Just two seasons ago Fermanagh's young athletes won only three medals, with Mark Hoy the only qualifier for the All-Ireland schools finals and the report at the time said that it was a black day for local athletics with an urgent need for upgraded facilities and a local club.

Well, 24 months later the facilities have hardly changed, there is still no club in the county, but, with 20 medals, athletes qualified for over 20 events at the Irish schools finals and an historic first overall team title for St. Michael's College, the boys from the Erne country have come a long way in a relatively short time.

In a normal year, with two Ulster schools golds, in the Intermediate Long and Triple jump, plus a relay medal, AAA's champion Ciaran Dolan would have been the local star of the day, but it is arguable that the performance of another St. Michael's athlete, Conal Mahon, in the junior jumps outshone his much better known school mate.

Mahon, much underrated despite a UK Sportshall athletics medal last season, was edged out of silver on count-back in the Long Jump before dominating the Triple Jump final with four jumps in excess of anything his rivals could manage, his last effort of 10.96m being the best of the competition and his outstanding efforts demonstrate again the importance of staying involved and progression in a sport which is too often the preserve of the early developer.

The first event of the morning was to be indicative of the way the day was