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2012 Club League

Friday, 13 January 2012 16:42

The calendar for this year's inter-club league has been finalised. The league will kick off with its usual early season opener on Sunday, February 26th, with a race over the Dorey's Forge circuit in Batterstown.

Rafter on Fire in Brittas!

Tuesday, 10 May 2011 13:13

Dylan Rafter continued his impressive run of form with another great win in round six of the club league at Brittas last Thursday

Orwell’s Easter Eggstravaganza

Friday, 22 April 2011 07:05

It was another beautiful evening in Brittas for the third round of the club league which was again raced as a DMS. For the first time, the Ladies got their own group which was twelve riders strong.

Tom's Sprinting up to Scratch!

Monday, 28 February 2011 01:12

Tom's up to Scratch

Tom Blennerhasset finished top Orwell with a fine fifth place finish in the inter club league season opener at Blackbull on Sunday.

Blennerhasset's best league result earns the relative newcomer a fast track to the scratch group when the league resumes in April.

In the meantime the second year racer, who had claimed on the final winter training spin that he had little confidence in a sprint, can reflect on a nicely timed final surge that took him past established gallopers Brian Ahern and Stephen McNally.

Lucan's Brendan Whelan led the charge for the line in front of approximately 40 riders from the original 110 rider entry that kicked the season off in fine style with two hard fought laps of the Green Sheds circuit near Dunshaughlin.

The Orwell promotion was expertly handled by chief commissaire John Marron who assembled a full complement of marshals and an impressive fleet of lead cars for the four groups.

As the riders made their first tentative pedal strokes up the Trim Road, a flurry of icy rain threatened to cool their ardour but the sun soon re-emerged as the riders settled down to the twin tasks of flight and pursuit.

The first union occurred when Semi Scratch caught Semi Limit on Warrenstown shortly before the end of lap one.

The next junction was made shortly afterwards when Scratch made contact just seconds before the last seven Limit riders were absorbed at the end of the Dunshaughlin Bypass.

The scene was set for a mass dash for the line but not before some hectic racing further thinned out the lead group as the top scratch and semi scratch riders made their presence felt.

Whelan's fabled finishing kick remains a devastating weapon but Blennerhasset's form at the end of a winter interrupted by illness caught the eye of the handicapper who and suggests the Blanchardstown-based rider is set for a strong sophomore season of racing.

Tom Blennerhassett finished top Orwell with a fine fifth place finish in the inter club league season opener at Blackbull on Sunday.

Inter Club Christmas Race

Thursday, 16 December 2010 17:34

Inter Club Christmas Race

The final race of the year takes place o Sunday, weather permitting.

The race is open to any members of the five inter club league clubs who hold at least a club competition licence.

Sign-on starts at 11:30am in Batterstown ahead of a 12pm start. The race will follow the usual handicap road race format, but a final decision on the course to be used won't be made until the morning when road conditions can be fully assessed..

There will be tea and sandwiches in Caffrey's pub afterwards, along with the prize-giving.

We will need marshals for this, so if anyone is available to help out, but not in a racing mood, please come along and any help will be greatly appreciated.

The final race of the year takes place o Sunday, weather permitting.

Ahern's Gold Standard

Friday, 13 May 2011 13:01

Ahern's Gold Standard

Ace sprinter Brian Ahern showed that he's no slouch up a hill, either, as he took third overall and top Orwell rider in the INter Club League Hillclimb Championships in Ballinascorney last night.

By Declan Quigley

Ace sprinter Brian Ahern showed that he's no slouch up a hill, either, as he took third overall and top Orwell rider in the INter Club League Hillclimb Championships in Ballinascorney last night.

Ahern dragged his imposing frame (and his soon to be pensioned off vintage Trek) up the five and half kilomtere ordeal that is Ballinascorney within 49 seconds of Lucan CRC's star hillclimber Frank Billings and just over half a minute faster than orwell silver medallist Patrick O.Brien.

Last year's Orwell Hillclimb Champion Odhran Connors was eighth overall and third Orwell a further 22 seconds in arrears, pipping Diarmuid Collins for the final medal by three seconds.

Collins' consolation was second place points in the semi scratch category and with it the overall league leadership by a point from Billings. Collins will get to race his Lucan rival at close quarters from now on having been promoted to the scratch group ahead of next week's handicap event in Black Bull.

Special mention should go to Shane O'Neill for his eyebrow arching tenth overall and comprehensive win over the limit group. Shane's reward for top points in his third bicycle race is to leapfrog straight to semi scratch for his next outing.

Fionn Griffin is also on the move. His third place in limit just pipping Stephen Sheridan earns the pair a promotion to semi limit.

Full results can be accessed here.

Interclub League Hillclimb Championships

Ballinascorney

May 12th

Overall

1, Frank Billings (Lucan CRC), 13m22s;

2, John McCormack (Lucan CRC), +24s;

3, Brian Ahern (Orwell Wheelers), +49s;

4, Alan Cody (St Tiernan's), +1m12s;

5, Patrick O'Brien (Orwell Wheelers), + 1m20s;

6, Ross Collins (UCD), +1m26s.

Semi Scratch

2, Diarmuid Collins (Orwell Wheelers), 15m07s.

Semi Limit

2, Gary Fleming (Orwell Wheelers), 16m09s;

3, Edward O'Mahoney (orwell Wheelers) 16m16s.

Limit

1, Shane O'Neill (Orwell Wheelers), 15m10s.

2, Fionn Griffin (Orwell Wheelers), 16m34s

Orwell Hillclimb Championships

1, Brian Ahern 14m11s;

2, Patrick O'Brien, +21s;

3, Odhran Connors, 53s.

Ace sprinter Brian Ahern showed that he's no slouch up a hill, either, as he took third overall and top Orwell rider in the Inter Club League Hillclimb Championships in Ballinascorney last night.

Double Top in Black Bull

Friday, 29 April 2011 22:55

Double Top in Black Bull

Orwell scooped the honours in two of the three races that made up the round five fare at Black Bull yesterday (April 28th).

By Declan Quigley

Orwell scooped the honours in two of the three races that made up the round five fare at Black Bull yesterday (April 28th).

Brian Ahern showed the value of, and few ill effects from, the four tough days of racing at Ras Mumhan as he sprinted ahead of breakaway companions Dylan Rafter (orwell) and Shane Baker (Irish Road Club) at the end of the scratch-semi scratch race.

Ahern, Rafter and Baker were part of the scratch group that completed the catch of the semi scratch on the Summerhill Road shortly after half the 40km race distance. Rafter, himself coming off the back of a successful Ras Chonamaera, jumped clear with 10km to go and was soon joined by Ahern and Baker to form the winning move.

Another huge entry, no doubt swelled by the balmy weather, meant that the event was split into two separate handicap races with the semi limit and limit groups also coming together to form a large group sprinting for the win where Peter Gerrard showed a clean, and impresively swift, pair of heels to the baying pack with Romano Morelli third, John Lanigan fifth and Mick McKenna sixth.

In the women's league race which ran concurrently with the semi liit/limit race, Roisin Kennedy (Lucan) held off five Orwell riders headed by Ciara Kinch, who is enjoying a dream week. Mags Donnelly showed impressive form in third ahead of Orwell Crit league stars Sandra Telford, Anne Dalton and Caroline Martinez.

Kinch now enjoys a three point lead over Kennedy in the women's interclub league and sits 12th in the overall standings which continues to be led by Barry Dunne who tok his bow with the semi scratch group in round five.

Also in the top three of the points standings are Dylan Rafter and Patrick O'Brien while Romano Morelli makes it four Orwells in the top six of a league that has already featured 203 competitors.

Interclub League Round

Black Bull, April 28th

Semi-Scratch/Scratch

1, Brian Ahern (Orwell Wheelers);

2, Dylan Rafter (Orwell Wheelers);

3, Shane Baker (IRC);

4, Eugene Murtagh (LCRC);

5, Brendan Whelan (LCRC);

6, Jason Stack (IRC).

Limit/Semi-Limit

1, Peter Gerrard (Orwell Wheelers);

2, Tom Doyle (UCD);

3, Romano Morelli (Orwell Wheelers);

4, Brian Quirke (IRC);

5, John Lanigan (Orwell Wheelers);

6, Mick McKenna (Orwell Wheelers).

Women (included in race 2)

1, Róisín Kennedy (LCRC);

2, Ciara Kinch (Orwell Wheelers);

3, Mags Donnelly (Orwell Wheelers);

4, Sandra Telford (Orwell Wheelers);

5, Anne Dalton (Orwell Wheelers);

6, Caroline Martinez (Orwell Wheelers).

Orwell scooped the honours in two of the three races that made up the round five fare at Black Bull yesterday (April 28th).

Orwell's Brittas Empire

Thursday, 07 April 2011 23:14

John Sower, Patrick O'Brien and race debutant Edward O'Mahony made it a great night for Orwell Wheelers at the first inter club league evening race of the season at Brittas.

No less than 132 people including marshals signed on for the two lap thrash around the Manor Kilbride which was switched to a four-race DMS rather than the billed handicap event.

All four races in the St Tiernan's promotion ran without a hitch thanks in no small part to the efforts of Brian Hayden and his crew in sweeping the gravel ahead of the arrival of the riders.

John Sower showed his preparation for Ras Mumhan is well on target as he led a four man break home at the front of the Scratch group for his first win in some time. Dylan Rafter followed him over the line for second.

Shortly afterwards Patrick O'Brien showed the form that earned him his first A4 win last weekend with a commanding sprint win in the Semi Scratch race. Having been promoted to A3 last Sunday, O'Brien has followed it up with a fast track promotion to Scratch in the inter club league.

Diarmuid Collins is another man showing great form and he powered up the finishing drag for third with Seamus Fitzgerald fourth just ahead of Eddie Lynch who extracted himself from the squabbling pack just in time to annexe fifth place.

Robbie Lawless is on the comeback trail after very little racing activity in the last year and he showed that class is permanent with a second place finish in the Semi Limit race, just missing out to another comeback man John Priest (Lucan) in the last few metres.

Barry Dunne was a fine third, at the front of a trio of Orwells including Romano Morelli and Rodney Joyce.

Orwell rookie Edward O'Mahony capped a great night for Orwell as he led the Limit group for much of the final kilometre and still had the legs to fend off the rest for a wonderful debut success.

O'Mahony was at the head of an Orwell top four including Liam Rowsome, Joe Brennan and Owen O'Flaherty all of whom have earned the honour of an upgrade to Semi Limit for next weeks outing in Black Bull.

John Sower, Patrick O'Brien and John Priest hold the early lead in the points standings while Ciara Kinch heads the points in the Women's section. 92 riders have scored points in both events so far and a total of 173 riders have taken part in the two events.

Meanwhile Orwell scooped 14 of the 24 points scoring positions on a night of sunshine and great racing.

Inter club League Round Two,

Brittas, April 7th.

Scratch:

1, John Sower Orwell;

2, Dylan Rafter Orwell;

3, Graham Thomas Stagg;

4, Frank Billings Stagg;

5, Paul Dolan IRC;

6, Eugene Murtagh Stagg.

Semi-Scratch:

1, Patrick O'Brien Orwell;

2, John Caffrey Stagg;

3, Diarmuid Collins Orwell;

4, Seamus Fitzgerald Orwell;

5, Eddie Lynch Orwell;

6, Ian O'Hara Stagg.

Semi-Limit:

1, John Priest Stagg;

2, Robert Lawless Orwell;

3, Barry Dunne Orwell;

4, Romano Morelli Orwell;

5, Rodney Joyce Orwell;

6, Peter Gerrard Stagg.

Limit:

1, Edward O'Mahony Orwell;

2, Liam Rowsome Orwell;

3, Joe Brennan Orwell;

4, Owen O'Flaherty Orwell;

5, Declan Murphy Stagg;

6, Louis Twomey UCD.

John Sower, Patrick O'Brien and race debutant Edward O'Mahony all scored wins on a great night for Orwell Wheelers at the first Inter Club league evening race of the season at Brittas.