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Reports - January 2011


26 January » 19 January » 12 January » 5 January »

26 January 2011

Last Sunday St Peter's AC athlete Tom McGrane was in action in the Irish Masters' Indoor Championships in Nenagh. Competing in the Over 45 Men's Shot Putt, he performed very well to throw 8.84m and thus win a national silver medal. The winner on the day was John Territt of St Abban's AC in County Laois with a best of 9.72m, while Patrick O'Brien of Skibbereen AC took bronze with a 6.90m throw.

Tom was pleased to have improved significantly on his efforts in these championships last year, when he won bronze with a throw 60cm less than he achieved this time round. Last summer he had upped his level of performance to take silver in the national championships outdoors, so the indoor championships on Sunday represented a consolidation of his recent progress.

Next Sunday one of the Dromiskin-based club's younger athletes is due to make his international debut in the green of Ireland. Mark Rogers has been selected to represent his country in the High Jump in the Celtic Schools' Under 16 Indoor International. This annual event, involving teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is being held at the National Indoor Athletics Centre at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). All at the club wish Mark the very best in the Welsh capital.

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19 January 2011

Mark Rogers of St Peter's AC received some excellent news recently, when he learned that he will represent Ireland in the Celtic Schools' Under 16 Indoor International. This annual event, involving teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is being held at the National Indoor Athletics Centre at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) on Sunday week.

The young Togher native, who is a 2nd year student at St Joseph's CBS in Drogheda, will be in action in the High Jump in the Welsh capital, on what will be his first time to compete in the green of Ireland. The news of his selection has gone some way towards easing his disappointment at missing last month's Anglo-Celtic Schools' Combined Events' International in Glasgow, which was cancelled due to the travel difficulties caused by the extreme weather conditions.

Mark will join an illustrious list of athletes who have represented their country while a member of the Dromiskin-based club. Those who have been similarly honoured before him include Maria Mackin, Aoife McCarthy, Olivia McDonald, Peter McDonald, Kevin McManus and his own sister, Emily Rogers. Coincidentally Emily also made her international debut in the High Jump in the Celtic Schools' International in Cardiff two years ago. All at the club and his school wish Mark well in Wales.

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12 January 2011

Last Thursday night the members, parents and friends of St Peter’s AC took a break from the rigours of training and competition for the club’s annual awards function. This was held in the St Joseph’s GFC clubrooms in Dromiskin, and the athletics club is very grateful to the GAA club for the use of its fine facilities.

There was a good turnout of athletes and their family members for what turned out to be a very enjoyable celebration the club’s many achievements during 2010 – one of the most successful years in the history of the club. The MC on the night was Angela McGinn, who did an excellent job, while Kathleen McConnell, Angela McDonald, Peter McDonald and Catherine Rogers presented the awards.

The first awards of the night were presented to the club's youngest athletes in the Under 10 age groups. These were followed by the Athletes' Choice awards, which went to Tadhg McNally and Katie Rogers. Next to be honoured was Darcy Raleigh, who received a Merit award. The members of the club's Under 15 to 19 track and field team then received awards to honour their victory in the Louth Summer League, and Masters' athlete Tom McGrane was presented with an Achievement award.

Next up were the Athlete of the Year awards. The award winners for the Under 14 age groups were Ava Brennan and Gabriel Bell. Emily Rogers received the award for the older female athletes, with Niamh Fussey receiving the runner-up award. Mark Rogers, brother of Emily, was Athlete of the Year among the older male athletes, while Éamonn McManus was the runner-up in this category. Emily Rogers and Mark Rogers, along with Olivia McDonald, were also honoured as the three athletes from the club who enjoyed victories in Irish National Championships during 2010.

St Peter’s AC also presents five perpetual trophies each year. This year the Richardson Shield went to Pádraic McGinn, Ava Brennan was awarded the Angela McDonald Trophy, and Nikayla Hamill was presented with the Maria Mackin Shield. Mark Rogers was honoured with the Jumps Cup and Lauren Finegan received the Throws Cup. Angela McGinn concluded the presentations by paying tribute to Kathleen McConnell and Angela McDonald for all their work on behalf of the club.

Two nights later Emily Rogers was honoured once more, this time at the annual Athletics Leinster awards function in Carlow. The young high jump star received the award as the best juvenile female athlete in County Louth during 2010. Tommy Mulholland of St Peter's AC also received a special award for Services to Athletics at the Leinster function.

Earlier on Saturday Tom McGrane had a good performance in the Senior Men's Shot Putt at the Open Indoor Meet in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. He was not far off his lifetime best, as he threw 9.01m to finish 2nd behind Matthew Doyle of Mid-Ulster AC, who recorded 10.39m. Shercock's Richard Tsang took 3rd place with a 7.45m throw.

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5 January 2011

The evergreen Maria Duffy was the first athlete from St Peter's AC to see competitive action in 2011. On the morning of New Year's Day she ran in the North East Runners Handicap 5km Road Race in Dundalk. Her actual time for the 3-lap course was a very impressive 24 minutes 20 seconds, exactly the same time as she ran in last Easter's Mountpleasant AC Road Races.

Another member of the Dromiskin-based club has learned that he is to be honoured by Athletics Leinster for Services to Athletics at the provincial body's annual awards ceremony in Carlow this Saturday night. This is Kilkerley man Tommy Mulholland, who was well-known as a cross country runner in his younger days.

Meanwhile the club's own annual awards ceremony, which had originally been scheduled for last night (Tuesday), now takes place tomorrow night (Thursday).

With the start of a new year, the indoor season now looms very close on the horizon. There is an Open Meet at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, this Saturday afternoon. This facility caters for the 60m and 60m Hurdles events on the track, as well as all the usual field events.

The following Saturday Nenagh will be the venue for the first national championships of 2011 – the Irish Junior (Under 20) Championships. More than 20 years after it was first opened, the County Tipperary arena remains the only permanent indoor track in Ireland which can cater for the full programme of track and field events.

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