Paul Kennedy takes first yellow jersey of Newry Three Day

*Paul Kennedy wins the opening stage of the Newry Three Day after escaping in a four-man breakaway (Photo: Caroline Kerley)*

Paul Kennedy (Burren CC) has taken victory on the first stage of the men's Newry Three Day, along with the yellow jersey. In the short opening stage on Friday night - of some 56km - Kennedy was among a small breakaway group that got clear of the main peloton.

And while the riders he was with combined well to open a gap on the bunch, some of them fell by the wayside before the stage finish, with the bunch never giving up of hope of catching the men out front.

In that breakaway group, which went clear just before the halfway point of the stage, with Kennedy were: Alan Bingham of host club Newry Wheelers, Stuart McCaughey (Phoenix CC) and James McEneaney (Moynalty CC).

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It was the latter rider, McEneaney, who was first to lose contact with the front group, returning to the peloton and reducing the breakaway to three. McCaughey followed shortly afterwards, leaving just Bingham and Kennedy out front as the bunch closed in.

And in the final, Kennedy pressed on alone to win solo, with Bingham surviving for 2nd place some 12 seconds down. Then came the main peloton, led in by Tom Regan (Seven Springs CC) for 3rd place. Stephen Hanna (Dromara CC) was 4th and Bryan Geary (Lucan CRC) took 5th.

Kennedy holds the yellow jersey, points classification leader's jersey and the climbers' classification lead going into the second day of action. Declan McEntee of Emyvale CC leads the A3 classification after finishing in the main bunch, in 18th place, on the opening stage.