The return of grass, muck and the red and yellow gazebo!

After the successful 2014/2015 cross country (XC) season for Newcastle AC that saw the red and yellow men win the Northern Ireland cross country league and grab a bronze team medal at the NI and Ulster senior championship it was hard to believe that Saturday marked the return to the grass for the new season. Continue reading →

History 34 years in the making at Newcastle & District AC

The NI & Ulster Senior Cross-Country Championships took place in Lurgan Park over six 2km laps on Saturday last. With the weather being drier lately the course had firmed up compared to previous outings at the venue but still had its fair share of mud and whilst the hills are not severe there is hardly a level piece of running around the lap as a whole. Under the ongoing captainship of David McNeilly, who has marshalled and rallied the troops for the length of the season, Newcastle & District AC Men’s Team had two things on their mind, one, to secure the NI Cross-Country League Title which they had led for just about all 8 races to date but with City of Derry still snapping at their heels and two, to try and secure a team medal in the Championship race itself – something that the club had not achieved since it was formed back in 1981. Continue reading →

Maiden Cross-Country Victory for Lynch and Newcastle & District extend their lead at the top of the NI Cross-Country League

Results
Race 8 of 9 of the Athletics NI Cross-Country race was the NI Civil Service Cross-Country at Stormont Estate. The course was a traditional one, 1.6 miles in length with the men doing 3 laps plus a start and finish out and back making it up to just about 5 miles. There were a few small undulations and the going was muddy in places, firmer in other and gravel through the wooded area. 173 men started the race, illustrating the popularity for cross-country that has developed only over the past couple of years, probably a lot to do with the league format, only a decade ago it would not have been unusual to see a senior men’s race with only 30 runners. Continue reading →

Mens Results, Ladies Results

Race 7 of 9 in the Athletics NI Cross-Country League took place on Saturday at the Bawnacre Equestrian Centre in Necarne Demesne, Irvinestown, County Fermanagh. Would the Newcastle & District squads turn out to be thoroughbreds or donkeys? Apparently the equestrian cross-country course is not used that often anymore because of the wet conditions and the course proved to be heavy, very heavy by the end of the races. There were two big issues going into the races. One, leading the league going into the men’s race, but with the gap closing in recent races, would the red & yellows manage to stay ahead of City of Derry and two, would a women’s team register a historic first ever finish in the Women’s League?  Continue reading →