Matthews shows a clean set of heels to the opposition

IF it was Fairyhouse or Punchestown the going would have been deemed 'soft' or 'heavy.' If it was any other sport in just about any other ground the authorities involved would have called the action off and told the participants to come back another day. In athletics it"s different. In athletics when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The combination of mist, wind and muck meant conditions were far from perfect for the Meath Cross-Country Championships hosted by Dunboyne AC on Sunday. That didn"t deter the hardy group of athletes from taking part and giving their all as they sought to garner some glory for themselves and their clubs. 'This is real cross-country stuff,' added one of the participants with obvious relish. And it wasn"t just the adults who braved the elements. There were also a series of under-age relay races. The demanding, energy-sapping conditions certainly didn"t prevent the frontrunners involved in the senior men"s event from serving up a little gem of a race won by Dunshaughlin AC"s Robbie Matthews. That victory was only one of quite a few highlights for Dunshaughlin AC on what was a memorable day for the club. Proceedings kicked-off close to midday on Sunday with the senior women"s race and in that a star was born. At just 16 Shauna Moore is just at the foothills of a career in athletes. We are sure to hear more of her in the years ahead. She won the senior ladies race with style and panache. She took an early lead before she moved away from the rest of the field. Considering that she is related to Sonia O"Sullivan, through her mother Patricia (O"Sullivan), it"s hardly surprising that she is starting to excel in athletics. Moore was a member of the first ever Dunshaughlin team to take part in the senior ladies event since the club was founded almost 30 years ago. And the girls in the club"s black and amber colours made it an occasion to remember as they claimed first, second, third and fourth positions to complete an impressive clean sweep. Behind Moore in second place was team-mate Shauna Moran who also put in a sparkling performance staying in touch with the leader for most of the 3km course. Moran is the daughter of Domo Moran one of the best-known figures in local athletics. He took part in the 8km senior men"s event on Sunday, courageously running in his bare feet. It"s part of a style he has developed in over 30 years in the sport. The other members of the Dunshaughlin women"s team were Ursula Byrne, who finished third, and Linda Fahy who was fourth. The first non-Dunshaughlin AC athlete to finish was Dunboyne AC"s Catherine Dunne in fifth position with Mary Watters (Navan) next to cross the line. Conspicious by her absence from the senior women"s race was Mary Hanley, the reigning champion. Her club Na Fianna had opted not to participate in this year"s championships as they felt the races were held too close to Christmas. While it was obvious from early on in the women"s race who was going to prevail, the situation was a lot different when it came to the senior men"s event. This turned out to a topsy-turvey, engrossing affair as Matthews, Star of the Sea"s Mark Hoey and Dunboyne"s Rory McDonnell took the lead at various stages and threatened to pull away. Each time a runner went to the front he was reeled back in with Matthews timing his run perfectly to take the prize. He took charge of proceedings in the closing stages and showed he had the necessary kick in his armoury to eat up the ground in the final run-in. The host club had marked out a flat course that cut it"s way through two fields adjacent to Dunboyne AC"s clubhouse. Even after the first lap the ground started to churn up and in one or two places it resembled a swamp. Undaunted, the athletes looked upon it as just another challenge. The type of difficulties faced were highlighted when McDonnell, who was then in the lead, lost one of his shoes as his foot got stuck in mud. That knocked him off his stride and after a strong start he faded. Last year"s winner Ger Heery of St Brigid"s AC stuck manfully with the front three for the entire race yet just couldn"t find that extra push to make up the ground. Even the race for fifth position was fascinating to watch. The evergreen Dunshaughlin runner Paddy Mangan put in a storming performance to hold onto fourth position for most of the way. Coming up to the last lap he was overtaken by Bohermeen AC"s Darragh Rennicks who put in a late surge. Mangan, who also ran in his bare feet and is a former winner of this event, dug deep but just couldn"t make up the ground. He can still be proud of an outstanding display and sixth place. The senior race contained athletes of all ages with a number of seasoned campaigners taking part such as David Hawcroft, Brian Cully, Noel Hanratty. Sean Murphy and Tommy Maher One disappointing note was that Fr Murphy AC"s and Irish international Andrew Ledwith just missed the start of the race. He had attended a memorial mass for his uncle, the late Michael Ledwith, earlier in the morning. Due to a misunderstanding in time and venue Andrew just missed the start despite the race having been held up for him for up to 15 minutes. He had travelled from the USA the day before. Two years ago Ledwith flew in from the States, where is on an athletes scholarship, and went straight to the Meath Cross-Country Championship in Trim and won the men"s event in fine style making light of any jet-lag. This time there was to be no repeat of that feat. This richly talented athlete will surely be back to claim the biggest prize in cross-country running in his native county. RESULTS Men: senior - 1, Robbie Matthews (Dunshaughlin); 2, Mark Hoey (Star of the Sea); 3, Rory McDonnell (Dunboyne); 4, Gerard Heery (Bt Brigid"s); 5, Darragh Rennicks (Bohermeen); 6, Paddy Mangan (Dunshaughlin). Team: A - 1, Bohermeen (Darragh Renicks, Richard Byrne, Derek Croal, Shane Boyle) 30 points; 2, Dunshaughlin (Robbie Matthews, Paddy Mangan, Tommy Maher,Domo Moran) 30 points; 3, Dunboyne (Rory McDonnell, Morgan McDonagh, Sean Kinnane, Phelim Glynn) 44 points. B - 1, Trim (Sean Murphy, Noel Hanratty, Enda Markey); Women: senior - 1, Shauna Moore (Dunshaughlin); 2,Shauna Moran (Dunshaughlin); 3, Ursula Byrne, (Dunshaughlin); 4,Linda Fahy (Dunshaughlin); 5, Catherine Dunne (Dunboyne);6, Mary Watters (Navan). Team: A -1, Dunshaughlin (Shauna Moore, Shauna Moran, Ursula Byrne, Linda Fahy); 2, Bohermeen (Linda Gunning,Geraldine Gill, Catherine Gorman, Brigid Reilly. B - 1, Navan (Mary Watters, Breda Clifford, Marie Reilly). Juvenile: Inter-Club Relay - boys: u-16 - 1, Dunboyne; 2, Bohermeen; u-14 - 1, Dunboyne; 2, Bohermeen; 3, Dunshaughlin; u-12 -1, Dunshaughlin; 2, Dunboyne, 3, Bohermeen; u-10 - 1, Ratoath; 2, Dunshaughlin; 3,Dunboyne. Girls: u-16 - 1, Navan; 2, Dunshaughlin; u-14 - 1, Dunshaughlin; 2, Bohermeen; 3, Dunboyne; u-12 - 1, Navan; 2, Dunshaughlin; 3, Bohermeen; u-10 - 1, Navan; 2, Dunshaughlin.