By Chris McNulty
Caolan McFadden flicked the afterburners on the last lap of the Finn Valley Campus to win the Ulster U19 Cross Country title.
The Cranford AC man will return for a national title tilt in the coming weeks in Dungarvan with Europe his ultimate aim now.
In Stranorlar, where the Ulster Novice and Uneven Ages Championships took place in splendid November weather, McFadden pointed his way to a latest gold.
Letterkenny AC’s Philip McGee was the bronze medallist with Loughview AC’s Tom Fleming second. The Eamonn Giles-coached McFadden had around 18 seconds to spare with falls inhibiting the challengers along the way.
Finn Valley AC’s U19 boys were the team gold medallists, led by Ciaran McCarroll in fourth and supported by Lorcan Byrne (10), Padraig Corry (18) and Padraig McDermott (23).
In the women’s novice race, Bernie Boyle was the lead runner and the individual bronze medallist as Rosses AC took team bronze. Boyle, who was behind Lagan Valley’s Marianne Doherty and Annadale’s Lucy Backus, was ably backed by Kevea Gallagher (8), Martina Mulhern (18) and Sarah Mulholland (20). Lagan Valley and Annadale were the leading two teams in the women’s novice race.
Ryan Quinn was the leading Donegal man in the men’s novice, coming home in fifth, just ahead of Marc Wallace from Inishowen AC.
The race was won by Minolaugas Balciouskas from Monaghan Town Runners, ahead of Jared Martin Ballydrain Harriers and Noah Kavanagh Lagan Valley. Ballydrain, Lagan Valley and City of Derry Spartans were the first three teams with Finn Valley sixth, where Diarmait Keogh (26), Enda Doherty (32) and Gary Gallagher (43) scored along with Quinn.
Finn Valley AC’s Odhran McBrearty took silver in the U17 boys race. Harry McKenzie of Enniskillen had the measure of McBrearty to take the gold with Olympian YAC’s Mouhcine Fathoun leaving with bronze.
Letterkenny AC were the fourth team as Michael Donaghey (16), Henry Lyons (35), Jokin Menchacatorre (36) and Charlie Callaghan (39) just missed out.
Elsa Moore of Lifford-Strabane AC grabbed silver in the U19 girls event, her excellent form continuing in a race where she was beaten only by Lucy Foster from Willowfield Harriers.
There was delight for the host clubs as Finn Valley won four of the underage team golds with the U15 girls and the U11 girls and boys taking the top spot along with the U19s.
Darcie Clarke in fifth was the lead protagonist for the U15 girls and she was joined by fellow scorers, Andrea Reid (6), Saorla Gilligan (10), and Aimee McElchar (13).
Shay McHugh (2), Darragh Coyle (4), William McGlinchey (14), Ruairi Moss (19) scored for the Finn Valley AC U11 boys while Sorcha Cunningham (4), Caitlin Gillespie (5), Muireann Burke (6) and Erin Moy (7) helped deliver the goods for the Finn Valley U11 girls.
In the U11 girls, Letterkenny AC’s Eve Nic Giolla Bhain got on the podium for a bronze and helped her team to silvers as she was joined by Eimear Gallagher, Sadie McDermott and Abbie Harkin in 16th, 17th and 18th.
Oisin Gallagher was fifth as Tir Chonaill U11 boys were fifth and not far off the medals.
Finn Valley AC’s U13 boys won team silvers, Cian Neeson (6), Dylan Temple (20), Evan Patton (21), Devin Saunders (25) scoring, and the Finn Valley AC U13 girls of Caoimhe McNeill (13), Aoibhinn Green (14), Ciara McCusker (20) and Aoibheann Moss (26) earned bronze.
A Cranford AC U13 boys team that included Ben McGee (7) and Charlie Rogers (13) were just outside of medals too while Oisin McBride of Cranford was sixth individual in the U15 boys.
