Treacy to lead Irish team in Portugal

Moynalvey athlete Sara Treacy will lead the Irish ladies team as they bid for the u-23 European Cross-Country title in Albuferia, Portugal next Sunday. The Meath athlete is currently studying in England, but last week she returned home to successfully defend her Irish u-23 title at the cross-country championships which were held in Derry. Treacy won the title for the first time in 2009 and at Derry last week she finished eighth overall and first in the u-23 event to maintain her position as one of the top athletes in the country. She also helped the Meath team to take the sliver medal The Meath team of Treacy, Fiona Reid, Aoife and Crona Brady, Lucy Darcy, Sharon Monaghan and Catherine Dunne retained the silver medal won at last year's championship. Dublin were too strong for all the opposition in the ladies race, but Meath have closed the gap and could mount a major challenge in 2011. Fionnula Britton (Wicklow) was favourite for the ladies race and straight from the gun she took an early lead. Treacy was with the leading bunch, which included her u-23 rivals Becky Woods and Bryony Treston from Dublin. As the runners went out on the second lap both Reid (Dunboyne) and Aoife Brady (Sportsworld) were both running very strongly with Crona Brady and Lucy Darcy (both Sportsworld) prominent along with Sharon Monaghan (Fr Murphy) and Catherine Dunne (Dunboyne) a few places further back. Going out on the third lap Britton had a lead of over 100m and as the athletes took the bell for the final lap the Wicklow woman was assured of the senior title. Treacy had slipped back a few places to eighth and was now involved in a serious tussle with Woods for the u-23 title. However, Treacy prevailed and finished ahead of her Dublin opponent. The other members of the Meath team were racing very well and held off the challenge of Cork for second place. The senior men's team were bidding to get promotion to Grade A of the Inter-County Championships. Even without last year's All Ireland Cross-Country champion Andrew Ledwith, team manager Gerard Heery was very confident that the feat could be accomplished. This Meath team included Rory McDonnell, former Meath hurler Neville Reilly, Sean Kinnane (all Dunboyne), Mark Hoey (Star of the Sea), Derek Croal (Bohermeen), Heery and Robert Caffery (both St Brigid's), Loughlin Campion (St Andrew's) and Aidan Bailey (Clonliffe Harriers). Bailey and McDonnell were leading the Meath charge in the early stages and heading out on the third lap Hoey was starting to make ground. Croal ran a strong race and the youngest athlete, Campion, chased hard on Heery's heels with Reilly, Caffery and Kinnane also close together. Going through on the fourth lap McDonnell headed the Meath charge after Bailey pulled up which left Meath supporters doubting that promotion could be achieved. At the front of the field Joe Sweeney (Dublin) had carved out a slight lead from Mark Christie (Mullingar Harriers) as the athletes took the bell and headed out on the last lap while Seamas Power (Clare) a nine-time former winner of the event at 40 years of age was showing the young guns just how to race taking the bell in seventh place. The Meath athletes kept up the pace and were rewarded with a victory for a place in the top grade for 2011.