International vests await Donegal masters as Finn Valley toast juvenile glory

Six Donegal athletes are set for selection for the 2024 British and Irish Masters Cross Country with a couple of others hoping to get the nod when the selectors convene.

The Finn Valley AC quartet of Leoni Cooke, Catriona Devine, Kay Byrne and Jon-Jo Doherty will all don the Irish vest as will Letterkenny AC’s Claire McGuigan and Rosses AC’s Helen McCready.

That comes on the back of fine outings for each at the Autumn Open Cross Country in Abbotstown on Sunday.

McGuigan was third overall and the third F40 in the masters women’s race. The Letterkenny AC woman was behind only Longford’s Fiona Gettings and Kate Purcell of Raheny Shamrocks.

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McCready, third at the Donegal Senior seven days previously, was the fourth F40 to finish and crossed the line in sixth overall.

Just behind her in sevenths was Cooke, who was third in the F35 category.

Finn Valley stalwarts Byrne, the first F60, and Devine, the second F50, also had notable outings to confirm their respective spots.

Letterkenny AC's Claire McGuigan on the podium

Finn Valley’s Jon-Jo Doherty was third overall in the masters men’s race and was the second M35 to finish. East Cork’s Michael Harty and St John’s Kenneth Rogers were ahead of Doherty at the close of action.

Milford’s Anthony Doherty was fourth in the M55 category, while Milford’s Martin Kerr and Letterkenny’s Brian McBride were fifth and sixth in the M70 and Noreen Bonner of Finn Valley was fifth in F65.

The British and Irish Masters Cross Country will be held at Billy Neill Country Park on November 16. 

In the senior women’s race Nakita Burke was fourth and Amy Greene 10th in something of a re-run of their Donegal Senior Cross Country a week earlier. Then, Finn Valley AC’s Greene had the measure of Burke, but the Letterkenny AC woman was in good form in Dublin to go fourth.

England’s Sophie Tarver, Ide Nic Dhomnaill from West Limerick and Bandon’s Fiona Everard were the top three.

The National Juvenile Relays were held alongside the senior and masters events and it was a day to remember for Finn Valley AC’s juveniles.

The U13 girls of Caoimhe McElhinney Jasmine Barrett-Doherty, Ciara McCusker and Caoimhe McNeill won an excellent gold, surging to victory after four excellent legs.

Finn Valley AC's U13 girls with coaches John Rogan and John Doherty

They were one of four Finn Valley teams to get on the podium.

The U11 boys - Darragh Coyle, Shay McHugh, Zach McKinley, William McGlinchey and U11 girls - Ceola McGlinchey, Muireann Burke, Ellen Rose Carlin, Eve Maguire - won silver and the U15 girls: team - Aimee McElchar, Darci Clarke, Andrea Reid, Saorla Gilligan - took bronze.

Stateside at the weekend, there was another encouraging run by Finn Valley AC’s Liam McCay for Providence College at the New England Championships

McCay, a freshman at Providence, finished eighth in the men’s race, held over 8km at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, as the Friars finished second in the team placings and McCay will now aim to enter the thoughts of Irish selectors for the junior team ahead of the European Cross Country Championships in December.