Limerick Racecourse was the venue for the Munster Un-Even Age Juvenile Cross Country Championships on Sunday and despite the rather mucky conditions endured by all the athletes we had some excellent performances in particular from Alana Spillane, Luke Walsh, Philip Hayes and Aaron Moore who were part of successful Tipperary teams at U/9 and U/13 level.
Three young athletes took part in the Girls U/9 race and it Alana Spillane who stole the show finishing 17th overall and the first Tipperary athlete across the line which in no small way paved the way for the Tipperary team to finish 2nd in the team competition and earned her a Munster silver medal. Dearbhla Gleeson finished 37th and missed out on being part of the successful County team by two places while Orla Duggan came through to finish 79th overall. In the Boys U/9 race five athletes represented the club with Luke Walsh leading them home in an excellent 34th overall. This position was good enough for a place on the Tipperary U/9 team and they collected the bronze medals with Luke winning his first Munster team medal. Jack Reddan was next across the line in 53rd with Sean Boland following him home in 58th. Mark O’Shea finished 64th with Shane Burke in 83rd. The boys combined to finish 11th club overall in the club competition.
In the Girls U/11 race Amy Reddan finished 6th across the line for Tipperary in 66th place with the County team finishing 5th overall. Saoirse Doran came 111th while Una Duggan finished 140th. David Doyle led the Boys U/11 team home in 43rd place overall which was also good enough to place him 5th scorer on the Tipperary team that just finished out of the medals in fourth place. Lorcan Burke finished 73rd, Adam Spillane-Leane 88th, Cormac Burke 110th, Frank Doyle 116th, Cathal Guilfoyle 118th and Adam Phelan 121st. The Boys finished 13th in the club competition.
Just three athletes togged out for the club in the Girls U/13 race and Helen Cleere once again made the scoring six for Tipperary following her 39th place finish. Tipperary finished 4th in the team competition. Aoife Dwyer came through to take 84th with Emma Leahy in 93rd. Six boys represented the club in the Boys U/13 race and for Philip Hayes in 34th and Aaron Moore in 42nd it was two great finishes as they both made the Tipperary team that finished 3rd in the team competition. Jake Bowe finished 50th, Aaron McLoughlin 62nd, Liam Ryan 94th and Kian Dunne 95th to finish 9th in the club competition.
Tipperary once again finished 4th County in the Girls U/15 event with Emma Gleeson fifth scorer on the team following her 50th place finish. Aine Duggan came 62nd with Aisling Dwyer crossing the line in 75th. Dylan McLoughlin ran a fine race to finish 35th in the Boys U/15 event and was the third Tipperary athlete to cross the line but again the County finished out of the medals in fourth. Gavin Ryan had a great race to finish 43rd followed by Eanna Guilfoyle in 65th and Charlie Tobin 70th which left the club team in 10th place in the inter-club competition.
Our lone representative in the Girls U/17 race was Aoibheann Duggan and she acquitted herself well finishing 58th while in the Boys event Nathan Bowe finished 34th followed by Sean Burke 53rd.
While the underfoot conditions were very mucky and wet which suited some of our athletes but not others they all finished very strongly and gave it their all in the testing conditions. Well done to everyone on a day when strength of mind and body prevailed.