Ireland Win the Stonewall Trophy
For the first time in seven years, Ireland have won back the Stonewall Trophy, on home turf in Co Tyrone. The Stonewall Trophy is hotly contested each year between Ireland and Wales at the Veteran Home International.
Following the individual event at Gortin Glen Forest Park on Saturday 5 September, the Irish women had posted a significant lead of 40 to 33 points over the Welsh ladies, but unforunately the Welsh men overtook the Ireland men’s team, not helped by Wilbert Hollinger dropping his SI card and therefore unable to record a finish. The individual day left Ireland trailing by 76.5 points to the Welsh total of 80 points.
It might have been the familiar damp weather, or the chicken curry at the VHI dinner the previous evening in Gortin Village, but it was probably the pep talk by team manager Sharon Dickenson “Don’t come gurning to me if you mis-punch – Check every code!“, that made all the difference for the relays at Seskinore.
The relays are run as two separate races with a Man-Woman-Man combination and a Women-Man-Women combination. Wales and Ireland were tied on 20 points for the MWM race with Ireland taking the advantage of a mispunch by a strong Welsh team, but Ireland stormed ahead with the WMW team of Ruth Lynam, Billy Reed, Niamh O’Boyle taking 5th place, adding to the points table with Ireland surpassing Wales 28 points to 18.
The final points tally left Ireland victors in the 2 country tussle winning by 124.5 points to 118 and claiming the Stonewall Trophy.
All the results are at Results & Fixtures>2024 Results.
