ATHLETICS: Female Spartans hopeful of making National Track Final

Hot on the heels of Wednesday night's Lifford 5K, race number 39 in the Donegal Grand Prix road race series will be the Churchill Fair 5K tomorrow (Fri) with the Arranmore Island 5k to follow on Saturday.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Jul 2016, 09:48 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 16:20 BST
TOP THREE . . . . City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed (2nd), Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness (2nd) and Mark McPaul of Finn Valley (third).TOP THREE . . . . City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed (2nd), Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness (2nd) and Mark McPaul of Finn Valley (third).
TOP THREE . . . . City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed (2nd), Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness (2nd) and Mark McPaul of Finn Valley (third).

The Churchill Letterkenny race has a 7.30pm start and it’s 1.30pm for Arranmore.

Beyond that it’s National League Track & Field action involving North West clubs, City of Derry Spartans and Finn Valley on Sunday at Belfast’s Mary Peters Track.

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Both club’s male and female squads will be in direct opposition in the second round match, the females clashing in the Women’s Premier Division while the respective male squads line up in the Men’s Division One.

City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.
City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.

The Spartans’ women are only a few points shy of clinching a place in the League Final, sitting 9th after the first round with their Donegal rivals a few places further back.

The top eight teams proceed to the Final in Tullamore next month and both squads could well make the cut.

The Derry club did well with an understrength squad at the first round in Dublin last month and expect to have a much stronger selection on duty this weekend with team Manager, Danea Herron hopeful of steering her athletes into the top eight and the August Final.

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A trio of top Dublin clubs, DSD, Raheny and Clonliffe, a Meath county selection and North Down AC are the other teams facing the Spartans and the Finn Valley women.

City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.
City of Derry Spartans' Declan Reed and Foyle Valley's Chris McGuinness are well placed at the front of the pack at the Rathmullan 5k.

In the Men’s Division One match the Donegal boys are much better placed to make the cut as the Spartans were severely below par in the first round. They sit 12th and although they welcome back several big hitters on Sunday, an overall top eight finish is unlikely.

Pride is very much at stake, however, and this could be the spur, manager Jim Herron will use to motivate the squad.

SILVER MEDALLISTS

Finally, congratulations to the local silver medallists at last Sunday’s National Juvenile Track & Field championships in Tullamore, Oisin Colhoun and Eimear Kelly.

Both produced big performances to claim podium places in the Boys U12 600m and Girls U15 80m Hurdles finals respectively.