All roads lead to Cashel for Tipperary senior cross country championships
Highly competitive races are expected
The blue riband event of the county cross country season takes place in Cashel this Sunday with the hosting of the County Senior women’s and men’s cross country races by Dundrum AC.
The women’s 6k will start at 11am followed immediately by the Men’s 10K race. The course will be on a 2k loop. The venue is Ballypaudeen, Cashel just off the R639 road from Cashel to exit 7 on the M8.
Eligibility is that athletes must be 20 years of age as of the December 31. In the team event it is three to score on the women’s teams while it is four to score on the men’s teams. There is a B Section in both races for clubs that enter more than one team. This is a new course but adjacent to last year’s venue.
Last year Dymphna Ryan, Dundrum AC, was a very convincing winner and she will be favourite to make it four in a row. She can expect good competition from athletes like Laura Cooney of Clonmel AC, who ran a brilliant race in the National Novice recently, as well as her club mate Kealey Tideswell along with Linda Grogan of Dundrum, Eileen McCullagh of Moyne and Aoife Delargy of Nenagh Olympic.
Dundrum AC are the defending club champions, and they will be aiming to retain the cup for another year as they seek a six in a row achievement. They will also be looking to the likes of Catherine Fogarty. Once again their main competition could come from clubs like Clonmel, Thurles Crokes, Moyne and Fethard AC.
The men’s race over 10k will also be very competitive. Here the defending champion is Stuart Moloney of Mooreabbey Milers. He could face good competition from athletes such as Daniel Ryan Ellis of Nenagh Olympic who won the National Novice bronze medal recently in Tramore; Luke Purcell Nenagh Olympic, Barry Hartnett Dundrum AC, Mossy Bracken Moycarkey Coolcroo, Dermot Gorman, Carrick-on-Suir, Caolon Curran of Thurles Crokes and David Mansfield of Clonmel AC.
In the team event, the defending champions are Moycarkey Coolcroo, who won the title for the very first time last year and they will be going all out to keep it for another year.
They will be looking to athletes like Conor Keating, Matthew Ryan and Kevin Shortall. They will face good competition from Thurles Crokes, who will be looking to Daragh O’Leary, Thomas McCarthy and Cathal Kennedy. Nenagh Olympic will also be vying for top honours with Jamie Moloney and Mark Corcoran.
Other clubs in the mix will be Dundrum AC, Clonmel AC, Carrick-on-Suir AC and Mooreabbey Milers AC.