Shercock Athletic Club

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.