The Tommy McBride 5k run across the Harry Blaney Bridge was held last Saturday, a fantastic turn out of over 70 athletes were ready for the challenge of the race across Mulroy Bay.

The underage athletes ran first competing across various distances according to age group.

The senior athletes were all set to start at 6.30 with Councillor Noel McBride, son of Tommy, starting the race. The steep up hill at the beginning of the bridge challenged the athletes and sorted them into their running order.

Paddy Brennan from Letterkenny AC was first man home in a time of 16.14mins followed by Michael Black and Ivan Toner also from Letterkenny AC. First lady home and also in 5th place overall was Catriona Jennings running for Sportsworld.

Prizes were awarded after the event in the Carrigart Hotel.

Results:

Under 9 Girls: Karen Gallagher 1st, Orla McGee 2nd, Rionach Giles 3rd.
Under 9 Boys: Conor Black 1st, Stephen Black 2nd, Cian Biggles 3rd.

Under 11 Girls: Julie Trearty 1st, Ciara Murray 2nd, Roisin Ward 3rd.
Under 11 Boys: Ciaran Black 1st, Ciaran Shannon 2nd.

Under 13 Girls: Eimear Trearty 1st, Dema Corry 2nd.
Under 13 Boys: Conor McGee 1st, Conor Irvine 2nd, Michael Gallagher 3rd.

Under 15 Girls: Catriona McGloin 1st, Janette Copeland 2nd, Shauna Byrne 3rd.
Under 15 Boys: Lorcan McGee 1st, Eathan Kananagh 2nd.

Senior Men:
1st Paddy Brennan
2nd Michael Black
3rd Ivan Toner

Senior Ladies:
1st Catriona Jennings
2nd Sheila Regan
3rd Laura Gourley

Lucy Backus, Claire Murray and Emer Boyce together with their families and the Cranford coaches made the journey to Tullamore at the weekend to take part in the 2010 Woodie’s DIY AAI Juvenile Track & Field Championships. Our Cranford girls did not disappoint with excellent performances from all three girls in the national competition.

Lucy took to the track in the U17 Girls 1500m and ran well to finish in 12th position in the race. This was a great result for Cranford and a good performance by Lucy who has been impressive for Cranford all season. A talented athlete with bags of potential for the future – well done Lucy!

Claire Murray, another immensely talented Cranford athlete took part in the U18 Girls Long Jump and came in to take 9th position for the All Ireland final a very respectable position for this very competitive field event. Congratulations to Claire!

Last but not least was Emer Boyce, taking to the field for Cranford in two disciplines in the U17 Girls. The first was the shot and Emer narrowly missed out on the medals by coming in 4th position. In the javelin competition Emer secured a Silver Medal by throwing an impressive 30.56m.

This excellent performance from Emer was despite carrying a slight injury which made the results even more impressive. Congratulations Emer in winning another All Ireland medal for Cranford. Emer has been invited to participate in the Celtic Games in the next couple of weeks. Everyone at the club would like to congratulate her on this selection and wish her good luck in the competition.

Congratulations and well done again to Lucy, Claire and Emer, they are superb young women who work hard for the club and are great inspiration for our younger girls. We are immensely proud of their achievements at the All Ireland Finals.

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Last weekend saw one of Cranford’s talented athletes receiving the great honour of being selected for the Irish team to participate in the Aviva SIAB Schools International Competition held in Scotstoun, Glasgow.

Emer, a multiple All Ireland medallist, had her success over the last number of years on the field rewarded by the invitation to join the Ireland team to make her International debut. Braving the elements on a particularly stormy day in Glasgow, Emer performed well gaining enormous experience at this level and contributed to the Irish team’s second position behind England. A fantastic achievement for this young athlete to be selected to represent Ireland, a point that coach Eamon Giles stated when the club came together after training last Thursday night to wish her well.

Everyone at Cranford is extremely proud of Emer’s achievements and look forward to her receiving many more International call-ups to come. Congratulations to Emer and well done! Emer, Claire Murray and Lucy Backus are all taking part in the All Ireland Championships this weekend we wish them well.

Cranford’s next date in the diary will be the Tommy McBride 5K Memorial Road Race on Saturday 31 July. Registration from 4.30pm, all info on poster above or by calling Ernie on 087 698 9234.

All welcome!

Four Cranford AC athletes travelled this weekend to Tullamore, Co. Offaly to compete in the Woodie’s DIY AAI Juvenile Championships. Following on from our younger athletes in Templemore, great performances were given by each athlete to achieve placing within the top twelve in the country in every discipline.

Eoin Kelly had an excellent jump of 4.24m to come 7th in the U12 Long Jump competition. This young man, Cranford’s junior male athlete of the year, has been an excellent member of the club and is always willing to work hard to improve and develop as an athlete which encourages everyone around him. Well done to Eoin for this great performance!

Our U13 girl, Colleen Kelly took to the track in the girls 80m sprint competition. Winning her heat she then took part in the All Ireland final to come in 5th place in a time of 11.01secs. This is an excellent result for Colleen who has been recovering from an injury over the past number of weeks. Colleen is a very talented athlete and will be one to watch next season as she continues to improve and develop. Congratulations and full credit to this lovely young woman for a terrific competition.

Two Cranford U16 athletes Roisin Boyce and Christopher Murray had excellent performances in their respective disciplines. Christopher came 10th in the Long Jump and 12th in the 800m competitions. Christopher has trained hard over this season and has given a performance at this year’s finals that he can be extremely proud of. Congratulations and well done to this fine young man, a great asset for the club.

To round the weekend off, Roisin Boyce took part in the U16 girls Shot Putt competition and finished in an excellent 5th place for Cranford, throwing 8.59m. This is another great performance from Roisin who is a fantastic young athlete, giving one hundred percent throughout the year for Cranford. Well done Roisin and congratulations!

Many thanks once again to all the parents and our coaches Eamon, Ernie, Rose and Bridie for the massive support and work that it takes to bring our athletes to the All Ireland finals. Good luck to all our remaining athletes who will be competing in the next two weeks.

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Conor and Stephen Black made their debut to the All Ireland Juvenile Track and Field Championships by taking the competition by storm in Templemore on Saturday to win Gold team medals in the 300m and Bronze in the 60m sprints.

These extraordinary young athletes have dazzled every race meet since donning the Cranford vest last September. Each subsequent performance saw an improvement and took a step closer to winning a major title. All the hard work, dedication and commitment to training and participating in club activities came together on Saturday in dramatic fashion.

The quiet composure and gritty determination of these two under nine boys is remarkable exhibiting a level of maturity normally attributed to senior athletes. In the 60m sprint timed heats, again Conor and Stephen performed well in this fiercely contested competition to gain the Bronze medals. This was an excellent result and had set the boys up to take the Gold in the next race.

In the 300m, following an impressive performance in the Ulster Championship the boys continued to work hard and indeed knocked a massive 5.21 seconds off their combined winning time for the race to win their first All Ireland Gold medals. In their timed heats Conor and Stephen each won by comfortable margins of fifteen metres or so. Stephen gave a master class in recovery with a bad start leaving him bunched in at the back of the pack. However, nothing was going to stop this determined athlete, he had not only made up the ground, but was at least ten metres in front by the end of the first one hundred metres, an amazing recovery and a display of excellent running.

All in all a fantastic display by Conor and Stephen with performances in their first All Ireland Championships that they can be extremely proud of. A special word of thanks must go to Margaret and James (Mum & Dad) who have supported, facilitated and encouraged their athletic family of Kieran (an Ulster bronze medallist), Conor, Stephen and Katherine at every training session and race meeting over the past year.

Congratulations also for two other Cranford athletes Julie Trearty and Anna McFadden who travelled to Tipperary to take part in the U11 girls Long Jump competition. Following a nail biting nervous first two jumps, Julie and Anna produced two respectable jumps to come 9th in the national competition. A good start for these dedicated athletes on their debut to the All Ireland Championships. Julie and Anna are two young athletes that will be hard to beat next season when they are allowed to compete in their respective stronger disciplines. Well done to our U11 duo.

Last but not least, a word of most sincere thanks goes to Eamon, Ernie, Bridie and Rose our most dedicated and committed club coaches who have worked hard throughout this year with all our young athletes. There is no wonder or any doubt in the minds of all associated with Cranford Athletic Club that our young athletes are learning from the best athletics role models in Ireland. The level of dedication not just at competition but at every single training session is second to none. To have such interest and enthusiasm to share with young athletes is a treasured gift which is gratefully acknowledged by all our athletes and their families. Many thanks and well done to all involved.

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Cranford’s juvenile athletes have taken part well in the Ulster Championships over the past two weeks to take themselves and the club to the All Ireland Championships.

On the 13 June, Claire Murray and Patricia Boyle took centre stage for Cranford and Patricia came in a respectable 5th in the senior woman’s category of the Long Jump with Claire Murray winning silver in the U18 Girls. Congratulations to the Cranford pair and well done to Claire who has combined her training with all the pre- leaving cert studying.

Three Cranford girls took to the track on Saturday this weekend in Antrim, Bronach Gallagher, Niamh Kelly and Amber Barrett. In the U14 Girls Bronach came in a respectable 7th with Niamh in 9th position following timed heats. Both of these young women ran a good race but were unlucky not to be in the medals. In the U15 Girls, Amber Barrett brought home two medals for Cranford with a third place finish in the 100m sprint and second in the long jump. Congratulations to Amber, Bronach and Niamh!!

On Sunday four athletes brought home five Ulster medals for Cranford. Christopher Murray won bronze in the U15 Boys long jump and narrowly missed out in the 800m gaining a fourth place finish. Roisin Boyce, another athlete that has been combining exams with training, won a bronze medal in the U16 shot putt. In the U17 Girls, Lucy Backus gave a spirited performance to win a bronze medal in the 1500m and Emer Boyce took two gold medals in the shot putt and javelin. Congratulations and well done to all our Cranford athletes.

Good luck to all our younger athletes who will be travelling to Templemore in Co. Tipperary this weekend to take part In the All Ireland Championships.

Ulster & NI U14-15 T & F 2010

Ulster & NI U16-17 T & F 2010

Ulster & NI Senior Track & Field Championships 2010

Cranford AC results

A good turn out of athletes were at the Aura track on Tuesday evening for the Donegal Track and Field Juvenile Open Championships. There was an optimistic atmosphere with the Cranford athletes and they were not disappointed. In total Cranford athletes achieved 16 medals for their efforts.

U14 80m sprint Coleen Kelly 3rd
U16 100m sprint Amber Barrett 2nd
U18 100m Sprint Claire Murray 2nd
Lucy Backus 4th
Seniors 200m Patricia Boyle 2nd
Claire Murray 3rd
U18 800m Lucy Backus 2nd
Claire Murray 3rd
U14 1500m Bronach Gallagher 2nd
U16 1500m Christopher Murray 2nd
U12 600m Karen Gallagher 4th
Eoin Kelly 2nd
U12 Long Jump Eoin Kelly 1st
U14 Long Jump Bronach Gallagher and Niamh Kelly
Senior Shot Putt Fidelma Murray 1st 8.02m
Senior Long Jump Patricia Boyle 1st
U16 Long jump Christopher Murray 2nd
U18 Long Jump Amber Barrett 1st
Claire Murray 2nd

Thirteen young Cranford athletes travelled to Shercock, Co. Cavan for the Ulster Children’s Games & U12 & U13 Championships 2010. Each athlete performed well for the club and despite a day of rain and miserable conditions, a ten medal tally cheered the spirits on the way home.

Our U13 athletes Michael Gallagher and Conor McDevitt gave excellent performances over four disciplines. In the 60m sprint Conor came in 9th and Michael 19th this was a great result for both in their first Ulster Championships and in particular, a good result for Conor with only one month training with the club. Conor gained a respectable 9th place in the long jump which gives this talented young man great encouragement for the future with Cranford. Michael came in 14th position in the 600m and in 10th position in the shot putt competition, brilliant results in an extremely strong field of athletes. Yet another talented young man Michael has rapidly become such an excellent role model for our younger athletes with a determined and dedicated attitude in training and a exhibiting a great willingness to improve and expand his range of disciplines in competition. Well done to Michael and Conor.

Colleen Kelly our only U13 girl this season took off from her first competition using the blocks to take the 80m sprints by storm to win the gold in 11.0secs. Colleen ran an excellent race and comfortably came in first for Cranford. She has worked very hard in training over the past number of weeks and now goes forward to the All Ireland Championship very positively. Well done Colleen on this great achievement.

The U12 athletes Eoin Kelly and Ciara Murray both put in great performances for the club. Ciara was 20th in the 600m and a respectable 21st in the long jump this was a very strong field fiercely competing for Ulster medals. Ciara worked well in her events coming back from a long period of injury last season. She is always a great team athlete for Cranford and a popular member of the club. Well done Ciara.

Eoin Kelly must be the most patient Cranford athlete waiting almost to the last half hour of the championship in the rain before taking part in his two events. A highly motivated and energetic young athlete, Eoin came in first in the long jump competition to claim his gold with an impressive 4.19m jump and took 9th place in the 600m. Eoin’s events were very tightly contested and he can now go forward to the All Ireland confidently. Well done to Eoin.

U11 athletes for Cranford all did really well in Shercock. Kieran Black brought in a bronze medal with an impressive performance in the ball throw and narrowly missed out on a bronze medal finish in the 60m sprint by a hundredth of a second. This young man continues to improve and impress. Congratulations on a great Ulster debut. Julie Trearty had a great day in Shercock coming in 9th in the 600m and 5th in the long jump. This young athlete is a highly talented individual and always gives a gritty and determined performance in all competitions well done Julie who has qualified for the All Ireland in Tipperary with her long jump partner Anna McFadden. Anna took to the track in the 60m sprint and stormed to an impressive 9.2sec finish to gain her first Ulster title for Cranford. Following this Anna took part in the long jump with Julie and was awarded the gold medal for the event with a jump of 3.18m, confusion ensued and subsequently following an official’s error this was amended to a silver medal. Congratulations to Anna on her hard work in training and her track and field success this season bringing home two Ulster medals for Cranford. Niamh McDevitt only in training with Cranford for one month took part in the 60m sprint and finished in a very respectable 19th position with a very impressive time of 10.4secs narrowly missing out on All Ireland qualification with Anna by two tenths of a second. This partnership will be one to look out for in the future. Niamh has impressed with her performances so far and has settled nicely into the Cranford U11 team. Congratulations to all our U11’s.

Our U10’s were impressive in their Ulster debuts for the club. Ronan Gallagher came 5th in the long jump and 7th in the 500m event both impressive performances in a very tough competition. Ronan is a brilliant young athlete for Cranford who will in no doubt continue to improve and impress, a young man to look out for in the future. Karen Gallagher continued with previous good form to gain a silver medal in her 500m debut with a fiercely contested race and just narrowly missed out on the gold. In the long jump competition Karen came in a respectable 12th and has demonstrated great athletic versatility. Well done to both of our U10 athletes.

Last but certainly NOT least were our U9 Boys duo Conor and Stephen Black who took the Ulster Championship by storm to bring home four medals for Cranford and qualification in two events for their first All Ireland competition. Conor won the silver and Stephen won the bronze in the 60m sprint being separated by one hundredth of a second. In the 300m event Conor came home in first place closely followed by Stephen in second once again with only 5 hundredths of a second between them. These young talented athletes are such an exciting prospect for the future and are always so dedicated in their approach to working hard in training. Congratulations and well done to Conor and Stephen.

This was a good day, well done to a dedicated Cranford team, once again being supported by all their families. Congratulations and a huge THANK YOU to Ernie, Rose, Bridie and Eamon who have all given so much time and commitment to support the development of all our young athletes. Good luck to all who will now go forward to compete in the All Ireland Championships.

Cranford AC trains on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 6.30pm in Rosapenna and at 11.00am on Sunday’s in the Aura Centre, Letterkenny, new athletes are always welcome to come along to training.

2010 Provincial Children’s Games & U12-13 Chps

The Donegal Athletics Board Open Invitational meeting held last Thursday in Finn Valley gave the U9 to U13 Cranford athletes another opportunity to soak up the atmosphere and competition with their peers around the county.

U9 Boys Conor and Stephen Black continued to shine with another impressive display of athletics winning seven medals between them. Gold for Conor and silver for Stephen in the 60m sprints. Stephen won comfortably in the 300m with Conor picking up the silver medal. An excellent long jump performance saw Conor making a 3.40m jump to win the gold and Stephen in a well deserved silver for a 3.21m jump. To round the evening off Conor picked up the seventh medal, winning a bronze for the ball throw. Congratulations to both boys on another impressive track and field performance.

Colleen Kelly took to the track for the first competition of the season and stormed to an impressively strong gold medal finish in the U13 80m sprints. Colleen has worked hard so far this season and it looks as though she is set to replicate and exceed her impressive debut last year for Cranford. Well done Colleen.

In the 500m U10 Girls Karen Gallagher finished strongly to win the silver medal. Both Karen and Michelle McDevitt did well in the sprint heats and final narrowly missing out in the medals. Full credit to these hard dedicated and talented girls.

Ronan Gallagher, Cranford AC’s own Mr Bolt, finished a tightly run 500m race to win the silver medal with a 1.43mins time – all done with his SHOE lace undone!! Well done Ronan on such an impressive run.

Under 12 girls Marie Mallon and Ciara Murray did extremely well on the night, both running and narrowly missing out on medals and Ciara just unlucky in the ball throw. A great start to the season for these talented girls and hopefully more to come from them in the next few weeks. Eoin Kelly opened the season with 3.99m jump and a silver medal in the U12 long jump. Following impressive success in the indoors Eoin is on form and showing great determination and dedication in training. Well done to all our U12’s.

Julie Trearty, Anna McFadden and Niamh McDevitt U11 girls for Cranford all had a great evening showing good progress and a steady rise in performance. Niamh, Julie and Anna can be extremely proud of their individual performances. Naimh narrowly missing out in the finals and also coming in a close 4th in the 600m her second outing for the club. Julie Trearty ran an excellent race in the 600m to finish in silver medal position and just narrowly missed out on a medal in the long jump. Anna McFadden had great success on the night by bringing home gold in the 60m sprint, gold in the long jump with a great jump of 3.40m and a silver medal in the ball throw. Congratulations to all the U11 girls.

Conor McDevitt and Michael Gallagher were our last competitors on the night these two talented and determined athletes worked hard together in every event for U13 boys. This paid off when Michael won bronze in the 600m and Conor narrowly missing a medal in the long jump in 4th place. In this early stage of the season, performances from both boys that would be extremely positive and encouraging. Well done.

Many thanks to everyone for supporting the club, thanks to Ernie, Rose and Bridie for all their work in training and a welcome home to Eamon who was pleased to see the great success and determined performances from all the Cranford athletes. Best of luck to all our U9 to U11 athletes at the Ulster Championships on Saturday!!!

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