Ulster finals await

Ulster finals await

19 February 2025

ST Malachy’s High School, Castlewellan, was tasked with hosting this year’s District A Down Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

Months of meticulous planning went into preparing an all-new route in Tollymore, but proceedings were halted by the impact of Storm Éowyn.

Phil Hodge and his team were forced to put their thinking caps back on and managed to negotiate a new venue and allow the field of 1,200 runners to take part in the biggest schools race of the year.

The change of location took everyone out of South Down as they convened on Billy Neill Playing Fields in Comber – a venue that is no stranger to big cross country events.

Thirty-two Newcastle AC athletes represented eight different schools, with many rivalries sparking playful banter between usual teammates.

The cohort of Year 8 girls were first to toe the line, with Down High’s Emily Kerr and Isla McMullan lining up alongside Shimna’s Isabella Mayers, Isabella Sloan and Zoe Astruc Kidd.

Emily produced the star performance as she absorbed the mud and embraced the hills to finish seventh and qualify for the Ulster finals in Mallusk. 

It was clear the track was beginning to soften after race one, but that did little to stop the experienced Harry King and Senan Gosling.

Harry never seemed to falter en route to claiming third place and earning a silver medal for the St Malachy’s team, with Senan claiming 15th for St Colman’s.

 The Year 9 girls’ race saw Saorlaith McAleenan (St Malachy’s) lead the Newcastle AC members home, finishing seventh to earn a place at the Ulsters.

Lily McMurray (Assumption Grammar), Alana Flynn (St Malachy’s, Eilis Donnelly (Shimna) and Aoife Grant (Shimna) followed with a collection of strong runs.

St Malachy’s runner Connaire Og McVeigh was the personification of practice makes perfect, building upon his 11th place last year to claim second.

He will be joined by Owen Gilmore at the Ulster competition, as the Wellington College runner took 13th place. 

Jack King (St Malachy’s) missed out on qualification by four seconds, but should be very proud of the grit and determination he displayed throughout the race.

The Year 11 and 12 runners were grouped together in their race and there was no shortage of Newcastle AC athletes taking part. 

James Carson (St Malachy’s), Aaron O’Boyle (Lecale Trinity) and Carrie Bradley, Piera Corrigan and Jamie O’Flaherty (all Shimna) were in action, with each and every one of them showing relentless determination to complete the extended distances of 3,200m for the girls and 4,800 for the boys.

Euan McIntosh had an exceptional run in the senior boys race, earning a place at the Ulsters with a 13th-place finish, while Natalie Cotton also earned a ticket to the provincial finals, claiming 6th place in the senior girls category. 

Hermione Sheridan (Assumption Grammar) stood out in the junior girls race, soaring around the course to win with a 43-second gap.

Parisa Susay-Quinn, Niamh Watson and Kate Bradley helped Shimna to third overall, despite Niamh finishing the race with her shoe in her hand. 

Maisie McVeigh felt the pull on her legs in the closing stages, but fought through the discomfort to put in a solid run for St Malachy’s.

The last race of the day saw the junior boys take to the line and after 1,000 pairs of feet had already completed multiple laps, they were presented with the worst conditions of the day.

Fahlin Murphy-McKibbin (Shimna) lost a spike and ended the race in 18th place, while  Paddy Sherrard (Down High) was also forced to go shoeless. 

Michael Lynch (Lecale Trinity) and Donal McDaid (St.Louis’) produced strong races to complete a busy day of racing for the Newcastle AC juniors. 

With 12 club members heading to Mallusk for the Ulster Schools’ final this week, qualification for the All-Ireland Championship and places in the NI London Mini Marathon squad up for grabs.