Spartans hoping for team honours

The Red Vests hope to have the 2009 Individual winner, Aileen Morrison and former champion, Anne Paul front their challenge. If both line up their team medal prospects will be significantly enhanced.

Morrison, who now concentrates primarily on triathlon would be a strong bet to retain her individual crown. A good up front showing from Anne Paul and Morrison would boost the likes of Jacqueline McGinley, Marina Campbell, Bridgeen Byrne and Hannah Shields, to push for a shot at a team medal.

The mens squad could win medals and will travel with gold as the target. Holders Annadale Striders, North West rivals Letterkenny and a potentially very strong St Malachy’s Belfast squad will all have decent expectations for Saturday.

Allan Bogle is now based in Spain but may be a surprise addition to the Red Vests’ Stormont challenge and could certainly boost the team’s medal prospects with Gregory Roberts, Aaron Doherty, Diarmuid Grant, Emmet McGinty, Declan Reed, Colin Roberts and Kieron Hurley all invaluable and hungry for success.

Bogle is a former individual bronze medallist, as is Grant. Gregory Roberts is in excellent form and the whole squad are up for the test. Hopefully they will deliver.

Belfast’s Odyssey Arena was the focus of the weekend athletics. There was no national senior indoor championship medals but the talented young local athletes made up for this in a big way, claiming a magnificent ten individual and one team relay golds in the supporting provincial juvenile championships.

Stars of the show for the Spartans were Ryan McParland and Mark McGarvey who both completed triple gold successes in the 60m, 60m hurdles and long jump at boys U16 and U17 levels respectively. Terrific performances from both lads and they will now go on in search of National honours later this month. They go on to what should be another very successful outdoor season this spring and summer

The other gold medallists were Claire Dougherty, who set a new 1m 56cm personal best to win the girls U16 high jump; Ann Barr took girls U17 200 metres and Andrew Bolster claimed the boys U16 gold over the same distance.

At boys U15 level Ruairi O’Neill won the high jump and they went on to team up with Callum O’Brien, Jack McCloskey and Shane McGowan for the Boys U15 relay gold.

Other individual medallists included Ciara Armstrong, Tamara Boyle, Tery Melaugh and Aoife Laverty and there were further relay medals via the boys U13 (silver) and a brace of bronze for the girls U14 and U15 quartets.

Simon Herron’s fourth place in the National Senior Men’s high jump was the best senior performance from a local athlete. He once again cleared 2 and narrowly failed at 2m 5cm.

There were two great individual runs from last Tuesday’s District Schools Championships at Coleraine where Thornhill’s Aoife Laverty and St Columb’s College’s John McLaughlin won their respective minor individual titles with impressive performances.

St Cecilia’s, Thornhill and Lumen Christi also qualified teams for the Mallusk Ulster finals on Wednesday, February 24.