St Michael’s won an excellent bronze medal in the Boys U16 4000m at the All Ireland Even Age Group Cross Country at a cool and sunny Santry Park on Sunday afternoon. In addition, Fermanagh took a first ever National inter county medal as the St Michael’s lads combined with Enniskillen Running Club to take another bronze behind Cork and Mayo.

In perfect conditions, with bone dry ground and ideal overhead weather the U16 race always held the best chance of local success with Enniskillen Running Club, featuring several St Michael’s lads and the blue vests themselves, having taken gold and silver at the Ulster championship a month ago.

Ulster individual silver medalist Frank Buchanan was unfortunate to fall at the start of the National finals but recovered admirably to lead the field after two of three circuits, but the effort expended to get back to the front probably cost him as he was unable to response to the injection of pace at the bell, eventually finishing a slightly disappointed but hugely creditable 11th.

Sean Corry ran a very contrasting race as, having just finished his Covid isolation on Friday, he wisely held off the early pace and came storming through to take the final individual medal on offer in 12th. Corry returned with a remarkable haul of four Irish medals in one race - individual, club, county and provincial with Buchanan taking three, just missing the club medal.

Patrick Williams of ERC ran a very solid race, as ever, in 17th and was crucial to the Fermanagh medal effort.

In a field loaded with quality there followed a considerable gap to a well packed group of Fermanagh athletes lead by Conor Mulligan of St Michael’s, his teammate Daithi Curran who had a fabulous run and Tiarnan McManus of ERC who closed out the Fermanagh team to take national bronze ahead of Dublin.

In the club battle, Patrick Sprice completed the St Michael’s scoring to take an excellent team bronze with three of the four scorers a year young, while Josh Hamill and recent flu victim Cillian Sprice completed the team. Another who was returning from Covid, Charlie Reihill found this race came to early for him but he bravely completed the ERC scoring as they took fifth team with James Nixon completing their squad.

Elsewhere, the best local runs came from Annabelle Morrison of ERC who was an exceptional 18th in the U16 Girls and Piaris Toner of Clones AC who battled illness to take 22nd in the U12 Boys a race in which Nathan Coyle of St Michael’s ran solidly as part of the Ulster team.

Next up are the All Ireland Uneven Age Groups in Gowran Park race course on December 5 when, viruses permitting, local athletes should again be in the hunt for National medals.