Bradley leads senior mens squad

There was British & Irish Masters team medals won in Nottingham, and Provincial Juvenile medals claimed at the Inter Counties championships in Dundalk where Connor Bradley also led the Derry senior mens county squad with a 13th place finish in the featured 10K race.

Starting with Saturday’s Masters International meeting in Wollaton Park, Nottingham, Marina Campbell F35, Jackie McGinley F45, Roisin Lynch F65 and Gerry Lynch M65 all contributed significantly to their NI and Ireland squads team podium places.

The F35 NI squad with Marina Campbell’s sixth place category finish, second team scorer, helping the team to the silver medals behind a very strong English squad.

F45 Jackie McGinley had a stormer leading her squad home in seventh and the team silver; F65 Roisin Lynch was in the Irish squad’s colours and ran very well for seventh and a key contribution to yet another team silver and Gerry Lynch impressed as his ninth place finish was important in his NI M65 squad claiming team bronze.

Cara Laverty and Fintan Stewart claimed National Inter Provincial team medals in Dundalk on Sunday with fine performances, Fintan particularly impressed with his eye catching seventh place finish in a high class Boys U16 race and this gave Ulster the gold team medals.

Cara also did well in 26th spot and this was good enough to help her Ulster squad to Inter Pro team bronze.

Defending champion Paul Pollock was pushed all the way as the Belfast Doctor just about held on to retain the senior mens 10k title from Cork’s Mark Hanrahan and Dublin’s Michael Clohissey with Dublin taking the county title ahead of Cork and Antrim.

Connor Bradley took in his first cross country race of the season and while over a minute behind the top trio finished just outside the top ten in 13th place.

Springwell’s Neil Johnston was next for Derry, 34th and in the U23 grade top ten, then came Foyle Valley pair Scott Rankin 37th and Chris McGuinness 55th.

The final two scorers were Foyle’s Pius McIntyre 71st and in 81st Darryl McKee of Acorns AC. The Derry squad finished seventh, behind sixth placed Donegal who had Inishowen AC’s Pauric McKinney among their scorers in 38th place.

Women’s 2010 winner Fionnuala Britton, the race was staged in the Gransha grounds that year, made it five Inter Counties on the bounce with another emphatic front running performance.

Anne Marie McGlynn was the leading North West finisher in sixth with Finn Valley’s Teresa McGloin not far behind in 10th.

With support from Catriona McGranaghan and Claire McGuigan, Donegal were the third county team to finish.