Seeley Cup 10K this weekend

BELFAST’S Ormeau Park hosts the NI 10K road championships this Saturday in conjunction with the annual Joe Seeley race and while both local clubs are expected to field they are not likely to seriously challange pre race mens and womens team favoutites, Annadale Striders and North Belfast Harriers.

The local clubs would need to be at full strength to sustain a meaningful challange and with that in serious doubt the focus will probably shift to fast times for the individuals toeing the line on Saturday.

The Seeley attracts a field rich in both quantity and quality and given dcent weather conditions fast times are always possible and that could well be the main targets this weekend for the locals making the trip.

Local athletes were prominent at last weekend’s McConnell Shield cross country in sunny Ballyclare, the 77th staging of the popular East Antrim Harriers meeting, with a brace of age group winners, Jackie McGinley F40 and Roisin Lynch F60; plus M40 and M50 runners up prizes for Paul McCafferty and Damien McGinty.

Jackie McGinley had a terrific run in the womens three mile race finishing an impressive fifth overall, a mere two seconds off fourth placed Geraldine Branagh of Dromore AC and only six seconds behind the bronze medallist North Downs, Stephanie Hambling. North Belfast Harrier Cathy McCourt was an emphatic winner well ahead of Roberta Dornan also of North Down, while the flying Spartan Roisin Lynch, was a class apart in claiming the F60 age group victory, finishing hot on the heels of clubmate Paula McGilloway.

All three Spartans will be in Glasgow at the end of the month for the Masters International cross country and will travel confident of producing big runs.

Paul McCafferty in an impressive 13th place overall led home the male red vests in the mens five miler and claimed the M40 runners up prize for his effforts.

M50 star Damien McGinty followed in 31st and took the M50 second finisher spot as he just got across the line one second and one place ahead of Gerry Duddy. Dermot Connolly made up for his below par Barnetts Park outing a few weeks ago, finishing strongly for 35th and Oran McBride in 41st completed the local finishers in a good quality field of 75 finishers.

North Belfast Harriers produced the individual mens winner Alan O’Hara who led them to the team victory ahead of Larne AC and the red vests. O’Hara was 13 seconds clear of Richard Johnston and Ben Branagh, both running unattached.

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