Plenty of winners at closure of HSE games

AN ATTEMPT at a world record for the sack race failed, but there were plenty of winners on the last weekend of the HSE Community Games.

The organisers hoped the 3,000 or so children and parents who attended over the weekend would break the previous record broken in the Netherlands, when 2,095 people participated.

The organisers did not quite get the numbers to break the record on Saturday evening, though more than 1,000 participated. The last of the three national final weekends enjoyed dry weather at the Athlone Institute of Technology.

Yesterday was the culmination of the athletics programme along with finals in basketball, hurling, camogie, mini- and tag-rugby and rounders.

The 60m under-eight race was won by Runo Ayavoro of Newbridge St Conleth’s in Co Kildare. Moses Ikpefua, who represented Knockmitten in Co Dublin, won the under-eight 80m race.

The boys’ under-16 marathon was won by Cillian O’Donovan from Caherciveen, Co Kerry, and the girls’ under-16 marathon was won by Rosie Hynes from Kilmactigue, Co Sligo.

There was a double in the basketball for Castleisland in Co Kerry. Teams from the area won both the boys’ under-13s final and the girls’ under-16s final.

The hurlers from Kilkenny are clearly brought up as winners from the earliest possible age. Aghaviller won the boys’ under-13s competition yesterday.

The girls’ under-14s camogie competition was won by Cahir from Co Tipperary.

More than 200,000 young people take part in the games qualifiers and finals every year, making it one of the biggest events of its kind in the State.