The KitKat Leinster, Munster and Ulster Schools’ Track & Field Championships will take place on next Saturday 17th May at various venues across the country. The KitKat Leinster Schools’ Track & Field –Day 1 at Santry at 10am. The KitKat Munster Schools’ Track & Field at the University of Limerick at 10am. The KitKat Ulster Schools’ Track & Field at the Antrim Forum, Antrim at 10am. Next Saturday should be an exciting one in Santry for the KitKat Leinster Schools’ Championships with some of the best young athletes in Ireland competing at the first day of a two day Championship. It marks the return to schools’ competition of Brian Gregan, St Mark’s CS, after a year’s absence through injury. Brian will be hoping to break the record set in 2001 by David McCarthy. Another of our leading young athletes, Michael Hynes, St Fintan’s, will be hoping for a sprint double in the Senior Boy’s 100m and 200m. Also in the sprints the Intermediate Girls’ 100m should be interesting with Stephanie Creanor, Loreto St Stephen’s Green, and Claire Mooney, St Wolsten’s CS, in a head to head. The middle distance events will throw up many exciting races. An interesting one should be the Senior Boys’ 800m where Anthony Leighio, Crumlin College, will have to be at his best to hold off Mark McDonald, St Aidan’s CBS, and David Keogh, Colaiste Phadraig Lucan. The Intermediate Girls’ 3000m should be a straight battle between Tara Jameson, Dominican Wicklow, and Mary Mulhare, Presentation Portlaoise. The field events will be just as exciting. Aoife Hickey, Loreto Kilkenny, broke Eileen O’Keefe’s Senior Girls’ Hammer record in the South Leinster and will be hoping to do the same here. The Senior Boys’ High Jump looks to be the pick of the high jumps with the two best young jumpers in the country in opposition. Barry Pender, Knockbeg College, has already qualified for the World Junior Championships but he will have Kourash Foroughi, Gormanston College, to beat first before he can add the Leinster Schools’ title. The KitKat Munster final is always a particularly close competition with a number of top athletes hailing from this area. This year’s competition will see some of the best young sprinters in the country taking part. Christopher Russell, Waterpark College, is last year’s Senior Champion at 100m and 200m and has had an outstanding indoor season at home and abroad. Niamh Whelan, Presentation Waterford, is another exciting sprinter who will be hoping to add the Senior Girls’ 100m and 200m to her achievements. In the Intermediate Girls’ Joan Healy, Colaiste na Toirbhirte Bandon, has huge potential and will surely dominate the 100m and 200m. In the middle distance events we will be looking out for Shane Quinn, DLS Waterford, who is on his way back from injury. Shane had an outstanding 2007 in schools’ athletics. Ryan Creech, Glanmire CC, in the Intermediate Boys’ 3000m and Craig Murphy, Douglas CS, in the Senior Boys’ 1500m will be others to look out for. Kalyn Sheehan, Ursuline Waterford, should dominate the Senior Girls’ Hurdles having already qualified for the World Junior Championships. In the field events look out for Dayle Kennedy, Abbey CC Waterford in the Senior Boys’ Shot and Discus, Sarah Bradfield, Bandon Grammar School, and Claire Fitzgerald, Presentation Tralee, in the Intermediate Girls’ Shot and Discus. In the KitKat Ulster Championships the pick of the sprints should be the Senior Boys’ where Dean Adams, Larne Grammar School, is running particularly well at the moment and could have a 100m and 200m double. The Intermediate Boys’ sprints are not as clear cut with last year’s 100m winner Scott Hamilton, Regent House, being challenged by Kevin Bradley, St Columb’s Derry. In the 200m it looks as if neither of them will beat Curtis Woods, Downshire, in the 200m. Chloe Boomer, Friends’ School, will be hoping for a double in the Junior Girls’ 100 & 200, but she will be pushed all of the way by Anne Alexander, Antrim GS. Probably the most competitive event will be the Senior Boys’ 1500m where Ryan Faulkner, St Malachy’s, will start as favourite but will have to be good to beat Ian Ward, Royal & Prior Raphoe, and Dan King, St Eunan’s Letterkenny. Another couple of athletes to watch out for are Eimear Black, Dominican Fortwilliam, and Ciara Mageean, Assumption Ballynahinch, in the Intermediate Girls’ 1500m. Adam Ingram, Hazelwood Integrated, and the Monaghan twins from St Colman's Newry, Patrick and Andrew will provide exciting competition with at least one new record in 800m and 1500m a distinct possibility. In the Intermediate Girls’ two Ballyclare H.S. athletes will be strong contenders for double wins and may well also share in a relay winning school performance. They are Hannah Todd in the 100m and Triple Jump and Joanna Mills in the 300m and Long Jump. In the field events Gabby McNally, Lurgan Junior High School, will be hoping to further extend her record in the Intermediate Girls’ Hammer and Kerrie Craig, Strathearn, should win the high jump. This year marks the 46th year of KitKat Irish Schools’ which is known as the “bedrock” of Irish athletics. Since the programme was first launched, some of Ireland’s most famous sporting stars such as Sonia O’Sullivan, Caitriona McKiernan, Eamon Coghlan, David Gillick and Denis Hickie have taken part in the programme. More recently, it has seen new emerging talents such as Derval O’Rourke, Joanne Cuddihy and Eileen O’Keeffe come up through the ranks and go on to achieve success at European and international level.