Mac Attack! McDonald and McNally on the double for Orwell in Ballyboughal
Hammond Memorial Races, Ballyboughal, Co. Dublin, Sunday 10th May 2009
Click here for images from the Hammond Memorial Races in our photo gallery.
It was a day to remember for Orwell Wheelers in Ballyboughal last Sunday as club members took victories in both senior races in the Hammond Memorial races, the club's annual road race promotion.
Orwell member and sponsor Scott McDonald, riding in the colours of his Winning Solutions squad, took victory in the Noel Hammond Memorial race for Senior A and B riders following Stephen McNally's success in the earlier Kieran Hammond Memorial race for the combined categories.
Twenty-five Orwell riders signed on to race, their cause aided in no small part by the sacrifices of a large band of volunteer marshals, whose combined presence on the day removed a very real threat of a ban on club riders taking part.
Aidan Hammond headed the organising committee and presented a smoothly-run programme undaunted by an eleventh hour switch of race route forced by a clashing GAA parade in Naul village.
The two senior races and three junior races ran without serious hitch on a hastily designed 14km circuit based at Ballyboughal which tested the riders' handling skills on stretches of weather-beaten road surface as well as their fitness on a testing drag.
McNally was clear in a break for a lap early in the 75km Kieran Hammond Race for Veterans, C category seniors, Juniors and Women and, when that was hauled back, the Dunboyne-based Vet soon forged clear in another, slightly larger group of about ten riders.
This group's advantage hovered around a minute for most of the rest of the race and McNally turned on the power in the twisting run to the finish line to edge out Stagg's Lucan rider Emmanuel Schockaert for a popular 'home' win. Club chairman Eddie Lynch finished a fine third with Aideen Collard second woman home.
As McNally celebrated his success, his coach Scott McDonald was showing the colours of his Winning Solutions firm to good effect in the headline Noel Hammond Memorial, racing clear in a large group which detached itself from the fast-disintegrating main group of Senior A and B riders.
McDonald eventually moved clear with Conor Murphy of Usher Irish Road Club and edged the two-up sprint after 105km for the perfect conclusion to his pre-Ras preparations. Myles Kirby showed the value of his recent training trip to Majorca with fifth placed unplaced B prize.
In the youth races, run concurrently with the senior action, Darragh Long took a fine second in the Under-14 race after clubmate Craig Arrigan had gone down in a crash on the run to the line.
The Under-12 race featured a fine third place for Rachael Kaye Mellor with Peter Hammond, son and grandson of Kieran and Noel Hammond respectively, fifth. In the Under-16 race, Cian Donnelly just missed out on the prizes in seventh place.
Results
Senior Race
1. Scott McDonald (Winning Solutions)
2. Conor Murphy (Irish Road Club)
3. Philip Lavery (Winning Solutions)
4. Craig Sweetman (Stamullen)
5. Stephen O'Sullivan (Engraveit.ie)
6. David Brennan (Castlebar)
7. Stephen Halpin (BioAgricol)
8. Neil Delahaye (Irish Road Club)
Unplaced Bs
1. Chris Troy (Castlebar)
2. Shane Baker (Irish Road Club)
3. Ciaran Mangan (Clonard)
4. Richie Malone (Newbridge)
5. Myles Kirby (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
Kieran Hammond Memorial, 75km
1. Stephen McNally (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
2. Emmanuel Schockaert (Lucan)
3. Eddie Lynch (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
4. Andre Engerman (St. Tiernans)
5. Karl Donnelly (Murphy and Gunn)
6. John Oram (Irish Road Club)
Unplaced Juniors
1. Axel O'Connor (Laois)
2. Connor Campbell (Drogheda)
Unplaced Ladies
1. Roisin Kennedy (Lucan)
2. Aideen Collard (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
Youth Races
U12
1. Ryan Orr (Old Bleach)
2. Elizabeth Corbaly (Navan)
3. Rachel Kaye Mellor (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
4. Angelo O'Connor (Laois)
5. Peter Hammond (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
6. Nicole Farrell (Old Bleach)
U14
1. Ciaran Campbell (Drogheda)
2. Darragh Long (Orwell Wheelers DTC)
3. Aidan Wall (Navan)
4. Robert Deegan (Newbridge)
5. Daragh Campbell (Drogheda)
6. Dave Fitzsimons (Newbridge)
U16
1. Javan Nulty (Stamullen)
2. David Boyd (Clonard)
3. Darragh Zaidan (Lucan)
4. Niall McAree (Emyvale)
5. TBC (Western Lakes)
6. James Lynch (Navan)
