There was a good showing by East Down AC at the McConnell Shield Cross Country hosted by East Antrim Harriers. It was held at Sixmilewater Park in Ballyclare and despite fears that the recent heavy rains might have flooded the course, the organisers had it set and ready for action. The competitors were greeted by blue skies and bright sunshine and the showers that were forecast failed to materialise. The ground was soft but not overly muddy so all in all it was perfect setting for some good hard racing.
Ladies and Over 60 Masters Men
The ladies went off first with a field of 80 odd females combined with 26 Masters Men (60+). They had a 3 mile challenge on a lapped course with each lap approximately a mile. The terrain is fairly gentle – long flat stretches for the most part with some twisty climbing on a tree rooted trail which can be nasty. Catherine O’Connor went off with the leaders and ran strongly throughout. She may have been slightly disappointed to come 4th despite her efforts but there was some consolation in the fact that she was the quickest F35 on the day with a speedy 18.46. It is also noteworthy that the time gap from the winner Robyn McKee (Annadale Striders) over the top 4 places was less than 30 seconds so she was very much in the mix. It also transpired that her high placing was key in taking the EDAC Ladies’ Team to 3rd position in the team rankings. Junior runner, Abigail Elliott, inspired by her performance in the NI & Ulster Relays was keen to try her pace in the Senior race. She was pleased to be the 2nd EDAC female to cross the line. Her time of 21.37 placed her 17th overall and should be a welcome boost to her confidence. Leanne Spick was 26th in 23.06 looking comfortable throughout. She reported that she enjoyed this far more than her recent outing at Comber. Despite taking a tumble Aoife Cochrane finished smiling in 35th place in 24.08. She must have set a trend as Ella Carroll also caught her spikes on the fake grass covering a path and ended up sprawled in the mud. With nothing hurt only pride she forged to the finish in 46th place with 25.09. Wayne Giles in the same race was jostling with the Male 60+ and he came home happy with 27.55. This left Alison Carroll as rearguard to complete her run in 72nd place just inside the 30 minute barrier.
The McConnell Shield
As soon as the course was clear, the men lined up ready for their turn. They were competing for the McConnell Shield and faced 5 laps therefore 5 miles in total. EDAC’s Neil McCartan regaining good form put it all on the line from the whistle. He committed to chasing the eventual winner (Conal McCambridge of North Belfast Harriers) but after the first lap Conal managed to create a gap leaving Neil to fight it out with the other chasers. In the end Neil missed out on a podium place but not for the want of trying. He pushed hard to the finish coming 4th overall in a time of 27.20. Adam Withers was the next home for the club. He is persistently seeking to better himself on grass and this was a good run for him. He was 37th in 32.22. Paul Burns wasn’t too far behind clocking 32.33 to come a creditable 42nd. Dee Murray ever the club stalwart was 61st in 34.27 and Mark O’Connor ran a very evenly paced 38.04 (85th) to complete the line up. Thanks are due to the host club for putting on a well run day of racing and to the marshals who gave plenty of encouraging cheers as the competitors made their way around the course. Next outing will be back to Billy Neill Playing Fields for the Comber Cup on 19th November.
