided a real test for the over 600 athletes who took part.

There were a number of surprise results and one of the most impressive winners of the day was Fiona Everard of MICC, who took the senior title in style when defeating last year’s Irish champion Rhona Pierce by around 200 metres.

Fourth in the intermediate race at last year’s corresponding fixture and 19th in the Irish Schools, the Bandon AC athlete showed the tremendous improvement she has made since and this race followed on from her appearance at the international event in Edinburgh at the beginning of the month.

Pierce (St Angela’s) was having her first race in a number of months having been plagued by injury since the track season and she just held off Sarah Corbett of St Mary’s, Mallow, for second. Coachford College defeated Bandon Grammar School by nine points to take team honours with St Mary’s, Midleton, in third.

Charlie O’Donovan led his Coláiste Chriost Ri team to victory as he won an exciting intermediate race from Damien Madigan (Charleville CBS) with Glengarriff’s Darragh McElhinney finishing third. Sadly for Coláiste Pobail Bheanntrai athlete McElhinney, who was unbeaten last year in the junior grade, his grandmother has passed away a few days before and no doubt he will be back in form for the Glo-Health Munster Schools, which are scheduled for Cork IT on Thursday.

Tamzin Muldowney (St Mary’s, Midleton) had an easy victory in the intermediate girls with Meghan Carr (Loreto, Fermoy) also a clear winner of the minor race in which Coláiste na Toirbhirte of Bandon took team honours ahead of Pobail Scoil Inbhear Sceine, Kenmare.

Results

Senior boys: 1. D Fox (CBC, Cork) 12:22; 2. E Byrne (Douglas CC) 12:29; 3. F Curtin (Midleton CBS) 12:35. Team: 1. Coláiste Treasa, Kanturk 34; 2. Coláiste Daibheid, Corcaigh 59; 3. Presentation Brothers, Cork 70.

Intermediate boys: 1. C O’Donovan (Coláiste Chriost Ri) 12:29; 2. D Madigan (Charleville CBS) 12:42; 3. D McElhinney (Coláiste Pobail, Bheanntraí) 12:48; 4. L Cotter (Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí) 13:14; 5. C Kerins (Presentation Milltown) 13:22; 6. N O’Flaitheartaigh (Hamilton HS, Bandon) 13:28. Team: 1 Coláiste Chriost Ri 43; 2. Hamilton HS 71; 3. Midleton CBS 83.

Junior boys: 1. E Redmond (Kinsale CS) 8:31; 2. C O’Reilly (Douglas CS) 8:40; 3. D O’Sullivan (Coláiste an Chroi Naofa, Carrignavar) 9:14; 4. T Connolly (CBC, Cork) 9:18; 5. C Collins (Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí) 9:24; 6. S O’Hea (Mount St Mercy, Rosscarbery) 9:28.

Minor boys: 1. P Hartnett (Coláiste an Chraoibhin, Fermoy) 4:31; 2. N Desmond (St Brogans, Bandon) 4:43; 3. T Morrissey (Coláiste Chriost Ri) 4:45; 4. F Harrington (St Brogans, Bandon) 4:50; 5. J Gibson (CBC, Cork) 4:54; 6. P Ronan (Hamilton HS, Bandon) 4:55. Team: 1. Coláiste Chriost Ri 89; 2. PBC, Cork 100; 3. Coláiste Pobaill, Bheanntrai 105.

Senior girls: 1. F Everard (MICC, Dunmanway) 9:23; 2. R Pierce (St Angelas, Cork) 10:08; 3. S Corbett (St Mary’s, Mallow) 10:11; 4. M Aherne (Loreto, Fermoy) 10:31; 5. S Dolken (Scoil Phobail Bheara) 11:02; 6. S Cotter (Coachford College) 11:24.

Team: 1. Coachford College 31; 2. Bandon GS 40; 3. St Mary’s, Midleton 43.

Intermediate girls: 1. T Muldowney (St Mary’s, Midleton) 9:37; 2. S O’Brien (Presentation, Milltown) 10:23; 3. J Cotter (Coachford College) 10:29; 4. A Neff (Carrigaline CS) 10:40; 5. L Nicholson (Bandon GS) 10:47. Team: 1. St Mary’s, Midleton 33; 2. Carrigaline CS 42; 3. Coláiste Pobail Bheanntrai 46.

Junior girls: 1. A O’Connor (Pobail Scoil Inbhear Sceine, Kenmare) 5:04; 2. M O’Connor (Coláiste Treasa, Kanturk) 5:11; 3. K Nichofaigh (Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG, Corcaigh) 5:12; 4. U Bluett (St Mary’s, Charleville) 5:13; 5. C Hurley (MICC, Dunmanway) 5:16; 6. A Barry (Bandon GS) 5:18. Team: 1 Pobail Scoil Inbhear Sceine, Kenmare 30; 2 Bandon GS 39; 3 Gaelcholaiste Mhuire AG, Corcaigh 50.

Minor girls: 1. M Carr (Loreto, Fermoy) 4:59; 2. L O’Keeffe (St Mary’s, Midleton) 5:04; 3. G Egan (St Mary’s, Mallow) 5:07; 4. O Coffey (St Angelas, Cork) 5:13; 5. H Vahi (St Aloysius, Carrigtwohill) 5:16; 6. A O’Donoghue (Coláiste na Toirbhirte, Bandon) 5:27. Team: 1 Coláiste na Toirbhirte, Bandon 32.