

Regular Training: Mon & Wed 7pm - 8pm. Town Park Bandon. No training on Bank Holidays.
Upcoming events & news
West Cork 'B' Track & Field, Town Park at 12noon on Sun 6th (events)
A number of club members are making the long trip to Antrim for the All-Ireland Juvenile Track & Field Championship. Best of luck to everyone competing.
Full results from Courtmac to Timoleague 10K in which a number of club member featured prominently.
"A Photographic Jog Through the Past" is still available from committee members.
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/BandonAC If anyone has photo's they would like displayed on the web site please forward them to the PRO or the WebAdmin.
Well done to all
the Bandon Athletic Club members who recently qualified for the
National Community Games finals due to be
held in Mosney on August 23rd / 24th next. Those qualifying were ; Sinead
Mulcahy ( U12 Relay), Phil Healy & Ashling Everard (U14 Relay), Joan Healy ( U16
100 M), Ashling Everard ( U14 800 M), Colin Kingston ( U14 Shot ) & Toni
Chatterton ( U 16 Long Jump).
Others to get amongst the medals were ; Grainne Mulcahy ( 2nd U8 60M), Erin
Kingston ( 3rd U10 100 M ), Sinead Mulcahy ( 2nd U 12 100 M ) Sinead Caulfield (
2nd U12 600 M ), Matthew Draper ( 3rd U12 600 M ), Keren Chatterton ( 2nd U14
shot ), Phil Healy ( 2nd U14 long jump ), Ciaran Everard ( 3rd U14 800 M ),
Fiona Everard ( 2nd U10 mixed relay ), Erin Kingston ( 2nd U10 mixed relay ),
Brian Everard ( 2nd U12 Relay ), Matthew Draper ( 2nd U12 relay ), Colin
Kingston ( 3rd U14 relay )
PRO Report: 2nd July 2008
Joan Healy heads for Bydgoszcz in Poland this week to compete in the World
Junior Track and Field Championships. Joan will be competing in the 4 x 100
relay on Friday 4th of July and will run in the 100m sprint on Monday. Joan was
selected to compete for Ireland based on equalling the qualifying time of 12.04
at the Munster Junior T & F Championships in CIT in May. Joan was also recently
part of the 4 x 100 women’s relay team competing in Mannheim, Germany which
broke the 2004 junior record or 45.95 with a time of 45.95. Well done to Joan
for this fantastic achievement and best wishes to her in Poland.
It was a busy weekend for athletes, Ronan Duggan competed in the British Miler’s
Club 800m Birmingham. The All Ireland Junior Championships took place at the
weekend in Tullamore. Rachel Roche came second in the javelin and third in the
discus.
The inaugural Courtmacsherry 10K Road Race was run on Saturday 28th June on a
course from Courtmacsherry to Timoleague and back. The race attracted a large
field and there was a local win by Carmel Crowley in the women’s race. Kevin
Wilmott won the men’s race. Joe Sullivan, Owen O’Leary, Bernard O’ Sullivan,
John O’Sullivan and Kate Coveney also competed. The race was a fundraiser for
the Niall Mellon Trust and it is hoped that it will become an annual fixture on
the road race calendar. Also on Saturday, David Reynolds, Tracy Bradfield,
Patrick McSweeney and Ivan O’Brien competed in the Kit Kat All Ireland Schools
Tailteann Games in Santry, Dublin.
The County Masters Track and Field Championships took place at CIT on Friday
27th June. Priscilla O’Sullivan won silver medals for the high jump and the 35LB
weight and bronze in the discus. Liz Coomey won gold for the 200m and the high
jump and silver in the discus.
Upcoming events include the All Ireland Juvenile Track and Field Championships
which take place in Antrim next weekend. The West Cork B competition will take
place in the Town Park in Bandon at 12 noon on Sunday 6th July.
PRO Report: 25th June 2008
The Munster U15-U19 track and field championships took place over two days last
weekend at the CIT Track. The first day’s competition on Saturday 21st June saw
one of the wettest days of the summer. A number of Bandon athletes still managed
to bring home medals despite the conditions. Laura McSweeney won silver medals
in the U14 hammer and discus. Tracy Bradfield won silver in the U16 discus.
Sipke Shaughnessy won gold for both the U16 100m hurdles and the 200m. Mark
Sugrue and Patrick McSweeney both won bronze for the U16 javelin and the high
jump respectively. Conor Pullin won gold for the U17 discus. At U19 level Róisín
Howard brought home silver in the discus and the shot.
The second round of the championships took place the following day under much
improved conditions. There were gold medal wins at U16 level for Sipke
Shaughnessy in the 250m hurdles, Patrick McSweeney in the shot, Mark Sugrue in
the discus and Tracy Bradfield in the shot. Gold also for David Reynolds in the
U17 Javelin and for Róisín Howard in the U19 high jump and the javelin. Sipke
Shaughnessy also came second in the long jump. Conor Pullin came second in the
U17 javelin and third in the high jump and the shot. David Reynolds came second
in his U17 high jump and Ivan O’Brien came third in the U18 discus. Patrick
McSweeney also won Bronze in the U16 Hammer. Also competing well for the club on
the day were Elizabeth Prout, Daire Harrington and Kevin Nyhan.
Upcoming events include the West Cork Summer league on Friday 27th June hosted
by Dohenys AC, a 10k road race in Courtmacsherry on Saturday 28th June with a
5pm start. The route of the race is Courtmacsherry to Timoleague and back. The
all Ireland Junior and U23 Track and Field Championships take place in Tullamore
on 29th June.
Munster Juvenile Championships video clip from Templemore
from Munster Athletics Site
PRO Report: 3rd June 2008
The second Cork City Marathon took place in bright sunshine on the June Bank
Holiday Monday. Tom Laffan came 18th overall in a time of 2.54.10. He was 4th in
the M40 category. Tom Sheehan was the second Bandon athlete home in a time of
3.01.17 and Kevin Wilmott was not far behind in a time of 3.02.55. Also
participating from Bandon AC were Matthew Gedden, James Daly, Eamonn Moloney,
Phil Murphy, Pat O’Sullivan, and Robert Merrick.
A number of athletes from the club represented their schools at the All Ireland
Schools Track and Field Championships held in Tullamore on 31st May. For Coláiste
na Toirbhirte Joan Healy won gold for both the Intermediate100m and the 200m,
Laura McSweeney came third in the junior discus and Toni Chatterton came 5th in
the junior long jump. Lynn Bradfield of Bandon Grammar School won bronze in the
Junior Girls shot putt. Ronan Duggan of St Brogans came 4th in the senior boys
800m and Patrick McSweeney of the Hamilton High School was 7th in the
Intermediate shot.
At the Munster Combined Events Championships in Castleisland on May 25, siblings
Fintan and Sipke Shaughnessy were both clear winners bringing home gold medals
in the U13 and U16 Pentathlon. Events in the pentathlon are long and high jump,
shot, hurdles and 800m.
Upcoming events include the County Senior Track and Field Championships in CIT
on 6th June and the Munster Juvenile Championships in Templemore on Saturday 7th
and Sunday 8th June.
PRO Report:
It was another busy weekend in Athletics with
club members competing in the Munster Schools competition in Limerick, the ESB
National League in Tullamore and the final day of the County Championships in
CIT. Representing Coláiste na Toirbhirte and Bandon AC, Joan Healy had wins two
days in a row in the 100m and 200m.
The County Track and Field A Championships drew to a close on Sunday 18th May at
the CIT Track. Events of the day consisted of relays and paired competitions.
The Relays were run off first, generating plenty of excitement and intense
competition. The boys U15 team consisting of Mighty and Great Okafer, Kevin
Nyhan and Ronan Sheehan won a gold medal in their relay. The Boys teams at U9,
U13, U14 and U16 levels all received silver medals and the girls U12 and U13
teams received bronze medals. In the paired competitions, four of the girl’s
teams and eight boy’s teams qualified for Munster
On the same day also, the ESB National League took place in Tullamore. The
following all brought home gold medals; Colette Tuthill in the 1500m walk, Joan
Healy for the 100m and the 200m and Rachel Roche for the Javelin. Róisín Howard
and Liz Coomey had a second place each in the 100m hurdles and in the Hammer
respectively. Louise Cavanagh came third in the 800m as was Carmel Crowley in
the 3000m. Priscilla O’Sullivan came third in the discus and the Bandon team
were third in the 4 by 400 relay. Bandon Club was also third overall in the
Premier Women category.
A number of athletes from the Club represented their schools at Munster level at
the Munster Schools Track & Field Championships in Limerick on 17th. For
Coláiste na Toirbhirte, Joan Healy was first in the Intermediate 100m and 200m,
Toni Chatterton was second in the high and long jump and Laura McSweeney was
third in the Discus and Phil Healy was third in the minor long jump.
Representing St Brogans, Ronan Duggan received a silver medal for the senior
800m. Patrick McSweeney from the Hamilton High School was second in the Shot.
Euan Walters of Bandon Grammar School was second in the discus. Athletes who
come first or second in distances up to 400m in the first three over 400m and in
the field events qualify for the All Ireland Schools Competition which takes
place on May 31st in Tullamore.
Upcoming fixture includes the County Masters and Junior T & F Championships at
CIT Track on Friday 23rd May at 6.45pm and Courcey Rovers Open Sports which take
place next Sunday May 25th at 2pm in Ballinspittle.
PRO Report: 13th May 2008
Bandon athletes had number of success on the second day of the County Track and
Field Championships on Sunday May 11th at the CIT Track. David Reynolds won the
U17 Javelin and the High Jump. Mark Sugrue won the U16 Long Jump and was third
in the 200m; Mark O’Sullivan came second in the U16 Walk with Tadhg O’Donovan
coming third. Mark Sugrue came first in the U16 Discus and Patrick McSweeney
came second with Tadgh O'Donovan completing a clean sweep for the club by
winning the Bronze. Patrick McSweeney also won the U16 Shot Putt with Mark
Sugrue coming second. Mighty Okafer was second in the U15 200m and third
in the High Jump. At U14 level Robert O’Sullivan won gold in the Walk and Thomas
O’Sullivan was third in the Discus. Victor Lovell was first in the U10 Ball
Throw.
The girls also produced some medal winning performances. Ailis Crowley won
silver for the U17 walk. Lynda O’Donovan won the U19 800m. Toni Chatterton was
2nd in the Long Jump at U15 where Lynn Bradfield won silver in the Shot and gold
in the Discus. At U14 Laura McSweeney took gold for the Hammer, Javelin, Walk
and also won Bronze in the High Jump. Aoibheann Harte won the gold medal in the
U13 Long Jump; Fiona Duggan took the silver medal for both the Shot and the
Hammer. Mary Teresa Murphy came second in the U13 700m with Aisling Everard
coming third. Sinéad Caulfield was third in the U12 700m. Erin Kingston won the
silver medal in the U11 Shot.
It was a busy weekend for athletes as the second leg of the South Munster
Schools Track and Field took place at the same venue on Saturday 10th May. Ronan
Duggan of St Brogans won a gold medal for the Senior Boys 1500m. Owen Walters
from Bandon Grammar School won the Intermediate Pole Vault, David Reynolds,
Bandon Grammar, came second in the High Jump and Patrick McSweeney was third.
Lynda O’Donovan Coláiste no Toirbhirte came third in the Senior Girls 400m. Joan
Healy won the Intermediate Girls 100m and 200m and Tracy Bradfield won the Shot.
Lyn Bradfield won a silver medal in the Junior Girls Shot and Laura McSweeney
took the bronze. Liz Prout won Silver in the Junior Girls Triple Jump. The
Junior Girls team representing Coláiste na Toirbhirte won the Junior Girls cup
for the team that won the most medals over the two days of the competition. Full
results of the above and photos from the events can be seen on
www.bandonathleticclub.com
A number of athletes from the Club competed in the fifth annual Rising Sun
Straight Road Mile in aid on Enable Ireland near Ballinhassing on Friday 9th of
May. Seána Coveney (GU14) won the women’s race in a time of 6.38 with her sister
Róisín (GU12) taking the second prize. Kate Coveney was third and Sharron Toner
fourth. Seán Murphy was 6th in a time of 5.11 Matthew Gedden, Tom and Mike
Laffan also ran.
The third leg of the County Track and Field Championships consisting of relay
and paired competition takes place next Sunday May 18th at the CIT Track.
PRO Report: World Qualifying Time for Joan Healy
PRO Report: 5th May 2008
The first leg of
the County Track and Field Championships took place in glorious sunshine on
Sunday May 4th at the CIT Track. Athletes from across the County from ages 9 to
19 competed fiercely, putting in some superb performances on the track and in
the field in order to qualify for the Munster Championships. There were some
excellent performances from Bandon athletes on the day which earned them
numerous medals and a number of personal bests.
Fiachra Harrington took the gold medal for the U11 shot. Colin Kingston brought
home a gold and silver medal in the U13 shot and hammer. Promise Okafer came
second in the sprint and first in the long jump. Fintan Shaughnessy came third
in the long jump. Mary Teresa Murphy received a silver medal in the U13 High
Jump. Mary Teresa and Aoibheann Harte reached the finals of the U13 sprint
producing some super speeds in the heats and semi finals but despite further
excellent running in the final were just outside medal positions. The U14s also
performed well with Helena Murphy winning the 250m hurdles and Robert O’Sullivan
winning the javelin. Laura McSweeney came first in the discus, second in the
shot and Seána Coveney came third in the 1500m and Robert O’Sullivan came fourth
at the same distance. At U15 level Toni Chatterton came second in the high jump
and Chloe O’Leary third. Kevin Nyhan was second in the 250 hurdles and Daire
Harrington was third in the discus. Great Okafer came third in the sprint and
Ciarán Everard ran a great 1500m race finishing just outside the medals in fifth
place. The U16s produced some fine performances with Tracy Bradfield taking gold
in the discus and shot, silver in the long jump and triple jump. Elizabeth Prout
received a silver medal in the discus and the 250m hurdles and a bronze medal in
the long jump. Patrick McSweeney took gold and had a personal best of 1m 53 in
the high jump, gold also in the javelin and the hammer. Tadhg O’Donovan came
second in the hammer, taking the silver medal. Mark O’Sullivan came fifth in the
1500m Ailis Crowley came second in the U17 1500m and also in the 300m.
Bandon AC athletes were also in action at the CIT track the previous day but
this time representing their schools in the South Munster Schools Track and
Field Championships. For Coláiste Na Toirbithe Laura McSweeney came first in the
junior discus, third in the javelin. Lynda O’Donovan won a gold medal in the
senior 800m. Toni Chatterton came first in the junior high and long jumps and
Phil Healy was second in the minor long jump. Phil Healy and Seána Coveney also
competed in the 800m but were outside the medal positions. Daire Harrington
received a gold medal in the junior shot. For the Hamilton High School, Patrick
McSweeney took gold in the intermediate shot and Sipke Shaughnessy took the
silver in the junior hurdles. Representing Bandon Grammar School, Lynn Bradfield
was third in the junior discus and high jump and fourth in the javelin. Tracy
Bradfield was first in the intermediate discus and second in her long jump.
The Munster Masters, junior and U23 Track and Field Championships were held also
at the CIT Track on the May Bank Holiday Monday. Liz Coomey won gold in the
hammer, high jump and the long jump. Priscilla O’Sullivan won four silver medals
in hammer, javelin, discus and shot. Pat Mulcahy won gold in the 100m sprint and
Carmel Crowley won the 3000m. Further results in this competition to follow.
Three Bandon athletes competed in the 2008 Bay Run on Sunday 4th May. The Bay
Run is a half marathon run from Glengarriffe to Bantry. Kevin Wilmot came fifth.
John O’Brien and Bernard O’Sullivan also ran well in the race.
Fixtures for next weekend include the Rising Sun Straight Mile in Ballinhassing
on Friday 9th May at 8pm, the second round of the County Track and Field Track
and Field Championships at the CIT Track at 10.00am.
PRO Report: 29th April 2008
The second leg of the West Cork Track and Field
Championships for even ages took place on Sunday last April 27th. Heavy rain
however, marred the day and a number of field events were cancelled. In the
Girls U8 60m Brittney Okafer came third. Kate Aherne also came third in the U10
Ball Throw and the U10 relay team came second. Sinéad Caulfield won the U12 100m
with Rochelle Scannell coming second and the U12 relay team came second.
Aoibheann Harte won a bronze medal in the U14 100m and silver in the long jump.
Laura McSweeney came third in the long jump but won the U14 shot with Fiona
Duggan coming third. In the U14 800m Mary Teresa Murphy came third. At U16 level
Tracy Bradfield was second in the 100m; she won the shot putt and was also
second in the long jump. Lynn Bradfield was third in the shot and Toni
Chatterton was third in the long jump and the U16 relay team was first. Ailis
Crowley came third in the U20 200m. Rachel Roche won the Senior Women long jump.
The boys also produced some good results in the championship. Victor Lovell won
a silver medal in the U10 80m; he won the U10 300m and produced a fine
performance to bring the U10 relay team to victory. Aaron Draper came third in
the 300m and Travis Coomey was second in the ball throw. Matthew Draper won a
bronze medal in the U12 100m. The U14 boys took all the medals in the 100m with
Oisín Sedgewick taking gold, Promise Okafer taking silver and Fintan Shaughnessy
taking the bronze. Colin Kingston came first in the U14 shot, Promise Okafer
took gold in the long jump with Fintan Shaughnessy coming second and the U14
boys won their relay. Great Okafer came second in the U16 100m. In the U16 shot
Patrick McSweeney came first with Daire Harrington coming second. Mark
O’Sullivan won the 1,500m. In the U16 long jump, Ronan Sheehan won the gold
medal, Mark O’Sullivan the sliver and Patrick McSweeney the bronze. The U16 team
also won their relay. Tim Harrington won the U20 high jump. Kevin Wilmot won the
Senior Men 1,500m and came third in the 200m.
The May Bank Holiday is going to be a busy one for athletes. The South Munster
Schools Track and Field Championships take place on Saturday May 3rd at the CIT
Track; the first day of the County Track and Field is on the following day also
in CIT. Monday sees the Munster Senior, U23 and Masters taking place at the same
venue. Details of all of the above available on www.bandonathleticclub.com
PRO Report: 21st April 2008
The first leg of the West Cork Track and Field
championships took place at the CIT Track on Sunday 13th of April. It turned out
to be an ideal day to return to outdoor competition with ideal weather, dry,
bright and not too warm. Bandon AC athletes turned out in force to compete with
their West Cork rivals. Michael Laffan won a gold medal in the U9 80m Sprint and
the Boys U9 Relay team was second. Fiona Everard came second in the U11 60m with
Gráinne Lucey coming third. The U11 girls also won their relay. Gráinne Lucey
was second in the U11 Long Jump with Carla Hicks and Kelly Scannell sharing
third position. The U11 boys took gold in the relay, with Niall McCarthy coming
2nd in the Long Jump and Matthew Draper coming 2nd in the 80m, and 3rd in the
Long Jump.
Colin Kingston continued his winning form coming first in the U13 Shot and the
100m and the boys U13 relay team came second. The U13 Girls took gold in the
relay, Fiona Duggan came first in the shot with Kerrin Chatterton third.
Aishling Everard was first in the 800m and Sinéad Caulfield second. The U15
Girls came second in the relay. Toni Chatterton won the high jump and was second
in the 100m. The U15 Boys also won their relay. Oisín Sedgewick took gold in the
100m and in the 200m. Jerry Crowley took the 100m bronze.
The U17 girls continued the relay success taking gold. Tracy Bradfield was first
in the Shot with her sister Lynn coming second. Tracy also came first in the
100m and in the Long Jump. The U17 Boys also won their relay and took gold and
silver in the shot with Patrick McSweeney coming first and Tadhg O’Donovan
coming second.
Not to be outdone, the Seniors and Masters produced more medal winning
performances. Liz Coomey came first in the 100m and the shot. Anne McCarthy won
Masters 100m and 400m. Siobhán Dineen came second in the 100m and third in the
400m. The Senior Women also won the relay. The Bandon Senior men also won their
relay and Patrick McSweeney won the 56lb shot. Niall Forde won the Masters 56lb
shot and Martin Lovell came second.
A number of Bandon athletes competed at Leevale Open Sports which took place at
the Mardyke Track on Sunday 20th April. In the Senior competitions, Ronan Duggan
won a gold medal in the 1500m with Timmy Harrington taking gold in the long
jump. Linda O’Donovan took silver in the Senior Women’s 400m and Joan Healy won
a silver medal in both the 100m and 200m. Liz Coomey came third in the shot
putt. The Juveniles also scored well with Laura McSweeney winning a gold medal
in the U14 shot, Patrick McSweeney coming third in the U16 high jump. Lynn
Bradfield and Gráinne Lucey won silver medals in the U15 shot and the U11 600m.
The Bandon AC team consisting of Colette Tuthill, Carmel Crowley and Louise
Cavanagh came fourth recently in the Woodie’s DIY All Ireland Road Relay
Championships held in Dublin on Sunday 13th April.
The second leg of the West Cork Track and Field Championships for even ages take
place next Sunday April 27th at the CIT Track. The BHAA Stride by the Tide 4
mile race takes place on Redbarn Beach near Youghal on Tuesday 29th April. The
first leg of the County Juvenile Track and Field Championships kicks off on May
4th at the CIT Track with the Munster Senior, U23 and Masters taking place the
following day.
PRO Report: 8th April 2008
The first round of the AAI All Ireland Juvenile Indoors
took place last weekend at the Indoor area in Nenagh. There were some
superb performances from Bandon Athletes at this All Ireland competition
including a record breaking throw for Colin Kingston in the U13 Shot Putt
winning him an All Ireland gold medal, gold also for Patrick McSweeney in the
U16 Shot, Sipke Shaughnessy in the U16 60m Hurdles and for Joan Healy in U17 60m
Sprint. Patrick McSweeney’s win this weekend is his third All Ireland Shot Putt
title in a row after he also won the U14 and U15 titles in previous years. Joan
Healy also made it a three in a row at Indoors in the 60m Sprint. Laura
McSweeney and Lynn Bradfield both took all Ireland silver medals in the U14 and
U15 Shot Putt respectively. Promise Okafor also won silver in the U13 Long Jump
with Fintan Shaughnessy taking the bronze medal and Tracey Bradfield came third
in the U16 Shot. Other noteworthy performances outside the medal positions
included a fourth for Sipke Shaughnessy in the U16 Long Jump, Shane Conway 6th
in the U19 400m and Fintan Shaughnessy 8th in the U13 High Jump. Toni Chatterton
came 5th in the U15 Long Jump, Daire Harrington was 9th in the U15 Shot and
Promise Okafor came 10th in the U13 60m Sprint. All these athletes are to be
commended for representing the club with distinction at the top level in the
country. The second round of the competition takes place next weekend April 12th
and 13th also in Nenagh.
On the road, Carmel Crowley won the women’s race in the UCC/Carmel Lynch
Memorial (BHAA) 10K on Sunday 6th April with Louise Kavanagh coming in second,
both of them repeating last years positions in the same run. In the men’s race,
Tom Laffan came in 8th overall and picked up first prize in the O40 race. Joe
O’Sullivan came third in the 045 race. Tom Sheehan, Eamon Moloney and Tim Lucey also competed
well.
Matthew Geden was the only Bandon AC runner to compete in the Connemara Ultra
Marathon covering a distance of 39.3 miles in a time of 6 hours and 24 minutes
which was truly a great test of endurance and fitness. For most of us the
thought of facing into a regular 26 mile marathon is more than daunting so full
credit must be given to anybody who dares to do half as much again! Well done
Matthew. The Connemara International Marathon took place last Sunday April 6th
comprising a Half Marathon, a full Marathon and Ireland’s only on-road Ultra
Marathon. It also ranks as one of the most scenic marathon routes in the country
with numerous rolling hills to conquer.
Upcoming events include the West Cork Track and Field Championship which take
place next Sunday April 13th at the CIT Track at 12 noon sharp. The first round
is for the uneven ages and the second part of the competition takes place on
Sunday 27th also at the same venue. The order of events for both days can be
seen on the Bandon Athletic Club Website.
PRO Report: 1st April 2008
The Bandon Athletic Club Annual Awards night was held at the
GAA Pavilion on Friday 28th March. Awards are presented to athletes who have
achieved in competition at a high level during 2007. A results based points
system is used to decide the awards in each category. Awards are presented to
the various age groups in both Cross Country and Track and Field. In track and
field, the following received awards – U9 Travis Coomey, U11 Matthew Draper, U13
Fintan Shaughnessy, U15 Sipke Shaughnessy. The U16-19 award went to Tim
Harrington. Joan Healy received the overall Track and Field Award.
In the Cross Country section awards were presented to the following – U11
Grainne Lucey, U13 Aisling Everard. Mark O’Sullivan and Ciarán Everard tied for
the U15 award. Ronan Duggan received the U16-19 award. Carmel Crowley received
the overall Cross Country award. The overall Masters award was presented to Liz
Coomey. The Club Person of the year went to Tom Laffan and Billy Good was
honoured with the Hall of Fame award. A new award for road runner of the year
will be presented shortly. A disco for club members followed the presentations.
PRO Report: 24th Mar 2008
The Paddy Desmond Memorial 4 Mile race was held in Ballinhassig on Easter
Sunday, hosted by The Rising Sun AC. Over a hundred athletes competed with Tom
Laffan coming in third and Kevin Wilmot finishing 6th. Tom Sheehan and Paddy
Murphy also competed.
The Bandon Athletic Club annual awards night takes place this Friday March 28th
at 7.30pm at the GAA Pavilion. Athletes at Juvenile, Junior, Senior and Masters
Levels are recognised for overall individual performance during the year in both
Track and Field and Cross Country. There will be a Hall of Fame presentation and
a Club Person of the Year Award. The event is one of the social highlights in
the Bandon AC calendar with refreshments and a disco following the awards
ceremony. All club athletes and their families are invited to attend.
There was a welcome break from competition for the majority of Bandon AC
athletes over the Easter break ahead of a very full schedule for April. The AA1
Juvenile Indoors will take place over two weekends, April 5th and 6th and 12th
and 13th in Nenagh. The outdoor season kicks off with the West Cork Track Field
Championships which take place over two Sundays, April 13th for the uneven age
group and April 27th for the even ages. Leevale Sports will be held on 20th
April at the Mardyke Arena. Athletes intending to train with Bandon AC and
compete in Outdoor competitions should ensure that their membership is up to
date for the 2008 season.
Some results from the previous week include the Munster Novice, Senior and
Masters Road Championships which took place in Ennis on Sunday 16th where Tom
Laffan came 2nd in the over 40 race. Kevin Wilmot competed in the Novice Race.
Liz Coomey and Róisin Howard competed in the Woodies DIY Championships of
Ireland Indoor Relays in Nenagh on the same weekend taking gold in the 2 x Shot
and silver in both the 2 x Long and High Jumps. The St Patrick’s Day Dash on
March 17th ahead of the Cork Parade aims to find the fastest men and women in
Cork with Timmy Harrington coming in third and Róisin Howard finishing fifth in
the women’s sprint.
Training continues at the Grammar School on Mondays and Wednesdays for the
moment. The forthcoming time change will hopefully herald a return to outdoor
training once conditions in the Town Park are deemed suitable.
PRO Report: 11th Mar 2008
Athletes from Bandon AC participated in road races at opposite ends of the
County on last Sunday March 9th , the West Cork Road
Races, which were held in Dunmanway, and the Ballycotton ‘10’. In
Dunmanway conditions were bright but windy with the races being almost completed
before some very heavy hail showers. Bandon Athletes were successful in a number
of races. Ronan Lucey came 4th in the U10 Race. Fiona Everard came 2nd in the
U12 race with Grainne Lucey and Róisin Coveney finishing 5th and 6th
respectively. Brian Everard came in 5th in the U12 Race. Robert O’Sullivan was
3rd in the U14 race. Seána Coveney and Aishling Everard battled for first place
in the Girls U14 race with Seána wining on this occasion and Aishling coming
second. Mark O’Sullivan ran a strong race to win the U16 race with Ciarán
Everard coming in 3rd.
In Ballycotton, Kevin Wilmot was the first
Bandon athlete home in the 10 mile road race coming 38th out of almost 3,000
runners in a time of 57:42. Tom Laffan was 46th overall with a time of 58:27.
Tom Sheehan, Margaret Crowley, Elizabeth Barry Crowley, Joe O’Sullivan, Paddy
Murphy, James Daly, Vincent Goggin, Eamonn Moloney, Declan O’Halloran, Phil
Murphy, Robert Merrick and Shiela Muckian also competed for the club.
The Munster Road Championships take place next Sunday 16th March in Ennis. Full
fixtures for the year can be seen on www.bandonathleticclub.com
PRO Report: 4th Mar 2008
Bandon athletes had a successful outing to the Munster
Juvenile U15-U19 Indoors Championships in Nenagh on 1st and 2nd March.
Joan Healy won gold medals for the 60m Sprint and in the 200m. Sipke
O'Shaughnessy won gold medals in the U16 Hurdles, Long Jump and 200m and Lynda
O’Donovan took the gold in the U19 800m. Timmy Harrington came first in the U17
Long Jump and in the Triple Jump and reached the final of the 60m Sprint. Shane
Conway won gold in the U19 400m achieving a personal best time of 51.60 seconds
in the process. Patrick McSweeney won a gold medal in the U16 Shot and came in
third in the High Jump. Daire Harrington won a bronze medal in the U15 Shot and
the Bradfield sisters Tracey and Lynn brought home a silver and a bronze medal
in Shot at U16 and U15 level respectively. Toni Chatterton came second in the
U15 Long Jump. Ronan Sheehan was 5th in the U15 60m with Great Okafor 9th in the
same race. Phil Healy also competed in the Long Jump finishing 6th and also
completed well in the 800m.
The boys U15 team comprising Mighty and Great Okafor, Ronan
Sheehan and Kevin Nyhan came second in the 4x200m relay.
The West Cork Road Races take place next Sunday March
9th at 12 Noon in Dunmanway with races from U8 up to Senior Level.
Training continues on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7pm at the Grammar School. Full
results, fixtures and further information can be found on the Club website
www.bandonathleticclub.com
PRO Report: 25th Feb 2008
The Munster Juvenile Indoor U10-U14
Championships took place on 23rd and 24th February at the Nenagh Olympic Indoor
Arena. A number of athletes from Bandon AC made the trip and represented the
Club with distinction. There were a number of nail-biting moments in the events
held over two days which included a new championship record in long jump and a
tie for gold in the boys U13 4x100m Relay. Promise Okafor won gold in the boys
U13 Long Jump setting a new record of 4.69m in the process. The previous record
for Boys U13 long Jump was 4.68 set in 1996. He also won silver in the 60m
sprint. Fintan Shaughnessy won a silver medal in the long jump and in the high
jump. He also performed well in the final of the 60m sprint. Colin Kingston won
gold in the boys U13 Shot with a throw of 10.92m. Laura McSweeney came second
the girls U14 Shot. The boys U13 relay team of Edward Aherne, Fintan Shaughnessy,
Kelvin Stone and Promise Okafor gave an inspiring performance at the end of
arduous day, to take joint gold with the Nenagh Olympic team. Other athletes who
competed well over the weekend were Fiona Ivri, Clare Sexton, Kate Toner and
Kerrin Chatterton. Fiona Duggan was 5th in the U13 Shot. Aoibheann Harte and
Mary Teresa Murphy qualified for the semi-final of the girls U13 60m sprint.
Sinéad Caulfield qualified for the final of the U12 600m but was just outside a
medal position. Milo Shaughnessy and Oisin Sedgewick both qualified for finals
in their events on their first outing to an Indoors event. The girls U13 4x100
relay team comprising Aoibheann Harte, Clare Sexton, Kate Toner and Mary Teresa
Murphy gave a great performance, narrowly missing out a place in the final.
Further a field, Joan Healy competed at U17 level at the
British Triple A Indoor Championships in Birmingham. She came
fourth in both the 60m sprint and 200m with personal best times of 7.70 seconds
and 24.98 respectively.
Liz Coomey competed in the British Masters
Track and Field and Winter Throws Championships at the Lee Valley Centre in
Enfield, Middlesex. She came home with 5 silver medals for Hammer, Shot, 60m
Hurdles, High Jump and Heavy Hammer Throw.
PRO Report: 18th Feb 2008
The AAI All Ireland Masters Indoors Championships
took place on Saturday 16th February at the Indoor Arena in Nenagh. Liz
Coomey, Ann McCarthy and Kate Coveney competed for Bandon AC in their various
age categories. Liz won All Ireland gold medals at four events, Shot, Long Jump,
60m Sprint and High Jump and silver in the 200m. Ann McCarthy won silver in the
Long Jump, 200m, 800m and a bronze in the 1500m. Kate Coveney won gold in the
200m, silver in the Shot, Long Jump and bronze in the 1500m. Liz moves on next
weekend to compete in the British Masters Open Indoor Championships in Enfield,
Middlesex.
The All Ireland Junior Indoor Championships
took place the following day also in Nenagh. Joan Healy came second in the 60m
Sprint and the 200m. Shane Conway came 3rd in the 200m bringing home a bronze
medal on his first outing to an All Ireland competition. Timmy Harrington under
performed on this occasion due to injury in the 60m Sprint and the 200m. Anthony
Hennessy came 4th in the 800m.
The County Road Race Championships took
place in Whitechurch on Sunday 17th February. The event was hosted for the first
time by Eagle Athletic Club. Conditions were ideal with bright sunshine and cool
temperatures. The course was testing however, for both men and women, being
mainly uphill. In the men’s race over a 4 mile course, Tom Laffan came third
overall and first in the over 40 category. Kevin Wilmot came in 5th overall and
2nd in the Novice race. Joe O’Sullivan was second in the over 45 category. Tom
Sheehan and Tim Lucey also competed. The Women’s race was run over two miles and
Carmel Crowley of Bandon AC had an early lead, winning comfortably in a time of
12.07mins. Sharron Toner and Kate Coveney also competed. At the prize giving
ceremony, hosts Eagle AC announced with regret that club member Wieslaw
Sosnowski was leaving Ireland to return permanently to his home in Poland.
Wieslaw was one of the top runners in Cork during his stay in Ireland and was
the winner of the recent Bandon 5 mile road race on December 30th.
PRO Report: 11th Feb 2008
Bandon AC athletes continue to represent the Club at International competition,
travelling to Glasgow to the Scottish Indoors
on 9th and 10th February. This event was held in the impressive Kelvin
Hall International Indoor Sports Arena where Irish athletes were competing
against the best of their fellow Celts, the Scots and the Welsh. Colin Kingston
brought home a gold medal in the U13 Shot Putt event with a fine throw of 9.05m,
which was more that a metre longer than the silver medal winner. Fintan
O’Shaughnessey won a bronze medal, coming third in the U13 Long Jump. Fintan
also competed in the U13 200m, coming third in his heat. Fiona Duggan just
missed out on a medal coming 5th in the U13 Shot event. Kerrin Chatterton also
competed in this event. Other athletes from the club who competed at U13-U15
level included Toni Chatterton who came 9th in the U15 Long Jump, Daire
Harrington in the U15 Shot, Mighty Okafer,U15 Long Jump and 60m, Promise Okafer
U13 200m and Great Okafer U15 200m and 60m and Kate Toner, U13 Hurdles.
Lynda O’Donovan and Ronan Duggan both competed in U20 800m. Ronan got to the
semi-final stage and only missed out on a place in the final by the narrowest of
margins - one eighth of a second. Róisin Howard came 3rd in the U20 Long Jump,
6th in the Shot and 6th in the High Jump. There were large fields in many of the
events which meant that there were up to eight heats in some races.
Qualification for semi-finals and finals was based on times. It has to be said
that participation in competition at this level gives a huge boost, and a wealth
of experience both from a sporting and social perspective, to athletes and
coaches from the Club.
The Munster Schools Cross Country was held
on February 7th in Tramore. Ciarán Everard was the sole member of Bandon AC at
the competition, representing MICC Dunmanway. He took part in the Minor Boys
race, coming in 6th overall.
The achievements of a number of Bandon Athletes were recognized recently at The
Munster Athletics Star Awards Ceremony which took place on Saturday 9th February
in Dungarvan. Liz Coomey took the award in the Masters Women Category. Joan
Healy received the award for the best Cork County Juvenile U16 Female for
achievement in 60m sprint and 200m in both Indoor and Outdoor Competition in
2007. Timmy Harrington received the award in the Triple Jump category. Bandon
Athletic Club also received the award for the best Munster Masters Club for
Indoor competition in 2007.
Upcoming events include the AAI Masters Indoors on 16th February in Nenagh, the
AAI Junior Indoors on 17th February and the County Road Championships also on
17th February in Whitechurch.
PRO Report: 4th Feb 2008
Bandon Athletes were on the move last weekend,
travelling to Cardiff and to Donegal in order to compete. Joan Healy and Tracey
Bradfield represented Ireland in the Celtic Schools
International Indoors Competition in Cardiff. Joan continues to
impress, bringing back three gold medals for the U16 60m sprint, 200m and the 4
x 200m relay. Tracey was just outside a medal position, finishing fourth in the
Shot event. Athletes are selected to compete for Ireland in this event on their
Outdoor performance in the previous year. The Celtic Schools International is
open to athletes from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The AAI All Ireland B Juvenile Cross Country
Championships brought the 2007 Cross Country Season to a close. The
event was hosted by Finn Valley Athletic Club in Ballybofey, Co Donegal on
Sunday 3rd February. A number of Bandon AC athletes made the trip to the
opposite end of the country to compete in lashing rain and what must have been
the muddiest underfoot conditions of the season. Elizabeth Prout came 17th in
the U15 race and brings home a silver medal as part of the Cork Team. Mark and
Robert O’Sullivan both received individual medals, each coming 8th in their
respective races - U15 and U13. Seána Coveney missed out on an individual medal
by two places, coming in 14th in the U13 race. In Juvenile Cross Country
competition, the first twelve finishers receive an individual medal and County
Team medals are won on points. Róisin Coveney ran in the U11 race and came in
41st.
Registration for the 2008 season continues. It is important for all athletes
associated with the club, whether competing or not, to ensure that their
membership is up to date. Training takes place each Monday and Wednesday at 7pm
at the Bandon Grammar School. Full details of fixtures, results etc can be seen
on the club website – www.bandonathleticclub.com
PRO Report: 29th Jan 2008
Three Bandon AC Athletes represented their
various schools at the South Munster Schools Cross
Country event held at Midleton College on January 25th. Ciarán
Everard finished third in the Minor Boys 1,500m race. Mark O’Sullivan came 19th
in the Intermediate Boys 4,000m race and Seána Coveney was 16th in the First
Year Girls 1,200m race.
Carmel Crowley featured at the recent Cork County International Award Ceremony.
She received a County Award in the Senior Cross Country category. This award is
presented to athletes who performed exceptionally well during the Cross Country
Season.
PRO Report: 21st Jan 2008
Once again the Senior
Pentathlon title has come back to Bandon. Róisín Howard won a gold medal
in this event with an excellent performance. Liz Coomey finished in third place
despite injury. Both were participating in the All Ireland Senior Pentathlon
Championships which took place in the Indoor Arena in Nenagh. Liz was the winner
of the Senior title last year. Róisín’s achievement at Senior level is all the
more commendable given that she has moved up competitively, from Juniors to
Seniors while still being eligible at U19 level, and, is also studying for her
Leaving Certificate Exams in June.
The Munster Senior and Junior Indoors Competition
took place the following day, also in Nenagh. Róisín continued her winning form
here, coming first in both the Senior Women Long Jump and the Junior Women High
Jump events. She also competed in the Senior Women High Jump event and came 2nd.
She also won a silver medal in the Senior Women Shot Event. Timmy Harrington not
only won gold in the 60m sprint but ran in a personal best time of 7.41. Timmy
also came 2nd in the Junior Long Jump Competition. Liz Coomey won a bronze medal
in the shot, also achieving a personal best throw of 9.60m. Joan Healy moved up
to the Senior Competition and was a worthy gold medal winner in both the 60m
sprint and the 200m. Tracey Bradfield produced a personal best throw of 9.36m in
the Shot Event, but just missed out on medals coming 4th. At the longer
distance, Ronan Duggan was 4th in the 1500m race at Junior level. Lynda
O’Donovan came in 4th at Senior Level in the 800m race. Shane Conway came third
in the 400m Senior race. Anthony Hennessy won a silver medal at Senior level in
the 800m race. Both Shane and Anthony moved from Junior to Senior competition in
their respective events. Well done to all of the athletes who produced superb
performances amid strong competition at both Munster and All Ireland Level last
weekend.
PRO Report: 14th Jan 2008
The Munster Senior Cross Country competition
took place on 13th January in Cashel, Co Tipperary. The event of 5K was won by
Siobhan O’Doherty of Borrisokane. Carmel Crowley from Bandon AC improved her
placing from 4th last year to finish third. Bandon resident, Louise Cavanagh of
UCC Athletic Club came second. The Munster Juvenile Even Age Cross Country
Relays also took place at the same venue. Matthew Draper was part of the Cork
Team that won gold in the U10 4 by 250m relay. Aishling Everard was on the Cork
Team that came second in the U12 relay. Fiona Everard also competed on the U10
Cork team which came fourth.
Four athletes from Bandon made the 140 mile round trip to Castletownbere on the
same day to compete in the West Cork Cross Country League
hosted by Berehaven AC. The event was held in the grounds of the Berehaven Golf
Club, which aside from being a stunningly visual location, with sea to the south
and mountains to the north, provided a good mix of terrain for cross country
running. Edward Ahern finished strongly in 4th place in the U14 race, and won a
gold medal as part of a West Cork team. Seána Coveney won the girls U14 race.
Kate Ahern came second the U10 race and Róisin Coveney was 4th in the U12 race.
Both received gold medals as part of West Cork Teams.
Club registration is taking place this month. In order to compete at any level
as part of the Club, all athletes should ensure that they are registered members
for 2008. Membership fees remain the same as last year, €30 for Juveniles, €40
for an adult and a family membership is €100.
Full details of results, training schedules etc can be found on the club website
www.bandonathleticclub.com
PRO Report: 7th Jan 2008
A number of
Bandon AC athletes travelled to the indoor arena in Nenagh on Sunday 6th January
to compete in the Munster Masters and Juvenile
Pentathlon.
In the Pentathlon event Roisin Howard won at U19 level. Siblings Patrick and
Laura Mc Sweeney both came fourth in their respective age categories, U16 and
U14. The Pentathlon comprises the following events, 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, High
Jump, Shot and 800m.
In the Masters events, Patrick McSweeney Senior was the only representative from
Bandon AC to compete in the men’s events. He came 2nd in the 56Lb for Distance
and was 3rd in the Shot event. In the women’s events Ann Kelly McCarthy and Liz
Coomey won gold all the way in their events. Ann was first in the 60m sprint,
200m, 1500m and Long Jump. Liz won the 60m sprint, High Jump, Long Jump and Shot
in her age category. Kate Coveney was first in the 200m and second in the Shot,
1500m and 800m.
The Mallow AC 10 Mile Road Race attracting a large field of runners, also took
place on January 6th. Tom Laffan finished 15th and Kevin Wilmot came 19th.
Michael Morgan, Joe O’Sullivan, Tom Sheehan and Matthew Gedden also competed.
Three members of Bandon AC have been selected to receive Star Awards for best
Munster Athletes. Timmy Harrington, Joan Healy and Liz Coomey will receive their
awards at a ceremony hosted by the Munster Athletics organization in Dungarvan
on February 9th.
The Athletic Club would like to acknowledge Carbery Milk Products, Bandon Co-op
and Bandon Tyres who provided generous sponsorship for the prizes at the very
successful road race hosted by the club on December 30th.
PRO Report: 1st Jan 2008
The Annual Donough Coughlan 5 Mile Road Race was hosted by Bandon Athletic Club
on Sunday 30th December. The race was won with a six second margin by Wieslaw
Sosnowski from Eagle Athletic Club in a time of 26.02.. Bandon resident Louise
Cavanagh from UCC Athletic Club won the women’s race. Jerry Forde from Blarney
Inniscarra AC was the only wheelchair participant. There were almost 140 runners
in the race this year and conditions were almost perfect on the day.
The race started on the Bypass in Bandon, and after doing one circuit of the
town, runners headed out the country via the KIlbrittain Road before finishing
at the Mart. A large local contingent took part in the race and runners came
from all over Cork, Munster and Dublin to participate. London, Luxembourg and
Holland were also represented. Oliver Hammerling from the Rollstuhl Sportclub of
Hamburg in Germany, who was visiting the area, made his trip memorable by
finishing third. Eagle AC won the team prize in the men’s race and St Finbarr’s
AC won the women’s team prize. In all there were 64 prize winners in the various
age and team categories.
The Club would
like to acknowledge the generous sponsorship of the prizes for the road race
provided by Carbery Milk Products, Bandon Co-op and Bandon Tyres
Bandon AC athletes who participated included Kevin Wilmot who finished fifth,
Paddy Murphy, Tom Sheehan, Tim Lucey, Liz Barry, Shiela Muckian, Bernard
O’Sullivan, John O’Brien and Mark O’Sullivan. Full results of the race and a
large number of photos can be seen on www.bandonathleticclub.com.
Training resumes at the Grammar School on Monday 7thth January. The Indoor
Season kicks off with the Munster Masters and the Juvenile Pentathlon
Competitions in Nenagh on January 6th followed by Juvenile Indoor Competitions
in Glasgow in February.
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