Orwell took nearly half of the overall top 25 placings in the 2012 league, with 11 members featuring. For the final race, the club was even more dominant, taking six of the top eight places in a chase pursuit featuring all categories. Everything had come together by time the riders hit the second of two laps of the Mullagh.
1 John Caffrey (LCRC)
2 Shane Baker (IRC)
3 Liam Rowsome (Orwell)
4 Eric Downey (Orwell)
5 Dan Whiting (Orwell)
6 Patrick O'Brien (Orwell)
7 Martin Caddow (Orwell)
8 Sean McKenna (Orwell)
That result saw Pat O'Brien move up a couple of placings in the overall, and Liam Rowsome leapt from 21st to 12th. A well deserved result for Liam, whose TT-ing ability has shone this season. Dan Whiting was so disgusted with his 5th place that he reportedly left straight after the race - more on that later. Martin Caddow continued his strong run of form from the last couple of weeks, and Junior Sean McKenna snatched the final placing, marking him as one to watch for next year.
In the overall, Eric's lead wasn't in threat tonight due to the massive margin of points he accumulated. He's had a superb season - both in the league and in open races. Cruising Saganesque over the line in both debuts, he has moved rapidly up the ranks. His gold medal will be added to the pile of varying colours that he has picked up in the 10m TT, hillclimb TT, 25m TT and club champs. Maybe if he carried them all while racing, the rest of us would have a chance.
Edidie's luck had obviously changed from last Sunday, when he suffered a mechanical in the Black Rose GP. With only a five point margin over Pat coming into tonight's race, the vet was fortunate that O'Brien's lead out train malfunctioned. This left Pat with a paltry three points to try make up the deficit. Lynch is known for his cunning tactics in races, and it's paid off for him this year - memorably in one race he discouraged a group from sprinting, then kicked off himself to grab a placing.
Pat is coming off the back of his Rás training, and it shows in his results. Although denied an outright win in the league this year, a trio of podium spots helped him make the most of his few races. Outside of the league he's been doing every race under the sun, and he closes off his season next weekend in Charleville, where he could be also appearing on the podium.
1 Shane Baker (Usher) 166
2 Sean Bracken (Usher) 142
3 Eric Downey (Orwell) 127
4 John Caffrey (Stagg) 126
5 Brian Reynolds (Stagg) 115
6 Robert Kelly (Tiernans) 112
7 Eddie Lynch (Orwell) 104
8 Patrick O'Brien (Orwell) 102
9 Padraig Doherty (Stagg) 101
10 Martin Vereker (Tiernans) 100
11 Jamie Busher (Orwell) 96.5
12 Liam Rowsome (Orwell) 96
13 Aogan Lynch (Usher) 95
14 Michael Lalor (Stagg) 95
15 Julian Moore (Orwell) 95
16 Brian McArdle (Orwell) 93
17 Philip Browne (Usher) 93
18 Brian Quirke (Usher) 92
19 Nick Watson (Orwell) 91
20 Billy Purcell (Usher) 90
21 John Latham (Orwell) 90
22 Martin Caddow (Orwell) 90
23 John Paul Corcoran (Orwell) 87
24 Frank Billings (Stagg) 85
25 Mark Mearns (Stagg) 82
For the ladies, the top three were all Orwellians. Lucy Soden topped the poll, taking full advantage of her promising performance in the 25m TT. Anne Dalton is steadily building her form for the imminent Rás na mBan, best of luck Anne! And Naoise Sheridan will be pleased with her third spot, capping her day of national fame in the Indo.
1 Lucy Soden (Orwell) 73
2 Anne Dalton (Orwell) 61
3 Naoise Sheridan (U16 Orwell) 45
Well done to all who participated in the league this year, and congratulations to those who placed - either in the overall, or in any race. It' s a massive achievement! And a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making the club league happen this year. From a personal perspective it was fantastic. From the committee right down to the marshalls, and special mention to Dave Mc for always publishing the results so swiftly. That's it for 2012, watch this space for details of the Christmas race and the 2013 league!
