special to Irish Runner.com by Eoghan Young-Murphy

The results of the Irish University Cross-Country Championships on the Malone Road in Belfast, on Saturday were a clear indication that the scholarship scheme introduced by Dublin City University is paying dividends, as they swept the board by claiming all the titles on offer.

Last September the college launched a scholarship scheme, funded by prominent business man Bill Cullen, in which it was announced that six particular athletes were being chosen because they had displayed athletic prowess.

On Saturday, all of those athletes excelled and helped the Dublin College to take all four titles on offer. And it scarcely came as a surprise.

It is a clear sign that if the appropriate funding is invested in the sport, athletics is a sport at which Irish athletes can do well - at least at the domestic university level.

The men's event saw four of the Dublin College's athletes register top six performances - spearheaded by the outstanding 19-year-old Mark Christie. Eoin Higgins, 3rd, Ian Chaney, 5th, and Colin Costello, 6th, were other top DCU finishers.

The women's' team was even more dominant; they had four athletes in the top five.

For many years now Fionnuala Britton, who won the Irish junior women's title on three consecutive occasions, has shown herself to be the most talented distance runner of her age in the land. She was ably backed up by Linda Byrne, 2nd, Niamh Devlin, 4th, and Louise Reilly, 5th.

Complete Results for the 2005 IUAA Cross Country Championships

Meanwhile, it has emerged that all athletes representing Ireland at this weekend's European Indoor Championships in Madrid have been sent a letter by the Athletics Association of Ireland, stating that they will not be issued new National gear for the event.

It's another example of the farcical nature in which the way the governing body is forced to carry out its business. Experienced athletes such as Paul Brizzel, Mark Carroll and Derval O'Rourke will have to fish out old gear before embarking on Spain. This directive comes amid rumours that Asics have not supplied new gear for the event.

This bizarre situation prompts the question as to whether you could ever imagine the same mess developing in either football or rugby - one suspects not.