Edel Monaghan and St Michael's U13 team took medals at the second stage of the Ulster/NI age group cross-country championships in Ballybofey on a day that would have had Noah reaching for his hammer and saw, as at times it seemed the river Finn itself was being emptied on the young athletes from the heavens above.

Edel added the U19 silver medal to the U18 one she took two weeks previously in Jordanstown, Laura Gardiner of east Down just edging away over the closing kilometre, but this has been a very successful autumn so far for the talented Enniskillen Running club athlete and she will doubtless look to add to her medal haul at the Irish championships in a few weeks time while her team mate Abbie Barrett finished in the top half of a competitive U15 girls field.

Elsewhere for the Running Club, young Croiadh Monaghan had a storming run in her age group while Aoife Farrell had a great run with another top 15 finish in Ulster.

St Michaels U13 boys took team bronze, led by Oisin Cassidy and Diarmaid King with Cormac McCauley and Garbhan McGovern completing the scoring quartet, but there was no medal for the U17 team who took silver at U16 last year with the lack of individual top twelve finishers costing them a podium place and this continues to be an area that needs improvement in both the open and more importantly the schools championships. A very youthful U15 team packed very well without challenging for the medal positions, and All-Ireland schools qualification will be their main target for the season.

While it is very early in the season there is no doubt that already the challenge facing St Michael's to retain the Ulster schools overall title, which they won at the end of a traumatic 2014/14 season, is already stiffer than twelve months ago, with St Malachy's up to speed early this season and undoubtedly strong challenges from the likes of St Colman's and Omagh CBS.

Next up is the all Ireland in Santry in two weeks.