The Youth Development League (YDL) is a points-based team competition for U13, U15 & U17 boys & girls and, in recent years, NDAC has struggled to fill both A-string & B-string spots on the full programme of events in the final, so it was extremely pleasing to see near full team sheets at this year’s final on Saturday 4th August in Antrim Forum.
It would be unfair, not too say impossible, to highlight any individuals or results as there were so many excellent performances across all events and age groups, however, even more pleasing were the crucial points scored by athletes taking part in events at which they wouldn’t normally compete.
The North Down girls were totally dominant, winning all three age groups and though the boys weren’t quite as strong, they still won the U13s and finished second in the U15s.
The overall team scored a massive 676pts and recorded their best result for many years, finishing a mere 25pts behind Ballymena & Antrim AC in second place, which was particularly impressive since only a few U17 boys were able to compete.
Credit for this result goes not only to all of the athletes who took part, but also to their coaches for their time, dedication and patience throughout the course of the year. We would also like to thank all of the families and friends who came to support on the day and look forward to going one better in 2019.
