Leevale return to winning ways

They may have waited all of a decade to reclaim the Cork county senior cross-country crown from East Cork, but Leevale did it in style yesterday at Carrignavar and for good measure, the city club also won the women’s title along with providing the winners of the two individual races.

While Mark Hanrahan and Lizzie Lee were the firm favourites, the men’s team title provided the main excitement and, from the gun, Leevale showed they meant business as Hanrahan and triathlete Bryan Keane set a fierce pace.

Going out on the second lap of five, Hanrahan opened a six-second gap on his clubmate with James McCarthy and Sean McGrath running strongly for East Cork in third and fourth.