News

The 2019 Louth Track and Field Championships got off to a flying start last week, with the relay event the first fixture on the calendar, taking place in the Lourdes Stadium. A change from usual practice saw the relays held as a stand-alone event this year, and this certainly proved to be a popular move, with over 250 young athletes taking part. Boyne AC had an unprecedented number of athletes entered on the night, with 14 teams competing across all the age groups, and for some, this was their first taste of competing in such a high level championship. The torrential downpour that arrived just as the athletes were making their way to the Stadium led to a slight delay at the start, however, once things got underway, the rain eased off, making for more pleasant running conditions. The under 9 boys and girls were first to take to the tartan, and while there were no medals won, the smiles and excitement emanating from them all as they made their way around the track was reward enough. Great runs from Robyn Reilly, Ava Hand, Ellen Boylan and Freya Everitt saw them finish in 4th place, as did the boys u9 team of Ruadhan Fangerau, Dan Harkin, Joe Bell and Ben Kelly. The u10 girls team of Juanita MCabe, Sadhbh O'Donoghue, Ava Hand and Bonnie Heagrty proved their worth as they raced to a third place finish, while the u10 team of Iva Mantanovic, Georgia Rice, Nelly Sarsfield and Anna Fox were unlucky to just miss out on a medal as they all ran superbly. There were 2 teams representing Boyne in the u10 boys race, both competing well amidst tough competition, with great runs from Peter Okiharah, Cillian Everitt, Zion Oluwabowale, Aaron Connolly and Louis Devitt. It was a fourth place finish for the u11 girls’ team of Allie Fennell, Caoimhe Martin, Sadhbh O'Donoghue and Bonnie Hegarty, while Roise NiGhabhann, Shauna Rice Paige Gaynor and Grace Matthews all ran well in their race. The u12 girls teams of Aimie Rice, Juliet Hurley, Roisin Black and Iveta Jasinskiete, Eabha NiGhabhann and Abbie Conner all ran well, while in the boys relay, it was a clear Gold for the talented quartet of Harry Devitt, Oliver Carolan, Calum Byrne and Ledley King Abor. To add to their gold, Oliver and Ledley both took part in the u13 relay with Sean Cummins and Sean Og Corcaran, where they took home the bronze medal. Another winning performance from the boys u14 team of Aaron Fennell, Amitesh Bala, Sean Cummins and Alex Devine saw Boyne once again top the podium, as did the boys u15 team of Adam Byrne, Max Kingston, Alex Devine and Aaron Fennell. A great evening all round, with more action to look forward to with the upcoming Leinster Relays and Track and Field Championships in June.