Fintan Walsh's weekly blog

Kelly's golden week end in Santry

Many athletes from Ferrybank AC and West Waterford AC competed in
Santry Stadium on Saturday and Sunday last at the Woodies DIY All
Ireland Senior Track and Field Championships.and Ferrybank AC won six
individual and two relay titles and for one athlete it was a memorable
week end. Kelly Proper Ferrybank was chosen as athlete of the meeting
after she won three individual gold medals as well as a relay gold. On
Saturday she recorded an individual double as she won the long jump
title for a seventh time with a leap of 6.25 metres and then went on
to win the 200 metres for a third time in 23.64 seconds.On top of this
she anchored the Ferrybank 4x100 metres relay team to victory the
other members being Niamh Whelan, Jessie Barr and Niamh Mc Nicol.
Kelly now has seven long jump titles the same as Terri Horgan
Mallow.Sister and brother Jessie and Thomas Barr both won 400 metres
hurdle titles for the third successive year. Jessie won her race
convincingly in 57.48 seconds while Thomas was given a great race by
Jason Harvey Crusaders who led at the final hurdle but Thomas put in a
power packed finish to snatch it with a time of 49.78 seconds
equalling his personal best time and Ben Kiley also ran well to finish
third in 52.65 . Cara Kennedy retained her hammer title with a throw
of 51.94 metres.and again this was three in a row for her. Niamh
Whelan had good results also as she took the silver medal behind Kelly
in the 200 metres in 24.01 and the bronze behind her in the 100 metres
in 12.00. Niall Tuohy ran a blinder in the 800 metres final just
failing narrowly finishing a very close second in 1.50. 03, Sean
Archer was third in the triple jump with 13.98 metres and Neasa Murphy
was also third in the high jump with 1.65 metres. The Ferrybank AC
men's 4x 400 metres relay team also won the squad being Paul Murphy,
Ben Kiely., NiallTuohy and Thomas Barr. Other Ferrybank athletes
placings were;  Sorcha Murphy 4 th in high jump with 1.60 metres,
Shane O'Dwyer 5th high jump 1.95 metres and Michael Dowling 6 th in
1500 metres in 3.48.86. For West Waterford AC there were two silver
medals, David Mc Carthy just missing out on the gold in the 1500
metres as Eoin Everard Kilkenny won in 3.44.58 and Mc Carthy was timed
at 3.44.73 Thomas Houliihan had a fine pole vault competition to
finish second with 4.55 metres the event was won with 4.65 metres, his
sister Lisa with a season's best was fourth in the Pole Vault with
3.10 metres and Kate Hickey was 5th in the Discus with 36.12 metres.
Overall a magnificent week end for Waterford athletics, its very few
sports in the county come home from a National Senior Championship
with six individual winners.

Kelly wins in Loughboro

On Tuesday July 23 rd in Loughboro in England three athletes from
Ferrybank AC competed in a fixture and all three had good results.
Kelly Proper had a personal best in winning the 200 metres in 23.58
seconds and in third place behind her Niamh Whelan had a season's best
of 23.94, she also finished 5 th in a 100 metres in 12.05. Jessie Barr
was second in the 400 metres hurdles in 58.59.

!8 th Annual Ballymacarbry 5 miles

140 competed in the above race on Friday last and Ravis Zakis West
Waterford was first home in 26 minutes and 4 seconds, Bryan Murphy
Carrick on Suir was second in 26.39 and Michael Lyons Grange Fermoy
third in 27.39. First lady home was Nollaig O'Neill Leevale in 31.36,
Corina Walsh West Waterford was second in 33.29, Aine Roche Clonmel
was third in 33..11 and Kate Nolan Waterford AC was fourth in 33.20.
The following were the category winners; Men o 40 Paudie O'Keeffe
Clonmel, o 45 Johnny O'Connor West Waterford,  o 50 Walter Keane
Waterford, o 55  Sean Mc Gowan do. Women: o 35 Ann Marie Hayes St
Catherine's, o 40 Diane Behan Waterford, o 45 Ann Dunford West
Waterford, o50 Gabriel Blair Waterford. (140 competed ) The event was
race 9 of the Ger Wyley Sports Skins Series.

Mary Ashe Honoured.

Congratulations to Mary Ashe West Waterford AC juvenile athletic club
secretary who has been elected chairman of the Schools International
Athletics Board. Mary has given many years of dedicated service to
Irish schools athletics and has served as chairman of that
organisation also.

Three on Celtic Team

Ireland will compete in the Celtic Games in Wales next Saturday and
three athletes from Waterford are included on the Irish team in the
under 18 age group. The three are Paul Murphy in the 400 metres and
relay, Niamh Mc Nicol 100 metres and relay both Ferrybank AC.and
Seamie Fennell West Waterford in the pole vault

Final Road Race in Series

This Friday August 2 nd the final race in the Outfield Sports Three
County Challenge will be held in Piltown Co Kilkenny at 7.30 pm. Its
the Morris Oil 10 km and entries in Piltown from 6.30 pm on the
evening.

August Track and Field fixtures

Saturday 3 rd Celtic Games u 16 and u 18 Wales, Saturday 10 th to
Sunday 18 th World Championships Moscow, Sat 10th Woodie's DIY AAI
Combined Events Championships Tullamore, Sun 11th Woodie's DIY AAI
Combined Events Championships also Juvenile Combined Events Tullamore,
Sat 17th Woodie's AAI Masters T & F Championships Tullamore, Sun 18t h
Woodie's AAI National League Final

Road Races

 Friday August 9 th Ardmore 5 miles  7.30 pm( Ger Wyley Sports Series
Final Race )  Sunday August 11 th Island 5km Run 1 pm Waterford
Castle, Friday August 16 th Second Annual Lis Hayes Memorial  5 miles
in Ballyduff Lower 7 pm, Friday August 23 rd Annual Alan Everett 5
miles in Woodstown at 7.00 pm