Aliyah Rafferty (15) announces herself in Rathfriland, Jemma Speers wins overall

*Aliyah Rafferty, who is just 15-years-old, has taken a big win, competing against the elite women, at the Newry Three Day (Photo: Damian Faulkner)*

Not content with leading both the queen of the hills and junior classifications at the Newry Three Day going into today's final day of action, U16 rider Aliyah Rafferty (Island Wheelers) went and won the stage on the tough finish in Rathfriland.

That's a significant victory for the 15-year-old, who was given special permission to ride the race as preparation for U16 international racing in the weeks ahead. Her win today also extends an incredible run of late for the Rafferty family.

Aliyah's eldest brother, Darren, recently took 2nd overall at the Baby Giro before winning the U23 TT at the National Championships on the same night another Rafferty sibling, Adam, won the junior TT title.

Going into today's final stage at the Newry Three Day, Jemma Speers (Cycling Ulster) had the yellow jersey after finishing 2nd to Jennifer Neenan (UCD Cycling Club) on yesterday's stage 2, when that duo took over seven minutes out of the main bunch.

While Speers and Neenan were equal on time after their breakaway move, Speers wore the yellow jersey today by virtue of her better placing on stage 1. And on today's final stage, she held onto that yellow jersey to be crowned race winner for 2023.

Speers was awarded the Gabriele Glodenyte Memorial Cup for her victory. That cup is in honour of last year's overalll winner, Gaby Glodenyte, who was very sadly killed in a crash with a driver last month while she was out training in north Dublin.

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Today, at the end of 74km of racing from Hilltown to Rathfriland, the drag up to the finish line was to prove decisive, with Rafferty strongest in the drag race to the chequered flag at the front. She held off Orla Walsh (UCD Cycling Club); those two finishing on the same time, just two seconds up on 3rd placed Annabel Ramsay (RFDA).

Stage 1 winner, and yesterday's yellow jersey, Erin Creighton (Cycling Ulster) was 4th with Doireann Killeen (Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial) 5th at 9 seconds and Aine Kelly (Orwell Wheelers) rounding out the top 6, some 14 seconds behind the winner.

Then came Kate Murphy (Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club) and yellow jersey Jemma Spears (Cycling Ulster). Murphy and Speers finished 7th and 8th on the same time, some 16 seconds down on the flying Rafferty.

That was crucial for Speers and meant she wrapped up the overall victory as Neenan was back in 15th at 49 seconds. That gave Speers a 33-second advantage over Neenan, which was the difference between them in the final general classification; Speers taking a great overall win.

After Neenan in 2nd place overall came Lorraine Mullarkey, the UAE-based rider who took 3rd yesterday after spending much of the stage on her own chasing Speers and Neenan. Mullarkey was 16th today, some 52 seconds down on winner Rafferty, and that meant she finished 3rd overall some 3:10 down on Speers.

For her efforts, Rafferty wrapped up the climbers' and junior classifications and was also 4th overall - at 6:13 - on the same time as Walsh in 5th. Ramsay was 6th overall at 6:15.