Moy Valley teams celebrate All-Ireland double
The Moy Valley AC teams, back row from left, Niamh Devaney, Roxanne Sands, Holly Ginty and Grace Tighe after winning the U15 Girls 4x1000m Relay, and front row Ruairi Reynolds, Sean Monaghan, Daniel Gallagher, Darragh McHale and Cian McDonnell after winning the U15 Boys 4x1000m Relay, during the Autumn Open Cross Country International at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Athletics: In a glorious 20 minute spell at the All-Ireland Cross Country relay championships, the under-15 girls' and under-15 boys' 4x1000m teams from Moy Valley Athletic Club secured national titles through strong running, determination and teamwork.
The event took place at the Sports Ireland Campus in Abbotstown last Sunday.
The Moy Valley girls' team consisted of Grace Tighe, Niamh Devaney, Hollie Ginty and Roxane Sands. Grace Tighe got the girls off to a great start in the first leg and Niamh, Hollie and Roxane all added to the lead with the team crossing the line as deserving winners. This was the first time this quartet raced together and they worked very well as a team.
Ruairí Reynolds also got the boys team off to a great start and handed the baton to Seán Monaghan. Seán ran the leg of his life, keeping the Moy Valley team in third place trailing Clonliffe Harriers and Limerick AC. Daniel Gallagher took over next and in the second half of his leg, surged past both Limerick and Clonliffe to put the Moy Valley team in the lead. The finisher, Darragh McHale, kept the other teams at bay despite coming under some pressure. He remained calm under pressure and finished strongly, demonstrating his mental and physical strength.
Other Moy Valley teams also participated in this event. Two girls' under-11 teams took part and gained valuable experience running at national level. A boys' under-11 team also performed well. The club fielded two teams in the mixed 4x500m relay for under-12s. Remarkably, both teams finished in the top 10 against teams from all over Ireland.
