New PB and Club Record for Kevin McCloy at Scottish Championships

Back in Glasgow for the new academic year, Kevin McCloy showed that he was saving the best till last when he produced a PB of 1:51.04 for the 800m when finishing third at the Scottish Senior Championships at the weekend.

Kevin, who was one of a number of athletes who played a key role in Shercock's podium finish at the national league final at the end of July, was somewhat disappointed not to dip under 1:51, as he eased up coming to the line, however it is now surely only a matter of time until he dips under the 1:50 mark - something to look forward to in 2009!

Shercock Juveniles enjoy success at B All-Irelands in Santry

Niall Clerkin wins a close-fought under 14 800m final.

Padraig Donagh was a strong winner of the under 13 600m

Celine Clerkin made a return to the track and was rewarded with bronze in the under 16 800m in Santry.

Shercock double: Niall Clerkin and Ryan Rogers share the podium with gold and silver in the under 14 long jump.

July 27th - National League Premier Division Final

Outstanding Team Performance Puts Shercock on the Podium in Tullamore

Link to National League Photo Gallery

As the curtain came down on the 2008 track season in perfect conditions in Tullamore on Sunday Shercock AC produced their best ever team result and announced their progression into the top three Irish clubs with a series of outstanding individual and team performances in the premier division final. 

James Ruxton (left) played a captain’s role and led by example when he followed up a spirited win in the 400m hurdles with an equally impressive second place finish in the 400m sprint, in which he set a new personal best of 49.84 seconds. Kevin McCloy (below) came from behind to win an absorbing 800m contest by the slimmest of margins on the line. Paul Smith led the way in the field events with a winning effort of 6.60m in the long jump while Brian Flatley was in the form of his life, picking up valuable points with second place finishes in the high jump (1.90m) and 110m hurdles, where he set a new personal best and club record of 15.59s. Brian also finished third in the pole vault. Paul Fitzpatrick also broke into new territory, setting personal bests of 12:33 when finishing second in the 3km walk and 10:25 in the steeplechase in which he finished fifth. Craig Lynch survived the heavily disputed start of the 100m, in which two athletes were disqualified, and gained valuable points with a third place finish. Craig also came fourth in the 200m. In the distance events Noel Carroll made a successful return to competition after a long lay-off due to injury and finished fifth in the 5000m while John Joe Rogers came in seventh in the 1500m. The throwing events proved to be a sparse territory for Shercock in terms of points however there was a positive result for Albinas Kiltiniavicius in the javelin when he set a new club record of 42.74m. Elsewhere Hugh Fitzpatrick finished fourth in the weight for distance and Matthew O’Reilly was sixth in both the shot putt and discus. Gerard O’Reilly was a late substitute in the hammer and produced a pb of 20.19m to finish seventh.

In the end it all came down to the final event, the 4x400m relay, an event in which Shercock had been unable to field a team through the qualifying rounds. It was a very different story in the final, however, as the club’s strongest ever 4x400m team lined out with the intent of taking maximum points. Kevin Ruxton got the squad off to a great start with a battling opening leg and sent his brother James into the second leg in third place. James fought hard all the way to the change zone and passed to Craig Lynch in second place behind Clonliffe Harriers. Craig held his form and his position well and passed to Kevin McCloy for the final leg, still in second place. Kevin stormed into the lead on the back straight and powered home to take the win in a perfect finish to a great day’s competition. The team had the added satisfaction of dipping under the 3:20 mark for the first time, setting a new club record of 3:19.71.

When the points were added, Shercock had finished in second place on the day behind Clonliffe Harriers, but dropped back to third when the bonus points from the qualifying rounds were included. Overall it was the club’s best ever performance and moves Shercock AC firmly into the top three clubs in the country. With a young and fast improving squad the future looks very positive indeed.

Overall Result: Men Premier Division – 1. Clonliffe Harriers 114 points; 2. North Down 103 points; 3. Shercock 102 points; 4. County Meath 95 points 5. Leevale 90 points; 6. DSD 76 points; 7. Menapians 72 points; 8. Tullamore Harriers 71 points.

Photos with thanks to the AAI

Garda Open Sports - Saturday July 26th

The annual Cavan-Monaghan Garda Sports took place in Shercock today and an appreciative crowd from across the North-East gathered to enjoy the sport and entertainment in ideal Summer conditions.

There were many highlights during the packed programme of events though the novelty races at the end of the day resulted in some of the most memorable moments. The sack race produced some controversy when Ryan Rogers was taken down at the start by the Shercock girls brigade giving Niall Clerkin a flying advantage (right) however it didn't appear to affect the final result!

Full results are available in the RESULTS section of the website.

July 19th & 20th - AAI National Senior Championships

Photo Report of Shercock Performances at National Seniors

Brian Flatley and Paul Smith teamed up in the long jump event at the nationals in Santry and were rewarded with gold in the team event when Brian jumped 6.57m and Paul 6.60m. Paul finished in fifth place overall in the individual standings and Brian finished sixth.

James Ruxton set a new personal best of 52.98s when finishing fourth in the final of the 400m hurdles.

Kevin McCloy missed out on a medal by just one hundredth of a second following a photofinish at the end of the 800m final in which he had to settle for fourth behind Eoin Everard from Kilkenny.

Hugh Fitzpatrick and Matthew O'Reilly teamed up in the shot putt at the national senior championships and finished second in the team event when finishing 10th and 9th respectively in the individual standings. The pair produced a repeat result in the discus when they once again took the silver medals in the team competition.

Brian Flatley in action in the pole vault in Santry in which he had a best clearance of 3.85m, just below his personal best of 3.90m.

On Wednesday last Brian Flatley set a new personal best and club record of 3.90m at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry - Well done Brian!

On Saturday Kevin McCloy ran a season's best of 1:51.43 in the 800m at the AAA championships in Birmingham. This qualified Kevin for the B Final in which he finished 5th in 1:53.5.

Paul Smith (left) had a positive return to competition at the AAI Juvenile Championships in Tullamore today. Paul put the combined pressures of the leaving cert exams and a recent injury behind him to set a season's best of 6.74m when winning the under 18 long jump competition.

Also running well in Tullamore was Craig Lynch who recorded 22.0s into a headwind in the final of the under 19 200m. This left him in a photofinish for the gold but the decision went to Christopher Russell from Ferrybank AC on this occasion and Craig had to settle for the silver. Micheal Gargan was also in good form in Tullamore, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place in the under 16 3km walk.

July 11th - Class Performance by Paul Fitzpatrick at World Junior Championships

The world junior championships took place in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz over the past week as the best junior athletes from across the globe went head to head in the battles for the titles. Paul Fitzpatrick was a member of Ireland's largest ever team at the championships and was determined to improve on his last world performance, when he finished in 41st position at the World Cup in Russia last May.

On a day marked by stifling heat and high humidity, Paul lined out for the 10km racewalk in a large field of thirty-five starters but dropped to the back as the early pace saw the entire pack pull ahead of him. By the third lap of the twenty-five lap race, however, he had pulled up to the back markers and started to progress through the pack, picking off places one at a time. Swede Perseus Ibanez and Luis Blanc of France were the first to be passed and as the heat started to take its toll the Irishman proved better able to cope than the opposition from warmer climes as he overtook Kwang-yun Ki from Korea and de Oliviera from Brazil. As the race reached the half-way point Paul was into the top thirty as Hungarian, Greek, Guatamalan and Tunisian walkers were disqualified under the strict judging regime. At this stage many athletes were visibly struggling with the heat and fast pace but Paul continued to advance, overtaking Mexican Adrian Ochoa, Luis Lopes of Portugal and the Colombian pair of Montana and Rendon. The energy sapping conditions started to take their toll as he went through the 7km mark, however, and he visibly slowed, spending several laps holding his position as he prepared for a final surge in the closing stages. By the last lap Paul was in a battle for 20th place with Halman from the host country Poland. Despite the efforts of the home crowd to lift their fellow countryman, he was unable to hold off the challenge of the Irishman and Paul pulled ahead, finishing the race strongly in 20th place just two seconds behind Spain's Manel Torla.

Following the race Paul said he was delighted with the result as he started ranked at the bottom of the large field of thirty-five and had not expected to finish in the top twenty. He had the added bonus of setting a new personal best for 10km on track of 44:52 minutes, which also ranks as a new Ulster senior record, an impressive achievement given the adverse conditions. Paul was supported in Poland by his coach John McGeever and parents Eileen and Pat who joined the large contingent of Irish supporters at the championships.

Paul is pictured about to overtake de Oliveira from Brazil in the early stages of the 10km walk in Bydgoszcz.

Paul Fitzpatrick and coach John McGeever pictured in Bydgosczc following Paul's race.

As the track season moves into top gear many Shercock athletes are enjoying their best year ever with ground breaking performances at home and overseas. James Ruxton (right) made an impressive further advance at the 400m hurdles at the international athletics meeting in Chambery, France on Saturday. James followed up his title winning performance at the Irish under 23 championships last week by knocking another chunk off his personal best when winning his final in Chambery in 53.16s. This represents an improvement of two seconds over his opening season performances in May. Speaking after the race, James said he still felt there was room for improvement as he struggled to hold his stride pattern on the fast Chambery track and he is looking forward to making further advances during the remainder of the season.

Craig Lynch made his international debut for Ireland at the Celtic Cup meeting in Scotland on Tuesday last where he ran the 200m leg of the medley relay for the national team which finished in fourth place.

AAI National Juvenile Championships: This weekend a number of Shercock juveniles traveled to the Antrim Forum which hosted the Irish age-group championships for the first time. Craig Lynch was left with plenty to think about after he finished a disappointing third in a close fought under 19 100m final - only to return to the track 24 hours later and win the 400m final in his first race at the distance this year, recording an impressive time of 49.72s in the process. There were further top class performances by Shercock juveniles in Antrim including Alwynne McGeever, who won the under 19 pole vault, and her sister Shauna, who finished second in the under 17 pole vault with a PB of 2.20m. Another multiple medal winner was Ciaran O'Reilly who followed up a silver in the under 14 discus with bronze in the shot putt. Kevin Ruxton came back from injury to contest the under 19 400m hurdles and was pleased to pick up a bronze medal for his efforts. Paul Smith was an impressive winner of his heat of the under 18 100m, however he was unlucky to finish outside the medals in a close-fought final. Edel Kieran had her best race to date in the under 14 800m final. Lying in fourth place coming off the final bend, Edel lost some ground in the closing stages but finished well in seventh place in a new PB of 2:29.6.

Craig Lynch is first out of the blocks at the start of the under 19 100m final in Antrim.

Paul Smith in action in the under 18 100m final.

AAI President Liam Hennessy is pictured at the medal presentations to Shauna McGeever (2nd under 17 pole vault) and Alwynne McGeever (1st under 18 pole vault) at the national juvenile championships in Antrim.

Podium shot of the under 19 100m - Craig Lynch (3rd), Christopher Russell (1st) and Dean Adams (2nd).

June 20th - National Junior & u23 Championships

The national junior and under 23 championships, which were held in blustery conditions in Tullamore at the weekend, produced some outstanding individual performances from the Shercock squad that traveled to the midlands venue, who collected three titles and a battery of minor medals between them. Paul Fitzpatrick (left) continued his preparations for the world junior championships with a winning performance in the junior men's 5km walk, which he completed in 22:13. James Ruxton showed that his recent fast time in Greystones was no fluke when he produced a clinical run to win the under 23 hurdles by a large margin in another fast time of 53.88s. Craig Lynch was a comfortable winner of the junior men's 100m, recording 11.12s into a headwind. Craig then went head-to-head with Brian Gregan in the 200m final and produced a great run to lead down the home straight only to be overtaken in the closing stages by the tall Dubliner. Craig had the satisfaction, however, of a new PB of 21.94s to go with the silver medal.

Kevin McCloy was in Tullamore to defend his 2007 under 23 800m title and once again it was Corkman Joe Warne who provided the main opposition. After a slow opening lap Kevin led down the back straight with Warne in close attendance before releasing his trademark sprint finish off the final bend. Warne responded in kind, however, and the pair charged down the home straight with nothing to separate them. At the line, it was Warne who edged in front to claim the gold in a reversal of last year's result.

Pole vaulter's Alwynne McGeever and Fiona Smith were on track early in the morning to contest the junior women's event and the pair coped well with the blustery conditions to share third place and the bronze medals with clearances of 2.20m. Throwers Matthew O'Reilly and Hugh Fitzpatrick each had a very long and very busy day in Tullamore. Hugh, competing in the under 23 age group, had his best result in the shot putt, in which he finished third. His other performances were in the discus (5th), hammer (4th with 39.32m) and weight for distance (4th with a PB of 8.53m). Matthew fared best in the junior men's weight for distance (3rd) and also finished 5th in the discus and shot putt.

Craig Lynch in winning form in the junior men's 100m.

Kevin McCloy & Joe Warne battle for the lead in the u23 800m.

Alwynne McGeever goes clear on her way to third place in the junior girl's pole vault.

Matthew O'Reilly in action in the junior men's discus.

Fiona Smith on her way to joint third place in the junior girl's pole vault.

Richard Tsang & Paul Doherty battle it out in the 100m heats.

Junior Women pole vault medalists Alwynne McGeever and Fiona Smith.

Junior Men's 100m Medal Presentation.

Junior Men's walks medalists.

Matthew O'Reilly in action in the junior men's weight for distance in which he finished third.

Hugh Fitzpatrick set a PB in the under 23 weight for distance when finishing fourth.

June 28th - Tailteann Games

The Tailteann Games Schools Inter-Provincial was held today in Morton Stadium Santry. A number of Shercock athletes were in action representing the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. Ulster representative Shauna McGeever (St Louis CMX) finished fourth in the pole vault (right), matching her personal best with a 2.10m clearance. Barbara Ward (St Louis CMX) was competing in the 3km walk, an event for which she will still be eligible in 2011, and performed well to finish seventh in the rain (below). Catherina Mullen (St. Aiden's, Cootehil) was in action in the 3000m, in which she finished in sixth place. Micheal Gargan, O'Carolan's Nobber, represented Leinster in the 3km walk and did well to finish seventh (below right).

James Ruxton made a major advance in the Irish rankings for the 400m hurdles when he led home a strong field to win the "Share the Dream" event in Greystones on Friday. James has looked capable of producing a fast race all season and it all came together for him in Greystones where he drove out a strong fifteen-stride pattern down the back straight to take the lead and then dug deep into the stamina gained from a long winter of speed endurance training to hold on until the line to take the gold ahead of Jeremy Lyons and Jonathan Millar. James also had the satisfaction of smashing his personal best by over a second, recording an impressive 53.63s on the clock. The timing could not be better for one of the club's most dedicated athletes as he moves into the main part of his season, which will include two races in France in early July before contesting the Irish senior championships on July 19th.

Minister Brendan Smith Visits Shercock Athletic Club

Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith led a delegation of local public representatives and officials who visited the athletic club recently to view the work completed to date on the track and surrounding facilities. Minister Smith was generous in his praise of the both the track itself and the commitment of the club members who have already successfully completed the development of the first all-weather athletics facility in the region. Minister Smith also expressed his support for the club's plans to upgrade the track to a synthetic tartan surface, a project which is the focus of a major fund-raising campaign at present.

Pictured above are, from left: Francis McDermott, Chairman of Cavan County Council, Craig Lynch, Shercock AC, John McGeever, club coach, Jack Keys, county manager, Minister Brendan Smith, Councilor Clifford Kelly and Councilor Michael McCarey.

Craig Lynch Sets PB in France: Competing in the Festiv'athlé meeting in Valbonne on the French Riviera on Saturday, Craig Lynch dipped under the 11 second barrier for the first time, recording 10.94s in the 100m A final when finishing fifth in an international field. The meeting was held in ideal conditions with blue skies and temperatures in the high twenties, in stark contrast to the weather back home. Craig finished off the evening with a second outing in the 200m B final in which he finished second in 22.18s.

Kevin McCloy was in action in the AAA championships in England on Saturday, recording a time of 1:56 when finishing fifth in his heat in the 800m.

Back home the club's juvenile, senior and masters athletes were in action at the county championships in Navan where they braved hostile wintry conditions as the Summer gave way to unseasonal wet and windy weather. There were many positive individual performances from athletes testing their form ahead of the national championships next month and results are available in the results section.

June 15 - National League Round 2

The Shercock men's team were drawn in Santry for the second round of the national league premier division on Sunday. Their group included Clonliffe Harriers, Tullamore Harriers, Crusaders, Donore Harriers and Abbey AC. The team received a great boost with the return of seasoned contenders Brian Flatley and Peter Muldoon whose presence helped counter-balance the absence of a few key players who were affected by injury or competing overseas. Brian was rewarded with a new club record of 3.80m in the pole vault and also ran well in the hurdles, finishing second in 15.83s and first in the high jump with a clearance of 1.80m. Peter put in sterling effort to win the racewalk and also lined out in the 5000m in which he finished sixth. There were further club records in the throws where Albinas Kiltinavicius threw the javelin 42.48m to finish fourth while Matthew O'Reilly also impressed with a 35.45m discus throw to finish second. James Ruxton took on a challenging double in the 400m and 800m and it paid dividends with a second place in the 400m in 50.17s and third place in the 800m. Kevin Ruxton took part in his first 400m hurdles race of the year and also did well to finish second in 59.12s. Craig Lynch was in action in the sprints, finishing second to Gordon Kennedy in the 200m in a PB of 22.10s and third in the 100m following a dodgy start. Alan McEntee stepped into the long jump slot and took a useful third place but was unlucky to suffer a hamstring injury in his preferred event, the triple jump, from which he was forced to withdraw. The 4x100m team featured an experimental line-up of Brian Flatley, Craig Lynch, James Ruxton and Alan McEntee which ran well to finish second behind Clonliffe Harriers.

When the points were totaled, Shercock had gained an additional 100 points which, when added to the first round result came to an overall total of 205 points. Subject to confirmation by the AAI, this will leave the team in fourth place overall going into the final on July 27th.

June 15th - Leamington Grand Prix of Racewalking

Paul Fitzpatrick Qualifies for World Junior Championships

Shercock's Paul Fitzpatrick today achieved the qualifying standard for the World Junior Championships which takes place in Poland in July. Competing in the junior international 10km at the Leamington Grand Prix, Paul produced an outstanding effort to knock a full minute off his previous best time for the event when finishing second in a close fought contest with Germany's Hagen Pohle. The qualifying standard of 44:04 for the World Junior Championship has proved to be an exceptionally hard target to achieve and relatively few Irish walkers have gone faster as juniors, however Paul held on through the closing stages of a grueling race to claim the elusive standard, crossing the line in 43 minutes and 58 seconds. Subject to the final decision of the selectors, Paul can now look forward to representing his country at the world championships in July.

The Leamington Grand Prix produced a battery of impressive Irish performances this year, not least from Leitrim duo Laura Reynolds and Collin Griffin. Laura emulated Paul Fitzpatrick's achievement by also qualifying for the World Juniors while Colin was second in the senior 20km with a time of 84:22 which in inside the Olympic "B" qualifying standard. Waterford's Jamie Costin was third in the 20k in 84:27 and the Irish contingent had the added satisfaction of defeating England to win the inaugural Anglo-Celtic Racewalking Cup.

June 14th - Ulster & NI Senior Track & Field Championships

A small group from Shercock traveled to the Antrim Forum today for the Ulster Senior Championships on a weekend which was hallmarked by severe fixture congestion. The Antrim Forum lacks the charisma of that great dame of Irish venues, the Mary Peter's track, which hosted previous championships, and the small crowd combined with a programme so drawn out it could put the most ardent fan of Ulster athletics into a coma threatened to condemn the championships as a non-event. The day was saved, however, by the athletes who produced some outstanding performances when they were allowed access to the track during breaks in the programme.

The men's 800m saw Kevin McCloy (left) give a masterclass in strategic running as he controlled the race from the front before unleashing his trademark sprint finish on the final bend. Despite the presence of a strong field, Kevin appeared relaxed throughout the race and ran with a new-found self-confidence built on a good winter's preparation for the track season. The pack appeared to be caught out at the start of the sprint-finish as Kevin quickly opened up a short lead. Only Ballymena's Steven Morrow and a guest competitor from the Czech Republic appeared able to respond and set off in pursuit down the home straight. The Czech athlete came closest however a final surge saw Kevin break the line to secure the win and the title.

Peter Muldoon recently returned from the USA where he is studying on an athletics scholarship at Methodist Central College and chose the Ulster championships to make his first Irish race appearance. Competing in the men's 3km walk, Peter kept pace in the early stages with Owen McCabe from North Belfast Harriers. Moving strongly into the lead on the third lap Peter pulled away and eventually won by a large margin to secure the Ulster title.

Matthew O'Reilly was unlucky to finish just outside the medals in fourth place in the shot putt with a best effort of 11.60m and also finished seventh in the discus with 1 31.14m effort. Hugh Fitzpatrick continued to improve at the hammer, with a best effort in Antrim of 37.89m which left him in seventh place.

June 8th - Ulster Juvenile Championships

Perfect weather conditions and outstanding organisation made this year's Ulster juvenile championships one of the best ever as the positive conditions were matched by some excellent performances by the province's younger athletes. Despite missing a few or our leading athletes due to a clash with the leaving and junior certificate exams, a small Shercock squad made up in quality for what they lacked in quantity to win a string of titles and medals. Matthew O'Reilly dominated both the shot putt and the discus in the under 20 age group, winning the shot with a 12.05m throw and the discus with a new personal best of 38.06m. Also impressing in the throws was Matthew's cousin Ciaran O'Reilly who produced the winning throw in the under 14 discus and also finished second in the shot putt. Barbara Ward further demonstrated her wide ranging talents when she followed up a dominating win in the under 15 walk with a third place finish in the shot putt. There were further successful Shercock performances in the pole vault where Alwynne McGeever added an impressive 40cm to her previous best vault to win the under 18 age group with a 2.30m clearance while her sister Shauna McGeever matched her PB of 2.10m to finish second in the under 16 competition. Fiona Smith also made a successful return to competition when finishing second in the under 20 pole vault. The three medal winning vaulters are pictured right. Michéal Gargan stepped up in distance for the 3000m walk and took the silver medal in the under 16 age group while Catherina Mullen ran a positive race to also finish second in the under 17 1500m. Also running well in the distance events was Edel Kieran who produced a great sprint finish to take the bronze medal in a highly tactical under 13 800m final.  Niall Clerkin was unlucky to be edged out of the medals in the final of the under 14 200m in which he finished fourth however he was pleased that he still qualified for the national championships, a good achievement in his first attempt at the event. There were further positive performances by Greg Kelly Hand (6th in the under 15 250m hurdles) and Ryan Rogers (4th in his heat of the under 14 800m). The club discovered a new sprint star at the Ulster children's games a week previously when Shane Duffy won the under 10 60m with an impressive run from gun to tape. At the same event, Ciaran Corrigan qualified for the all-Ireland's with a second place finish in the under 13 shot putt. Well done to all our athletes who traveled to Antrim at the weekend and good luck to those who have qualified for the national championships which will be held for the first time in Antrim at the beginning of July.

May 31st - Great Performances at Irish Schools Championships

The Irish Schools championships lived up to its reputation as one of the most enjoyable days on the athletics calendar when the country's top young athletes gathered in Tullamore to battle it out for top honours on a warm Summer's day. Local athletes were to the fore in a number of events including the senior boys 100m where Craig Lynch (Patrician High School) lined out in a race to determine Ireland's fastest schoolboy. Craig had a very very positive run, leading until the closing stages when he was pipped at the finish by Waterford's Christopher Russel, leaving Craig in the silver medal position with a new personal best time of 11.07s. Also claiming silver was Paul Smith (St. Aiden's, Cootehill) who took just one jump in the senior long jump before withdrawing as a precaution to avoid aggravating a recent hamstring strain. His sole effort of 6.50m was enough, however, to secure the silver medal behind Cork's David Quilligan. Craig and Paul were congratulated by An Taoiseach Brian Cowan following the medal ceremonies (right).

All this followed an exciting morning's competition when several Shercock girls featured on the medal podium.  After an early (9.00am) start, Shauna McGeever (St. Louis) earned the first medal of the day when she finished third in the junior girl's pole vault. She was soon followed onto the podium by her elder sister Alwynne McGeever (St. Aiden's) who likewise claimed the bronze in the senior girls pole vault. Barbara Ward was out to prove a point in the junior girl's 1200m walk, having missed out on the top spot at the Ulster Schools. Barbara was in contention for a medal from the gun, but it took a typically determined effort over the closing lap to secure her position and win her first school's medal in a personal best time of 6:05. Catherina Mullen (St. Aiden's) found herself in one of the most hotly contested races of the day - the intermediate girls 3000m. Despite a blistering pace set by the three front runners, Catherina kept to her pace and battled her way home in fifth place in a new personal best of 10:52 minutes, a very encouraging result for her first year in the age group. In the intermediate boys walk, Micheal Gargan (O'Carolans Nobber) who was also in his first year in the age group, put in a positive effort and gained valuable experience at this level.

Shercock athletes in action at the Irish Schools Championships in Tullamore - clockwise from top: Catherina Mullen gets a PB in the Intermediate 3000m, Barbara Ward strides to a medal in the Junior walk, Alwynne McGeever receives her bronze medal in the Senior pole vault, Barbara Ward also reaches the podium following the walk, Barbara, Alwynne and Junior pole vault bronze medalist Shauna McGeever pictured with their medals, Micheal Gargan in action in the Intermediate 2km walk.

Peter Muldoon was in action for Central Methodist College at the NAIA Championships in Edwardsville, Illinois. Competing in the 5km racewalk Peter finished seventh in a large field, bringing his college track season to a close.

Community Games: A number of Shercock athletes represented Cavan at the Community Games Cross Country in Mosney. Niall Clerkin and Padraig Donagh helped Cavan to a sixth place finish in Sunday's final of the boys under 14 competition. Edel Kieran and Sinead O'Neill were in action in the girls under 14 event in which the county team was seventh and Ciaran Corrigan helped his team to sixth place in the under 12 category.

National League: The draw for the second round of the national league has been announced by the AAI and Shercock's men's team has been drawn at the Dublin venue. The premier division group consists of Clonliffe Harriers, Shercock, West Waterford, Tullamore Harriers, Donore Harriers, Crusaders and Abbey AC. The second group, competing in Cork, is made up of North Down, Leevale, County Meath, Raheny Shamrocks, Menapians and Dundrum South Dublin AC.

May 18th - National League Premier Division Round 1

Shercock Opens League Campaign with Strong Performance

When the draw for the group stages of the premier division of the national league was announced by the AAI it appeared that Shercock had drawn the short straw  - our group included the top three from last year's league final - North Down, Clonliffe Harriers and Raheny Shamrocks. Clearly some manner of a giant-killing act was required if the club was to emerge from the opening round with anything greater than a token collection of points. The team, a mixture of seasoned seniors and talented youth, rose to the occasion and took on the challenge with enthusiasm. There were impressive individual wins for Kevin McCloy (pictured left leading Michael Dwyer) in the 800m, team captain Hugh Fitzpatrick in the hammer and Paul Fitzpatrick in the 3000m walk. Valuable points were gained with second place finishes by Paul Smith in the long jump, James Ruxton in the 400m hurdles, Matthew O'Reilly in both the discus and the shot, Alan McEntee in the triple jump and, not least, the 4x100m relay team of Paul Smith, Craig Lynch, Gerard O'Reilly and Alan McEntee. Craig Lynch had barely time to recover from his exploits the day before in the Ulster schools championships before he was back on track for the league today, taking third place in both the high jump and 200m. Also securing third place finishes were Paul Fitzpatrick in the pole vault, James Ruxton in the 110m hurdles, Hugh Fitzpatrick in the 56 pound weight for distance and Gerard O'Reilly in the 100m. Special congratulations are due to Albinas Kiltinavicius who set a new club record of 40.54m in the javelin in which he also finished in third place. Kevin Ruxton also made a return to competition in the 400m, finishing in fifth place.

On a day when the league made a welcome return to an Ulster venue for the first time in recent years, it was an Ulster club who emerged on top of the men's premier division as North Down made good use of home advantage to top the points table. Thanks to the team's strong overall performance, Shercock finished well in third place, just behind Clonliffe Harriers, creating a strong platform for a successful league campaign this year.

Alan McEntee in action in the triple jump in Antrim

Albinas Kitinavicius on his way to setting a new club record in the javelin.

May 17th - Positive Performances at Ulster Schools Championships

A number of club athletes traveled to the Antrim Forum this weekend to represent their schools at the Ulster Schools track & field championships. Despite the disappointing cold and blustery conditions, they returned some excellent results. On Friday sisters Alwynne and Shauna McGeever (left) produced an impressive double act in the pole vault when Alwynne won the senior girls title and Shauna finished second in the junior girls competition with a PB of 2.10. Catherina Mullen produced a great run to finish second in the intermediate 3000m in a useful time of 10:55 on Friday and went on to also finish seventh in the 1500m on Saturday. Craig Lynch was in flying form in his first 100m race of the season, overcoming the challenge of Dean Adams to win the senior boys title. Paul Smith was a comfortable winner of the senior boys long jump and also produced an impressive run in the 100m final, finishing fourth. Paul's training partner Richard Tsang was unlucky to miss out on qualification for the all-Ireland's when he finished fourth in the senior boy's long jump behind Paul. Barbara Ward was also unlucky to arrive too late to compete in the junior girls walk on Friday but had the satisfaction of recording a faster time than the winner when she competed as a guest in the boy's competition. Edel Kieran produced a good run in the junior girls 800m, finishing sixth in a personal best of 2:32. At the Leinster Schools Championships, Shercock's Micheal Gargan qualified for the all-Irelands with a third place finish in the intermediate walk while representing O'Carolan's Nobber.

Graded Meet: Well done to James Ruxton and Sean Carolan for positive performances at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry last week.

Racewalking: Peter Muldoon finished in second place in the 5km walk at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship which was hosted by Central Methodist College where Peter is on an athletics scholarship. Paul Fitzpatrick is preparing to travel to Russia with the Irish team for the World Cup of Racewalking in Cheboksary where he will compete in the junior mens 10km walk. We wish Paul the best of luck!

Spring League: There was a large turnout at the final stage of the Cavan Spring league which was hosted in Shercock on Monday. Well done to all our athletes who took part and special thanks to club officials, athletes and volunteers who put in a great effort to help the event run smoothly on the day. After a very busy couple of weeks hosting local events everyone can enjoy a well-deserved break with the next scheduled competition, the Garda Open Sports, not due until July 26th.

Fixtures: The track season gets underway in earnest this month with a number of important dates for our athletes. The AAI Games and Relays takes place this Saturday in Irishtown, followed by the Ulster Schools Championships and the first round of the National League the following weekend. For the first time in recent years, Ulster will provide a host venue when the first round of the league kicks off in the Antrim Forum. Many athletes are also preparing to sit their university exams and leaving certificate and we them all the very best in their studies.

April 19th - Irish Universities Championships

The track season began in earnest this weekend with the holding of the first major championship of the year when the Irish Universities took place in Irishtown. The event provided an opportunity for an early season workout for Shercock athletes currently studying at third level. Paul Fitzpatrick (DKIT) made it a brace of racewalk titles when he added the outdoor gold to the indoor title which he won in December. Paul was a comfortable winner in a time of 12:54. James Ruxton (DCU) (left) made a positive return to competition when he finished a close second in the 400m hurdles final in a time of 55.23s. Brian Flatley (LIT) was also making a return from injury and despite a lack of training in recent weeks performed well to take bronze in the 110m hurdles and fourth place in both the high jump (1.88m) and pole vault (3.60m). Hugh Fitzpatrick (TCD) placed fourth in the hammer and 5th in the weight for distance (WFD). Matthew O'Reilly (CIT) placed ninth in the shot putt.

April 20th - Cavan Spring League: Quite a few of the club's seniors were in action on Sunday in the second round of the local spring league. Paul Fitzpatrick switched from racewalking to running to win the senior 3000m however the highlight of the race was undoubtedly the return to form of Noel Carroll who put two years of injuries behind him to finish strongly in second place behind Paul. Craig Lynch tussled with Paul Smith and Gerard O'Reilly but came off best in the senior 100m. John Joe Rogers was an impressive winner in several events in the V2 category while Ann Carroll was a positive winner of the V1 800m. Among the juveniles there were impressive wins by Shane Duffy at 300m and Siobhan O'Reilly and Edel Kieran in the sprints. Niall and Celine Clerkin were also impressive winners in their middle distance races. There were many more positive performances from a Shercock perspective and full results will be published when they become available.