DSDAC blitz Antrim meet

IF 2017 continues for Dundrum South Dublin AC as it started at the Greenmount International Cross Country Meeting in Antrim on Saturday, the club are in for a spectacular year.
The club’s athletes dominated the meeting which featured top class athletes from Britain, Kenya and Ethiopia in the senior contest in something of a mud-bath.
The DSD athletes were undeterred by the conditions with the Under-13 girls, who had never experienced conditions like this before, finishing a gallant second to Gifnock AC from Scotland. They were led home by Saoirse O’Brien in 12th place, followed by Eimear Maher in 14th and Emily Bradshaw in 25th.
The Under-15 boys race was a top-class affair and, again, the club finished second with Moran Clarkson – who is eligible again next year at this age group – mixing it with the top British challengers, and always contesting a top ten position.
Supported by Peter Duffy, Adam Harvey and Liam Blackburn, they were happy to finish ahead of Westport AC who pipped them in the recent national championships. In the Under-15 girls, Sadhbh O’Loan was 12th, Aimee Kenna 20th and Eabha Nally 21st, also making for a second-place team finish.
By the time it came to the Under-17 boys and girls, the surface had become a quagmire and there were many fallers.
Jodie McCann had a great victory here in her best race to date, finishing just ahead of Abi Taylor, who led the Irish team to victory in second place in this category.
Unfortunately, the rules of the competition did not allow those who were on the international team count for their club teams, otherwise DSD would have been clear winners in this age group.
The Under-17 boys had no such difficulties as the club team of Conor Halpin, Aaron Donnelly and James Lenehan stormed to another team victory.
Ruadhan O’Grada (ninth) did not let the mud bother him as he seemed to glide over it and made sure of team dominance followed home by Christian McKenna and Roly Mossop.
Once againm the Dundrum club were undone by the rules of the competition in the senior men’s and women’s races as there were no team prizes in the club competition.
Totalling the points at the finish showed DSD top in both sections with Killian Mooney 15th, Robert Corbally 17th and Mark Molloy 25th, performing very well in a race dominated by a visiting Kenyan team.
Finally, the club’s senior women were particularly impressive in a top class international field.
Maria McCambridge finished 11th and Laura Shaughnessy 13th wearing the international Irish vest.
Fiona Clinton was 23rd and Meghan Ryan 32nd with a pair of fine runs.