Congratulations to Brendan McConville and Eva Massey on making the Northern Ireland team for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March. No great surprise but the selection process has been drawn out and lengthy and was finally confirmed by the Commonwealth Games Council on Friday. Seven athletes get the nod – Brendan (decathlon), Eva (shot), James McIlroy (800m), Michael Allen and Ben Houghton (javelin), Zoe Brown (pole vault) and Anna Boyle (sprints). Interestingly five came through the Ballymena and Antrim system and two the North Down one.
Neither Eva nor Brendan have been near full fitness in competition in 2005 thogh both exceeded the qualifying standard. Eva has been troubled with a wrongly diagnosed broken wrist for some years while Brendan had problems with both knees this year. After extensive rehab, both have been pronounced fit and face a race to reach a peak in March.