Lyons brothers top ten finish in 123.ie All-Ireland Schools Cross country

Dromahair brothers Lucas and Greg Lyons both produced exceptional displays last Saturday at the Mallusk Playing Fields in Antrim to finish in the top ten in the Senior and Intermediate Boys races at the 23.ie All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships.

Elder brother Lucas underlined his continuing emergence on one of the top juvenile runners in the country when finishing a superb fifth against some of the country’s top runners. The St Clare’s CS Manorhamilton athlete took up the running midway through the race, pushing the pace and breaking up the leading pack.

In the final kilometre, Loreto Milford’s Caolan McFadden, set to head to the US on athletics scholarship, made a break that led him to victory in a time of 17.51 with fellow Donegal athlete Odhran McBrearty from St Columbas Stranolar second in 17.58 of St Mary’s DC third in 18.01.

Conrad Latham of St Paul’s Raheny was fourth in 18.04 with Lucas getting the better of Belvedere College’s Charlie O’Neill for fifth place, both clocking 18.11.

Lucas led his team of Sean Brady (81st 22.54), Sean Gilmartin (82nd 22.56), Aaron McNulty (91st 26.31) and Aidan Dolan (93rd 27.56) to eighth place in the team event.

Greg Lyons also cracked the top ten, this time in the Intermediate race, putting in line for a call-up for the Ireland Schools team for the Schools International Cross-country later this month. Greg clocked a time of 15.47, 20 seconds off the bronze medal in a race won by Castletroy’s Darragh Whelan who clocked 15.15.

With Greg’s tenth place finish, St Clare’s Manorhamilton finished ninth in team race with Oisin Fee 84th (19.41); Padraic Cullen 88th (20.09); Tadgh Kirwan 99th (20.48) and Eoghan Rooney 104th (22.01) in a very competitive race.

Greg Lyons of St Clares Manorhamilton finishes 10th in the inter boys event during the 123.ie All Ireland Schools’ Cross Country Picture: Thomas Flinkow Sportsfile

St Clare’s Caoimhe Murphy was the next highest finisher from the county as she finished an excellent 26th in the Minor Girls race in a time of 6.49 while Carrick on Shannon CS’s Tadhg Faughnan was 53rd in the Junior Boys race in a time of 12.17.

In the Junior Boys race, Leitrim’s top finisher was Carrick CS’s Brodigh Flynn finished 73rd in a time of 9.07 with Jan Golas finishing 89th in a time of 9.32 to lead his St Clare’s Manorhamilton team to 11th in the team race. Simon McDonald 91st (9.25), Conor McGrath 94th (9.34); Cian Rooney 100th (9.45), Brion Cullen 101st (9.46); Liam Fitzpatrick Calvo 107th (10.11) and Owen Reynolds 111st (10.20) completed the St Clare’s team.