Track

Track & Field Reports 2006 Previous Years: 2004, 2005
Shercock Junior Men Finish 6th in Europe REPORT & PHOTOS
Sep 2nd: Hugh Sets a World Record Sep 2nd: Shercock’s Hugh Fitzpatrick traveled to Dunboyne to compete in the AAI Junior 35lb Weight for Height. The event was held in conjunction with the Irish Throwers Club Meeting. The event was due to be held last July in Santry alongside the Senior Championships, however for want of an implement the event had to be was postponed. Hugh set a new personal best of 4.70m to finish 2^nd behind Kerry’s James Nagle. Hugh was also was a member of the team that set a new World Record in the Gouding Hammer. Hugh teamed up with Kerry’s James Nagle and Dublin’s Luke Mangan, and combined they broke the existing record held by the German’s by almost a meter. The event consists of a 2k hammer with the wire replaced with a strap and the implement is thrown similar to a discus. The event is mostly recognized as part of the famous Highland Games which are held in Scotland. Sep 1st: Monaghan 5km road race: Well done to Luke O'Brien who finished third in the junior men's category at the annual Monaghan Phoenix 5km road race in a time of 16:51 and also to John Joe Rogers who was 4th in the M45 category in 18:10. Belated congratulations are also due to Albert Eakins who finished third in the M50 age group in the Frank Duffy 10 mile road race in Dublin's Phoenix Park on August 19th.
Shercock beats Meath (and wins Division 1 of the National League) Shercock athletic club came of age in emphatic fashion in Tullamore today when the men's team emerged as overall winners of Division 1 of the Hibernian league after a dog-fight of a competition in which only a couple of points separated the top three teams for most of the day. Despite missing a number of key athletes due to injury, there were no signs of self-doubt in the squad as they dug deep and found new reserves of ability and courage to overcome the considerable challenge posed by the combined forces of Meath athletics and a team made up from two Cork clubs - Togher and Belgooley. There were star performances from racewalker Paul Fitzpatrick, who took over Peter Muldoon's role on the squad and smashed his PB with a 13:38 timing when finishing second behind West Waterford's Jamie Costin in the 3km racewalk. Kevin Ruxton likewise stepped into the shoes of his injured brother James in the 400m hurdles and also finished second in a new PB of 58.41s. Philip Daly was highly impressive with individual wins in the 100m and pole vault and a runner-up spot in the 200m while Noel Carroll rose from his sick-bed to produce a trademark winning run in the steeplechase. The 4x100m relay team held on for a win in a dramatic race after being chased all the way to the line by Togher-Belgooly. Hugh Fitzpatrick and Matthew O'Reilly gathered valuable points in the throws while the jumpers were even more successful with Brian Flatley taking second in the long jump with 6.49m while Alan McEntee was third in the triple jump. Brian was also unlucky to only finish second in the 110m hurdles having battled Strabane's Trevor McGlynn all the way to the line. When the result was finally announced the club had pulled clear of the rest of the field to emerge as clear winners of the league and gain promotion from division 1 to the premier division, which will provide more positive competitive opportunities for the club's athletes in the future. The result was achieved without the assistance of guest athletes, underlying the league's importance for developing strength in depth among the competing clubs. On a very positive day for Ulster athletics, all four titles were won by clubs from the province. Men Division 1: 1. Shercock (112) 2. County Meath (103) 3. Togher-Belgooley (102) 4. City of Derry (94) 5. West Waterford (80) 6. Strabane (79) 7. Leevale (77) 8. Bandon (75). Men Premier Division: 1. North Down 126 2. Clonliffe Harriers 121 3. Raheny 102 4. DSD 79 5. Menapians 78 6.Tullamore Harriers 70 7.County Limerick 63 8. Donore Harriers 57. Women Premier Division: Abbey 114 2. Leevale 102 3. Tir Chonaill 81.5 4. Bandon 81 5. Lagan Valley 80 6. SLOT 75 7. DSD 74 8. BB's 61.5. Women Division 1: City of Lisburn 132 2. Wexford 112 3. Borrisokane 100 4. County Meath 96 5. City of Derry 69 6. Clonliffe Harriers 56 7. County Limerick 48 8. Finn Valley 4.

4x100m relay: Philip Daly passes to Craig Lynch at zone 1 of the relay with Leevale in view (left) and Shercock takes the lead on the final changeover as Alan McEntee passes to Brian Flatley who held off a late challenge from Togher-Belgooley to win.

Noel Carroll emerges from the water jump on lap 1 of the steeplechase on his way to victory in division 1.	Philip Daly produces another impressive win in the 100m.

Paul Fitzpatrick smashed his PB with a 13:38 clocking when finishing second to Jamie Costin in the 3000m racewalk.	Michael Muldoon shows the determination that characterised the Shercock team effort in Tullamore.

Alan McEntee drives for length in the triple jump	Brian Flatley stretches for the sand in the long jump in which he finished second.

Kevin Ruxton knocked over two seconds off his PB when finishing second to Togher-Belgooley's Ronan Foulkes in the 400m hurdles.	Hugh Fitzpatrick unleashes the hammer.

Alan McEntee suffers a captain's fate as he is dumped unceremoniously in the water jump during the team's celebrations.
August 13th - Celtic Games The Celtic Games were held at Waterford's newly laid tartan track today and provided some highly entertaining athletics as teams from Ulster, Scotland, Wales and the rest of Ireland battled for supremacy in a positive and friendly atmosphere. The competition took place across two age groups - the under 16 and under 18 boys and girls - with Shercock interest centred firmly on the Ulster team on which four club members represented their province with distinction. Paul Fitzpatrick (right) was first on track in the under 18 racewalk which was included on the programme for the first time this year. After an initial tussle with Niall Prendeville on the opening lap, Paul pulled away into a clear lead and powered his way to the finish line showing excellent technique to win the 1km event in a time of 4:11. Paul's duties didn't finish there however as he was later called upon to fill a vacant place in the pole vault for the Ulster team. Despite not having competed in the event for over a year, Paul, with the help of some expert advice from pole vault coach Jim Alexander, vaulted his way to a new personal best of 2.80m to finish in fourth place in the competition. Gerard O'Reilly, who was captain of the Ulster boys under 18 team, also filled multiple roles for his province, finishing second to Scotsman Ryan Oswald in the 200m and third in the 100m. Gerard's day ended with a positive performance on the 4x100m relay squad on which he teamed up with Patrick McCarron, Fiyan Olayisade and Gary Coulter to take second place behind Scotland. The long jump competitions provided some of the most entertaining sport of the day as Eoin Hannon set a new record of 6.96m in the under 18 age group and Timothy Harrington also broke new ground with a record of 6.88m in the under 16 event. Paul Smith benefited from the positive competitive atmosphere and also set a new personal best mark, breaking the sand at 6.18m when finishing third for Ulster in the under 16 age group. Matthew O'Reilly found himself in a close-fought battle for the silver and bronze medals in the under 18 shot putt and produced his best throw ever of 14.47m, however this was just short of the mark for second place and he finished third behind winner Luke Mangan. For further photographs of the Celtic Games visit the Ulster Athletics website: Ulster Athletics

Gerard O'Reilly takes the baton from Gary Coulter on the final changeover as Ulster takes second place behind Scotland in the under 18 4x100m.	Paul Smith reaches for the sky in the under 16 long jump in which he finished third with a new personal best of 6.18m.

Matthew O'Reilly broke new ground when he putted the shot to 14.47m to finish third in the under 18 competition.	Gerry O'Reilly battles Ryan Oswald (Scotland) and Gareth Price (Wales) in the 200m, in which he finished in second place behind Oswald.

Cavan Trophies Survive Attempted Theft There was relief for the members of the athletic community in Cavan when it emerged today that a collection of many of the county's inter-club cups have survived unscathed following a major robbery at Howell's Jewelers in Carrickmacross on Tuesday. The collection, which included the Sillan Tours Cup (Winter League), McCormack Cup (Road Championships), Dr. Quinn Cup (Senior Track & Field), Ulster Arms Cup (Senior Mens Cross Country Team) and The Senior Men's Individual Cross Country Cup had been deposited at the jewelers for engraving by Shercock AC. The raid, which is believed to have been the work of a Dublin criminal gang, resulted in the theft of over 100,000 euros worth of jewelry and valuables. A spokesman for Howell's confirmed that the cup collection was unaffected by the raid but was unable to offer any explanation as to why the Cups had been overlooked by the raiders. Pictured right is the Dr. Quinn Cup presentation following this year's track & field championships featuring Carol Kiernan, chairman of the Cavan Athletic Board and Alan McEntee, Shercock Athletic Club.
August 6th - National League Round 2 A rain-soaked Morton Stadium provided the venue today for the second round of the national league in which Shercock were hoping to gain qualification for the division 1 final in Tullamore on August 20th. The squad put their collective best feet forward and produced an impressive series of performances to emerge as the top club at the venue. It was an occasion of mixed emotions for racewalker Peter Muldoon as he completed his final race in Ireland before departing for the States on an athletic scholarship to Virginia Intermont College. Peter was clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check as he strode to victory in his final outing on Irish soil (right). It proved to be just one of twelve Shercock wins on the day as the team went on a points rampage in both the track and field events. Brian Flatley produced a double win in the 110m hurdles and long jump while Philip Daly won the 100m by the proverbial street in a time of 11.23s and went on to also win the shot putt. Hugh Fitzpatrick was another double winner as he took pole position in the hammer and weight for distance. A strategic swap at middle distance produced rich rewards as Noel Carroll scored an impressive double at 1500m and 5000m while substitute Luke O'Brien took the win in Noel's primary event, the steeplechase. Alan McEntee won the triple jump and also finished second in the 200m. There were further second place performances by James Muldoon at 800m, Michael Muldoon at 400m, Matthew O'Reilly in the Javelin and Craig Lynch in the high jump. A spirited performance by the 4x400m relay of Philip Daly, Alan McEntee, Luke O'Brien and Craig Lynch saw the team finish on a high note with another win. Shercock ended up with a points total of 129 on the day which led the clubs in Santry and should be enough to secure progression to the finals. Dublin Results: *Premier Men:* 1. Clonliffe 123 points 2. North Down 109 3. DSD 103 4. Donore Harriers 93 5. Abbey 87 *Premier Women:* 1. Abbey 117 2. DSD 104 3. Tir Chonaill 102 4. Lagan Valley 98 5. Sli Cualann 64 *Division 1 Men Pool 1: 1. Strabane 113 2. City of Derry 110 3. City of Lisburn 110 4. Letterkenny 108 Division 1 Men Pool 2:* 1. Shercock 129 2. Finn Valley 103 3. Olympians 102 4. Monaghan 89 5. Sli Cualann 34 *Division 1 Women:* 1. Clonliffe Harriers 107 2. City of Lisburn 105 3. City of Derry 94 4. North Down 83 5. Finn Valley 78 6. Letterkenny 61 7. Monaghan 8. Cork Results: *Premier Men Points:* 1 Menapians 117, 2 Limerick 108, 3 Tullamore Harriers 106, 4 Raheny Shamrocks, 5 Crusaders 82. *Premier Women Points:* 1 Leevale 115, 2 Bandon 108, 3 BBs 96, 4 SLOT 87, 5 Riocht 61, 6 Raheny 41 *Div1 Men Pool 1 Points:* 1 Togher Belgooly 124, 2 West Waterford 113, 3 Leevale 109, 4 Imokilly 84, 5 Wexford 41 *Div1 Men Pool 2 Points:* 1 Meath 125, 2 Bandon 119, 3 SLOT 18, 4 Riocht 12 *Div1 Women Points:* 1 Wexford 118.5, 2 Meath 113, , 3 Limerick 107.5, 4 Borrisokane 98.

Luke O'Brien leads team mate Paul Fitzpatrick through the water jump on his way to victory in the steeplechase.	Brian Flatley showed little regard for the wet conditions as he powered home in first place in the 110m hurdles.

Alan McEntee drives for length in the triple jump.	Hugh's inspiring performance of the theme from The Sound of Music was almost as impressive as his hammer throwing.
July 28th - Dublin International: Noel Carroll had a positive run at a blustery Morton Stadium today when he finished sixth in a large field in the 3000m in a time of 8:40. Noel started in the middle of the pack and moved steadily up the field as the race progressed, lying fifth at the bell just ahead of Simon Taylor (Abbey) and Eoin Healy (DSD). As the pace increased in the closing stages he was overtaken by Taylor but held on to sixth place in the sprint for the line. The race was won by Annadale Strider Patrick Hamilton with Raheny's Mark Kirwan second.
July 22nd & 23rd - AAI Senior Championships A number of Shercock athletes were in action at the national championships in Santry this weekend which took place in ideal conditions as the country's top athletes put on a fine display for the sport's dedicated followers at the Dublin venue. The 3000m steeplechase provided a close contest at the front as Mark Kirwan and Eugene O'Neill battled for the lead and the title with the more experienced O'Neill coming off the better in a sprint to the line. Noel Carroll was competing in his first senior championships and despite losing contact with the leaders in the early stages produced a positive effort to finish fifth in a time of 9:33. Hugh Fitzpatrick continued to make progress in the hammer, further extending his club and county record with a best throw of 42.97m to finish seventh. Paul Fitzpatrick also made his first appearance at the seniors and finished seventh in the 10km walk in 51:16. Shercock's sprinters struggled to find their best form and failed to progress beyond the heats. Hugh Fitzpatrick's hopes to repeat his 2005 medal winning performance in the junior weight for height came to a frustrating anti-climax when the event was cancelled on Saturday for want of a 35 pound weight. The first heat of the 100m gets under way featuring Shercock's Philip Daly (lane 3) and Gerard O'Reilly (lane 7)

Alan McEntee drives for the finish line in the 200m heats	Paul Fitzpatrick in action in the 10km racewalk
Celtic International - Four Shercock Athletes Selected to Represent Ulster There was good news for the club when the selections for the Ulster team for the Celtic International were announced this week and four Shercock athletes were included. The quartet are pictured above - Gerard O'Reilly (under 18 100m, 200m & relay), Matthew O'Reilly (under 18 shot putt), Paul Smith (under 16 long jump & relay) and Paul Fitzpatrick (under 18 racewalk).

July 28th - Dublin International: Noel Carroll had a positive run at a blustery Morton Stadium today when he finished sixth in a large field in the 3000m in a time of 8:40. Noel started in the middle of the pack and moved steadily up the field as the race progressed, lying fifth at the bell just ahead of Simon Taylor (Abbey) and Eoin Healy (DSD). As the pace increased in the closing stages he was overtaken by Taylor but held on to sixth place in the sprint for the line. The race was won by Annadale Strider Patrick Hamilton with Raheny's Mark Kirwan second.
AAI National League - Round 1 - Navan Shercock Wins in Navan A sun drenched Claremont Stadium provided the venue for the first round of this year's national league and the Shercock men's team, competing for the first time without guest athletes, took on the challenge posed by Strabane, City of Lisburn, Letterkenny, Navan and Westmeath in Pool B of Division 1. Despite the absence of a number of the club's stronger sprinters, the team produced a great effort to secure 8 wins, 4 seconds and 4 thirds to accumulate a points total of 119 and win the group. Philip Daly made a great contribution with wins in the 100m and pole vault. Alan McEntee won the triple jump and finished third in the 200m. Hugh Fitzpatrick produced a great effort to set a new club and county record of 41.68m in the hammer and also won the 56 pound weight for distance. Brian Flatley won the high jump with a 1.80m clearance and had a great battle with Strabane's Trevor McGlynn in the 110m hurdles in which he finished a close second. Peter Muldoon won the 3km racewalk and Noel Carroll was never challenged for the lead in the steeplechase which he won comfortably in 9:34. Matthew O'Reilly made a rare appearance in the javelin and threw the senior weight 34.04m to finish third. Luke O'Brien further lowered his PB for 1500m when finishing second in 4:15. Sean Smith made a welcome return to competition and took third place in the 5000m. Kevin Ruxton produced a great finish and was narrowly beaten for second place in the 400m hurdles. The 4x100m relay team never looked like being beaten despite some rusty changeovers by the quartet of Craig Lynch, Philip Daly, Alan McEntee and Brian Flatley. The day ended with a great battle in the 4x400m relay in which Shercock held the lead until the final 100m when the team was overhauled by Letterkenny in a close finish. Men Division 1 Pool B: 1. Shercock 119 points 2. Strabane 109, 3. City of Lisburn 99, 4. Letterkenny 95, 5. Navan 77, 6. Westmeath 54.

Craig Lynch passes to Philip Daly for Shercock while Dermot Smith stretches to complete the changeover for Navan in the 4x100m relay.	Hugh Fitzpatrick lets loose the 56 pound weight on his way to victory in the weight for distance.

Noel Carroll demonstrates the "walking on water" technique which was the secret of his success in the steeplechase in Navan today.

Philip Daly powers away from the field on his way to victory in the 100m.	Sean Smith was back on track for the 5000m in which he finished third.
July 8th - Gerry Medals at Schools International Gerry O'Reilly produced a double medal winning performance at the schools international track & field at Grangemouth, Scotland, today when he finished third in both the 100m (11.17s) and 200m (22.44s). Gerry went on to anchor the Irish 4x100m relay team to second place behind England, the entire team being drawn from Ulster schools athletics (right). Patrick McCarron from Glaslough Harriers also contested the 200m in Scotland, finishing in fifth place.
July 8th & 9th - Positive Performances at National Age Group Champion ships Gerard O’Reilly headed a spate of good performances by Shercock athletes at the national age group championships which were held at a weather battered Tullamore this weekend. After a dip in form during June it was a case of back to business as usual for Gerry as he produced a great run around the bend in the under 18 200m final to lead the field into the home straight before pulling further ahead over the closing stages to take the gold in a useful time of 22.0s. The battle for second place was a tight affair with talented Tallaght quarter miler Brian Gregan holding off the challenge of Raheny’s Michael Hynes to take the silver. Gerry had dipped under 11 seconds for the first time the previous day when winning the 100m final from Tullamore’s Eoin Hannon and appears to be coming back into good form in time for the schools international this weekend. Paul Fitzpatrick showed great technique when leading the under 18 5000m all the way to secure yet another racewalking gold and now has his first appearance at the national seniors to prepare for in two weeks time when he will race over the 10km distance. After mixed opening day’s performances on Saturday, which saw him set PB’s of 11.96s for 100m and 11.97m when finishing fifth in the under 16 triple jump, Paul Smith made a positive re-appearance on Sunday having overcome a hamstring cramp that forced his withdrawal from the 100m final the previous day. Competing in his favourite event, the long jump, Paul sailed over the 6m mark for the first time to take the silver medal behind Corkman Timmy Harrington with a best effort of 6.16m. Matthew O’Reilly has shown great form in the shot putt this season and he extended his PB yet further in Tullamore when he broke the turf at 14.36m to secure the silver medal behind the impressive Luke Mangan of Clonliffe Harriers. Matthew also took the bronze medal in his first (and last) hammer competition of the year and finished fourth in the discus for good measure. Fiona Smith won her third national medal in the pole vault this season with a clearance of 2.20m which was enough to secure the bronze medal in the under 18 competition. The same event proved also proved successful for James Muldoon and Kevin Ruxton, who won the silver medals in the under 19 and under 17 competitions. Luke O’Brien produced a solid effort to take the bronze medal in the under 18 steeplechase in a time of 6:34 behind winner Robert Fitzsimons of Tallaght AC. There were further positive performances by Micheal Gargan who finished fifth in the under 14 racewalk and Celine Clerkin who ran well to finish sixth in a strong field in the under 14 800m.

Shercock medalists in Tullamore - Matthew O'Reilly, 2nd under 18 shot putt and 3rd hammer, Fiona Smith, 3rd under 18 pole vault and Luke O'Brien, 3rd under 18 steeplechase.	Under 16 long jump: Gerard Minihane, Skibbereen, 3rd, Timmy Harrington, Courcies, 1st and Paul Smith, Shercock, 2nd (6.16m).
July 2nd - AAI National Junior & Under 23 Championships The national junior and under 23 championships took place in near perfect conditions today in Tullamore and a large squad from the club took part, taking home six titles and a large haul of medals in the process. One of the highlights of the day was the 3000m steeplechase, which combined the junior and under 23 age groups in the same race. Noel Carroll set off at a blistering pace, opening up a large lead before being joined by Brian Kirwan of St. Lawrence O'Toole's at the front at the 1km mark. The pair battled for the lead over the middle kilometer before Noel pulled clear again, stretching the lead all the way to the finish line to win the under 23 title in a new personal best of 9:31. Paul Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, worked his way to the front of the junior steeplechase (left), taking the lead at the halfway point from David Shore of Slaney Olympic and also ran on strongly to secure the gold medal for a rare double of steeplechase titles. Gerard O'Reilly came with a storming finish to move from fourth up to first in the closing stages of the 200m to win his first junior title outdoors. Also impressing in the junior sprints was Philip Daly, who held off a late challenge from Ferrybank's Christopher Russell to take the silver medal in the 100m behind Derry's Jason Smith. The Shercock thrower's had an unusually quiet day in Tullamore with just one podium appearance by Hugh Fitzpatrick who finished third in the Weight for Distance with a PB of 8.06m. There was strong Shercock representation in the relays and the junior 4x100m team of Craig Lynch, Philip Daly, Gerard O'Reilly and Ciaran Ward produced a good effort, leading until the final leg when they were overtaken by Tralee Harriers and finished in second place. The 4x400m featured two teams from the club. The A team took the lead on the second leg with a strong run by Kevin Ruxton, however Ferrybank overtook Shercock's third runner Ciaran Ward and opened up a considerable lead which proved too much for Gerard O'Reilly to close on the final leg, leaving them in second place once again. The B team was engaged in a separate battle with their clubmates in the under 23 4x400m team, whose race was run along with the juniors. In the end the junior B team finished third and the under 23 team finished second in their event behind Togher AC, and also won the battle with the junior B team. There were some very positive results from the under 23 championships, led by Brian Flatley's wins in the high jump and 110m hurdles. Brian recently transferred to Shercock from Claremorris AC and made an immediate positive impact for the club with strong runs on the under 23 relay teams as well as individual successes in the high jump and hurdles. Michael Muldoon (left) showed admirable discernment in his choice of events and picked up an unlikely combination of medals including silver in the 10000m walk and bronze in both the hammer and javelin. The under 23 4x100m relay team of Brian Flatley, Noel Carroll, Michael Muldoon and Noel Ruxton combined well to win the gold and went on to also finish second in the 4x400m. A number of noteworthy Shercock performances were achieved elsewhere in the competition with Fiona Smith producing an excellent personal best of 2.40m when finishing just outside the medals in fourth place in the junior women's pole vault. Luke O'Brien also dipped inside his PB when he finished 12th in the junior 1500m in 4:18 while clubmate James Muldoon was two places further behind in 14th place. Matthew O'Reilly was fifth in the junior shot putt with a best mark of 12.70m and Kevin Ruxton and Hugh Fitzpatrick finished sixth in junior 400m hurdles and hammer respectively.

Hugh Fitzpatrick winds up for a big effort in the hammer (photo: Paul O'Neill)	Noel Carroll clears the final barrier on his way to victory in the steeplechase (photo: Paul O'Neill)

Brian Flatley leaps high in the final phase of the triple jump in which he finished third. Photo: Paul O'Neill	Matthew O'Reilly in action in the shot putt. Photo: Paul O'Neill

Michael Heery, President of the AAI, is pictured with 110m hurdles gold medalists Brian Flatley (under 23) and Eoin Hannon, Tullamore Harriers (Junior).	Size doesn't matter, or so it appears as Noel Carroll dominates the podium at the medal presentation for the under 23 3000m steeplechase. Also pictured are Brian Kirwan, SLOT (2nd) and Aaron Hornibrook, Leevale (3rd).

Philip Daly was a comfortable winner of his heat in the junior 100m and went on to take silver in the final.	Double Champions: Noel Carroll and Paul Fitzpatrick produced an impressive double gold medal winning performance in the under 23 and junior 3000m steeplechase.

Shercock AC 4x400m Relay Teams: Back Row Under 23 team (2nd) - Brian Flatley, Noel Ruxton, Michael Muldoon and Noel Carroll. Middle row Junior A team (2nd) - Craig Lynch, Ciaran Ward, Kevin Ruxton and Gerard O'Reilly. Front Row Junior B team (3rd) - Philip Daly, James Muldoon, Paul Fitzpatrick and Luke O'Brien.

June 26th - Tailteann Games Congratulations to the three club members who took part in the Tailteann Games schools inter-provincial at the weekend. Gerard O'Reilly won a close fought 100m and finished second to Monaghan man Patrick McCarron at in the 200m. Both athletes were heavily involved in the Ulster relay teams who produced a dominant performance, taking both gold and silver in the boys 4x100m with A and B teams while the 4x400m team also came off the better in a tightly contested battle with Leinster. Also contributing to the Ulster cause was Luke O'Brien, who recovered from a collision with a barrier in the steeplechase to finish fourth. Ulster won the overall boys competition for the second year running. Fiona Smith produced another great competition in the pole vault, finishing third with a 2.20m clearance. Fiona was unlucky not to clear 2.40m after three close attempts and looks likely to improve further in the near future.
June 17th: Noel Carroll Does it Again - at 1500m Noel Carroll was in smashing form at the Irish Milers Club 1500m race in Dublin tonight when he produced an excellent run to smash his personal best for the distance with a sub-4 clocking of 3:58.33. In doing so Noel improved on his previous best time of 4:07 set at a Dublin Graded Meet just two weeks earlier.
June 17th & 18th - Ulster & NI Age Group Championships New Look Shercock Youth Squad Impresses in Antrim It was a new look Shercock youth squad that traveled to Antrim today for the Ulster track and field championships wearing the club’s new black, red and white colours. It appeared to be a lucky switch as the entire group qualified for the national championships and took home a large haul of medals. Most impressive on the day was thrower Hugh Fitzpatrick who completed a golden treble and set new personal bests of 45.25m in the hammer, 37.72m in the discus and 12.24m in the shot putt in the under 20 competition. Throwing partner Matthew O'Reilly was also in impressive form, setting a new pb of 14.33m in the under 18 shot putt and finishing second in the discus with a 34.49m effort. Gerard O’Reilly came through in the closing stages to win the under 18 100m and added a second gold to his collection with a commanding performance at 200m. One of the surprise results of the day came from racewalker Paul Fitzpatrick, who won the under 18 3000m walk title in the morning and went on to produce a great run in the steeplechase to win the gold. Fiona Smith further improved her pole vault pb with a 2.30m clearance to win the under 18 event. Peter Muldoon added the junior 3km racewalk title to his collection and Micheal Gargan kept the Shercock racewalking tradition alive in the younger age groups with a win in the under 14 2000m. Paul Smith completed a full set of Ulster medals when finishing third in the 100m, second in the long jump and first in the triple jump in the under 16 age group. Luke O’Brien completely lost the run of himself in the under 18 1500m, which was combined with the under 19 field which included the unbeatable Stephen Scullion of North Belfast Harriers. When Scullion pulled away from the field on the opening laps Luke went with him and the pair opened up a large gap on the chasing pack. Scullion pulled away on the third lap for a solo run to the line leaving Luke clear in the lead of the remainder of the field. He held the gap until the final lap when he was chased down by the combined efforts of Neil Gibbons of Letterkenny and Adrian Gilbane of Glaslough Harriers. The game appeared to be up for Luke as they entered the home straight however he had one more surprise up his sleeve and took off again, winning the sprint to the line and smashing his pb by 14 seconds in the process. Luke was suitably rewarded with the gold medal for the under 18 age group, his first Ulster title. Kevin Ruxton made a great breakthrough at 400m, finishing third in a quality race in a new pb of 53.65s. Kevin also finished second in the 400m hurdles and appears set to follow in the footsteps of his older brother and Irish junior champion James in the two events. Ciaran Ward was also in impressive form at 400m, finishing third in the under 18 event in 54.94s. Celine Clerkin was an impressive winner of her heat of the under 14 800m and produced another good effort in the final, leading until the final straight when she was overtaken in a sprint finish and crossed the line in second place.

Paul Smith battles with Regent's House star Scott Hamilton in his heat of the 100m, going on to finish third in the final. Paul also won the triple jump and finished second in the long jump in his age group.	Paul Fitzpatrick produced the most unlikely double of the day when he added the steeplechase title to his 3000m walk victory.

Celine Clerkin led her heat of the 800m from start to finish and finished second in the final.	Drumlin AC's Catriona Mullen keeps an eye on the opposition in the 1500m.

Craig Lynch on his way to finishing second in his heat of the 100m.	Kevin Ruxton showed good form when finishing second in the 400m hurdles and third in the 400m in the under 17 age group.

Hugh Fitzpatrick lets loose the shot putt on his way to an impressive treble of gold medals and personal bests in the shot, hammer and discus.	Matthew O'Reilly also impressed in the throws, finishing second in the discus with a 34.49m effort and winning the under 18 shot with a PB of 14.33m.

Michéal Gargan maintained the club's strong tradition in the walks with victory in the under 14 2000m.	Ciaran Ward finished third in the under 18 400m, achieving a personal best of 54.94s in his heat.
Cavan Performances: A number of athletes from the other Cavan club's also performed well in Antrim including Innyvale's Sheana Kiernan, 1st in the under 18 hammer, Orla Smith, 2nd in the under 18 walk, Keava Galligan, third in the under 14 walk and Lorna Cahill, 3rd in the under 17 300m final. Catriona Mullen from Drumlin AC was second in the under 15 1500m and Cian O'Reilly from Annalee was second in the under 15 800m. Bailieborough's Shane Donnellan was fourth in the under 18 400m and Niall Comey was also fourth in the under 15 1500m.
June 14th - Dublin Graded Meet Noel Carroll Sets New Mark for 3000m Noel Carroll continued to show the strong vein of form that he has demonstrated since the start of the track season when he smashed his previous best mark for 3000m by 23 seconds at the Dublin Graded Meet last night. Noel finished in third place in a time of 8:35.5 behind winner Richard Corcoran and runner-up Michael Clohissey, both of Raheny Shamrocks. Noel will next concentrate on improving his performance at his preferred event, the 3000m steeplechase. Also running well from Shercock was James Ruxton who finished in third place in the 200m in a time of 23.18s, and Alan McEntee who was fifth in the same race in 23.54s.
June 11th - AAI Senior Relay Championships It's Official - Cavan Men Are Fastest! - Shercock Win National 4x100m and 4x400m Titles The strength in depth that has characterised the Shercock sprint squad this year bore fruit in Navan today when the club's teams won both national senior men's relay titles. The 4x100m senior team featured Craig Lynch, Philip Daly, James Ruxton and Alan McEntee with James acting as a late substitution for the absent Gerard O'Reilly. After a positive start by Craig, Philip took the lead on the back straight which was further extended by James and Alan on the closing legs for a comfortable win. The quartet were delighted by their success, the first national senior relay title to be won by the club. The 4x400m had a positive start thanks to a strong opening run by Craig Lynch who passed the baton to James Ruxton in second place. James closed down a gap to leaders, Metro St. Brigid's AC, and took the lead on the back straight, handing over to Ciaran Ward in first place. Ciaran maintained the lead and passed to Alan McEntee who produced a great closing leg to further extend the team's lead and secure the title ahead of Metro St. Brigid's and Raheny Shamrocks. James and Craig went on to score a golden treble on the day when they teamed up to win the 2xhigh jump competition in which both cleared a personal best height of 1.73m for a combined total of 3.46m. Ulster & NI Juvenile Championships, Stranorlar: A group of the club's youngest athletes made the journey to Donegal for the first stage of the Ulster juvenile championships and achieved a number of medal winning performances. Ciaran Corrigan followed in the footsteps of his brothers Patrick and Brendan, both of whom won Ulster titles in the long jump, when he won the under 11 competition with a best effort of 3.50m. Niall Clerkin also impressed in the long jump, finishing second in the under 12 event. Niall also finished fourth in the 600m. Greg Kelly Hand also won a silver medal in the under 13 shot putt with a 7.58m effort while Edel Kiernan won the bronze medal in the under 12 600m. Also performing well were Conor Keenan, who was fourth in the under 13 high jump, Darina Fitzpatrick who was fourth in the under 11 ball throw and fifth in the high jump, Sinead O'Neill, 5th in the under 13 long jump, Ryan Rogers, 7th in the under 12 long jump and Barbara Ward, 7th in the under 12 long jump.
June 10th - Ulster & NI Senior Championships The Northern Ireland and Ulster senior championships took place today at a sunny but blustery Mary Peter's track in Belfast. There were some outstanding individual performances on the day including new records by Mary McCloone of Tir Conaill AC who long jumped to an impressive 6.22m and Michael Allen of Abbey AC who threw the javelin out to 79.55m. Shercock performances were led by Noel Carroll who went one place better than last year in the steeplechase in which he finished second to Andrew Dunwoody of Annadale Striders. Having led for the opening kilometer, Noel was overtaken by Dunwoody who opened a substantial gap in the closing stages to finish a comfortable winner. Noel ran conservatively in the closing stages and was never threatened for the silver medal, crossing the line in 9:49. James Ruxton progressed to the final of the 400m hurdles and produced his best run to date, setting a new PB of 54.64s for the event. James found himself in a battle with Chris Quinn of Lagan Valley for the bronze medal in the final and had to settle for fourth place when Quinn pulled away with a strong finish in the home straight. Gerard O'Reilly and Alan McEntee went head to head in their heat of the 200m with Gerard progressing to the final in second place while Alan finished fourth in a season's best of 23.17s. Gerard struggled to produce his best form in the final and finished outside the medals in fourth place in a time of 22.60s.

Gerard O'Reilly and Alan McEntee take the bend in their heat of the 200m, which was won by Paul McKee.	James Ruxton in action in the home straight in his heat of the 400m hurdles in which he progressed to the final and finished fourth in a PB of 54.64s.

Noel Carroll takes the water jump on his way to second place in the 3000m steeplechase.	Steeplechase medalists Matthew Livingstone, Ballymena & Antrim (3rd), Andrew Dunwoody, Annadale Striders (1st) and Noel Carroll, Shercock (2nd).

Pictured are the Junior Boys team from St. Joseph's National School, Kingscourt who were bronze medalists at the Cavan Primary School Relay Championships in Shercock.	Also enjoying success at the relay championships were the Senior Boys team from St. Patrick's national school, Shercock, who finished in second place.
June 4th - Leinster Open Championships James Ruxton Breaks 50 seconds for 400m in Tullamore James Ruxton achieved his early season goal of dipping under the 50 second mark for 400m at the Leinster Open Championships in Tullamore today when he recorded 49.88s when finishing second to Corkman Brian Murphy. After a strong opening 200m, James moved into second place on the final bend and held his form well down the home straight, slowing marginally in the closing 20m as the lactic acid took its toll. The result comes as a timely boost for the club's leading quarter-miler as he prepares to open his season at his preferred event, the 400m hurdles, at the Ulster and Northern Ireland senior championships on June 10th. James was not the only athlete to break new ground over 400m in Tullamore this weekend as just a day earlier Tallaght's Brian Gregan had demolished Philip Beattie's long standing schools intermediate record with a 48.65s clocking at the same venue.
June 3rd - Irish Schools Track & Field Championships Shercock Athletes Fail to Win Silver at All-Ireland Schools Championships The sun was shining, the athletes were shining but there was no silver lining for the six Shercock athletes who traveled to Tullamore today for the All-Ireland schools track & Field Championships where, despite their best efforts, they were only able to secure gold and bronze medals at the prestigious event. Gerry O'Reilly seemed to have done enough to finish second in the intermediate 100m however he recovered from an appalling start and took the lead in the final stages to record an unlikely win. It was the first part of a sprint double for Gerry who went on to comfortably take the 200m title in a repeat of his 2005 double gold winning performance. Paul Fitzpatrick was never threatened for the lead in the senior 3km walk and secured the gold by one of the largest winning margins of the day. Fiona Smith won her first national medal when she finished in third place in the intermediate pole vault in which she showed the promise of even better future performances in the event. Luke O'Brien did everything possible to finish second in the intermediate steeplechase, producing an outstanding closing lap to finish in the bronze medal position in 4:33 - just outside Sean Smith's club record for the distance. In the senior sprint Philip Daly produced a great effort from lane 8 to take third place behind Jason Smyth and Derek Duff. Matthew O'Reilly was the only one of the six not to reach the podium as he finished just off the pace in fifth place in both the senior shot putt and discus. *RESULTS*

May 28th - Leinster Open Championships

Hugh Hammers it out to 44m in Navan

Shercock's Hugh Fitzpatrick and Matthew O'Reilly enjoyed a highly successful outing to Navan for the Leinster Open Championships where they scored a gold and silver double in the junior men's shot putt and discus while Hugh also added the hammer title to his medal collection. Hugh's hammer competition proved to be the highlight for the pair as he broke new ground with an outstanding throw of 44.24m, adding over 10m to his previous best mark for the event. Hugh hopes to break the 50m mark by the end of the season when he will compete for Shercock in the European Junior Champion Club's Cup in Moscow.

Matthew gave Hugh a close contest in the discus, however Hugh came off the better of the pair with a best throw of 35.58m, just far enough to overtake Matthew's junior club record in the event. Positions were reversed in the shot putt when, using the unconventional 6.25kg weight, Matthew won with a 12.55m effort while Hugh was second with 11.76m.

Cavan Juvenile Championships, Kilnaleck: Some of the club's youngest stars were in action today when Innyvale AC hosted the second stage of the Cavan championships for the under 9 to under 12 age groups. Niall Clerkin was a highly impressive winner of all three events in the under 12 age group - 80m, 600m and long jump. Edel Kiernan ran away from the rest of the field to win the under 12 600m by a large margin and there were further impressive performances in the sprints by Ciaran Corrigan (under 11) and Lauren Browne (under 10). The Moynagh Cup for overall club at the juvenile championships was won by Annalee AC.

May 21st - AAI Games

Gerard O'Reilly Breaks 22 seconds for 200m in Irishtown

The appalling weather conditions today failed to dampen the spirits of the athletes who made the trip down to Dublin for the AAI Games in Irishtown. The gusting wind, which played havoc with the times in the 100m events, dropped below the legal barrier before the 200m A race in which Gerry O'Reilly was competing. Coming off the bend Gerry was level with a quartet of runners which included David Hynes, Daniel Tobin Rob Daly and Kevin Cogley. Gerry produced his characteristic surge in the closing stages to pull clear into second place, crossing the line in 21.94s with a +1.6m/s wind speed. This is Gerry's best time recorded in Ireland, bettered only by his performance in the European Junior Clubs Cup in Bosnia last September, and augers well for the up-coming track season. Also competing in Irishtown was James Ruxton who finished fourth in the 400m A race in 50.72s, the race was won by Brian Murphy in 48.78s. Alan McEntee also opened his season with a positive run in the 100m B race, finishing third in 11.37s, and fourth in the 200m B race in 23.41s.

May 20th - Ulster Schools Track & Field Championships

Double Gold for Matthew & Gerry

At a cold and blustery Antrim Forum today there were some very positive and encouraging performances by Shercock athletes. Matthew O'Reilly continued his assault on the club's throws records with a new discus mark of 35.42m as part of a double gold winning effort in the senior discus and shot putt. He also further extended his shot putt mark to 12.80 when winning the competition by just 1cm from Peter Glass. Gerry O'Reilly (left) repeated his intermediate sprint double of last year with comfortable wins over 100m and 200m, crossing the line in the shorter sprint in 11.14s. Craig Lynch hit a new PB of 11.31s when finishing second to Gerry in the 100m semifinal, however a poor run in the final saw him finish outside the medals. Craig was back on track later for the 200m final and produced a good run to take the bronze medal behind Gerry and Patrick McCarron. With Derry record holder Jason Smith virtually certain of a win in the senior 100m there was just one qualifying place for the all-Ireland finals available and Philip Daly (below) responded to the challenge positively with an impressive run in the final, finishing second to Smith in 11.13s. Fiona Smith showed great form and achieved a new best mark of 2.20m when winning the intermediate pole vault. Luke O'Brien (below left) recovered from a hard run in the intermediate 3000m on Friday night, in which he finished seventh, to produce a great effort in the 1500m steeplechase today in which he showed good technique over the barriers and took the silver medal in a time of 4:42. Paul Fitzpatrick (below right) also contested the steeplechase at senior level and finished seventh in his first attempt at the event however he will feature in the all-Ireland schools finals in the racewalk event for which he was the only entry at Ulster level. Celine Clerkin, competing in her first year as a junior, broke her PB by over two seconds when finishing fifth in the 800m final in 2:31. Also competing in Antrim from Shercock were Daniel Muldoon (5th junior racewalk), Niall Shannon (6th junior hammer), Ciaran Ward (6th in the semifinal of both the inter 400m and 400m hurdles), James Muldoon (8th senior 800m) and Paul Smith (6th inter boys long jump).

May 17th - Dublin Graded Meet

Noel Carroll produced an outstanding effort to break his personal best by almost 10 seconds when he stepped down in distance to contest the 1500m at the Dublin Graded Meet today. The stormy weather made for tough conditions on the night in Irishtown however Noel produced a series of even 65 second laps, completing the Grade A race with a strong surge over the final 300m to cross the line in tenth place in 4:07, breaking Sean Smith's club record in the process. Noel was delighted with his performance which will serve as good preparation for his main track event, the 3000m steeplechase, which he will next contest at the start of June. Also impressing in Irishtown was James Ruxton who won his 400m Grade A race with a 50.54s effort. James was hoping to dip under 50 seconds on the night however the strong headwind in the home straight spoiled his chances. When results of the second A race were taken into account, James was ranked second overall based on time. Alan McEntee produced another good run over 400m to finish third in the Grade B race in a personal best of 54.59s while Michael Muldoon found himself in the unfamiliar position of winning a sprint event when he crossed the line first in the Grade C 400m in 57.59s. Also competing in Irishtown was Bailieborough's Briain O'Dowd who completed the Grade B 1500m in 4:33.71.

May 11th & 12th - Schools Districts

There were some very encouraging performances at the schools districts competitions in which the club's Monaghan secondary school students competed on Thursday and the Cavan secondary school students competed in a separate district on Friday. On Thursday Craig Lynch scored a double win in the intermediate 100m and 200m, Ciaran Ward won the inter 400m, Philip Daly won the senior 100m and finished second in the 200m, Celine Clerkin was second in the junior 800m, James Muldoon was second in the senior 800m and Lisa Clerkin was fourth in the inter 300m.

On Friday the Cavan schools were in action and top performer was Matthew O'Reilly (left) who broke the club junior record in the shot putt when he won the senior competition with a 12.53m effort. Also impressing was Paul Smith who broke his PB with a 5.80m leap to win the inter long jump in his first year in the age group. Gerard O'Reilly repeated Craig Lynch's double in the inter 100m and 200m and Luke O'Brien was a comfortable second in the inter 3000m. With several other club athletes going straight through to the Ulster finals in pole vault, racewalking and steeplechase, there will be plenty of local interest at the provincial finals in Antrim this coming weekend.

May 10th - Dublin Graded Meet

A number of Shercock athletes were in action today at the Dublin Graded Meet. James Ruxton finished second in the 200m A race behind Menapians' David Hynes, recording a time of 23.34s into a 1.29 m/s headwind. Michael Muldoon finished 9th in the 200m grade C race. Alan McEntee finished second in the triple jump with a best effort of 12.13m. Hugh Fitzpatrick threw the discus out to 32.34m using the 1.75kg weight.

May 6th - Cavan Track & Field Championships

Shercock Celebrate a Decade of Success with 10th Successive Dr. Quinn Cup Win

The clubs senior, master and juvenile athlete were all in action today when the county track and field championships were held at the Shercock track. There was much to celebrate on the day, not least the opening of the new club rooms which were put to good use by athletes and officials alike. Shercock went in search of the club's tenth successive win in the senior cup and thanks to a dominant display across the full programme of events the team brought home the silver once again to celebrate a decade at the top in Cavan athletics. There were outstanding individual performances by James Ruxton (below) with a treble win in the 400m, 800m and high jump, Fiona Murray with a double in the 300m and 1500m, Noel Carroll with impressive wins in the 1500m and 3000m and Hugh Fitzpatrick with a throws double in the shot putt and discus. The Shercock medley relay teams also impressed with the women's team taking gold in a close fought battle with Innyvale AC while the mens competition saw an upset in club terms when the Shercock B team beat the A team thanks to an outstanding final 800m leg by Noel Carroll.

The under 16 and 17 age groups also contributed to the points total for the Dr. Quinn Cup and once again there were impressive wins by Shercock athletes as Craig Lynch scored a treble win in the under 17 100m, 200m and high jump, Derrice McPhillips also won a treble in the under 16 100m and 80m hurdles as well as the under 17 high jump. Paul Smith was a double winner of the under 16 100m and long jump while Paul Daly also won gold in his first 1500m competition. There were further medal winning performances by Lisa Clerkin, Kevin Ruxton, Kieran McDermott and Alwynne McGeever.

The juvenile under 13, 14 and 15 age groups competed separately for the Moynagh Cup, which also includes the under 12 age group which will be held on May 27th in Killygarry. In the under 15 walks there were winning performances by Barbara Ward and Micheal Gargan. Reece McEnteer was a double winner of the under 14 100m and long jump while Joe Dillon won the 800m in the same age group. Brian Sankey picked himself up after a bad fall in the hurdles and ran on to finish second, Brian then showed great character to take second place in the 800m despite his injuries. Celine Clerkin showed great form to win the under 14 100m and 800m while Sinead O'Neill was an impressive winner of the under 13 sprint. Greg Kelly Hand won his first county title in the under 13 shot putt as did Conor Keenan in the under 13 high jump and there were further medal wins for Shercock by Shauna McGeever, Darina Fitzpatrick, Daire Gargan, Owen Duffy and Owen McPhillips. The day finished with wins in the under 13 boys and girls 4x100m relays. Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Shercock juveniles, the club took an early lead in the Moynagh Cup competition ahead of Annalee and Innyvale athletic clubs.

A masters championship was added to the county programme for the first time and several of the clubs older athletes enjoyed individual success including Albert Eakins, who came off the better in a sprint finish with Sean O'Reilly to win the M45 1500m, Ann Carroll who won the M35 800m and there were further medal winning performances by Brian O'Reilly (M35 100m), Tom Coyle (M35 shot putt) and Margaret Ruxton (M45 shot putt). The overall masters cup was won by Annalee AC.

Link to Photo Report

Peter Muldoon Wins Bank of Ireland Student Sports Award

Racewalker Peter Muldoon was presented with the Bank of Ireland Student Sports Award in Dublin today. Peter, who was entered for the competition by his school, Inver College, progressed through a local and regional selection process before being selected from among the country's leading secondary school sportsmen and women to receive the national accolade. Peter's outstanding achievements in racewalking, which include multiple Irish junior titles and a championship record over 5km in the under 19 age group set him apart as a star among his peers. The award, which has a monetary value of 4,500 euros, was presented to Peter at a ceremony in Dublin today which was also attended by his parents John and Margaret and his brother Michael. Congratulations Peter!