Schools dominate at Mallusk

Broadbridge and St Therese finishing one, two in the Girls race and St Therese completing a magnificent medal double with victory in the Boys event.

Broadbridge secured their emphatic win with a super impressive performance, fronted by Aela Stewart second, Lily Toorish third, Aisling Walsh fourth and Anya Hockley fifth and backed up by Orla McGeough 26th and Carmen Arbues 87th the six to score team award deservedly went to the Eglinton area school.

St Therese in contrast had no prominent front runners but superb packing from Leah Moore 14th, Aimee Doran 36th, Sarah Lee Donegan 44th, Toni McCool 47th, Rachel McMullan 65th and Ally Fitzpatrick 82nd secured the team silver medals for the squad.

A brilliant return for the local schools and a tribute to the strength of the local League which sees 15 or so Derry City Council area Primarys contest three races between October and January to determine the qualifiers for the NI Finals, where this week 20 teams and almost 200 runners battled it out for the Girls individual and team honours.

The third local qualifiers Oakgrove, battled hard for a ninth place finish as the Londonderry schools demonstrated their overall strength.

The St Therese boys squad made it a local double with a terrific win in the Boys race, their magnificent packing pushing them well clear of any opposition as in eighth place Liam Quigley led them home. Sean Harrigan Smyth 23rd, Ciaroun Doherty 27th, Declan Harrington Smyth 31st, Conal Toland 36th and 39th placer Darren O’Donnell impressed with strong efforts to ensure the win.

St Patricks and St Annes were sixth and seventh with a terrific individual run from the latter’s Oisin Gallagher, an eye catching third overall as he showed his two wins from two in the local League were indeed a hint of his ability to take on all comers.

There was another big turnout in the Boys race, 21 teams and almost 190 finishers.