Club News by Karin Kirk news@octavian-droobers.org
CONCORDE CHASE AT COLD ASH
Berkshire Orienteers annual event, the Concorde Chase, attracted over 500 competitors and proved very popular with club members, several of whom had excellent runs through the forest at Cold Ash, near Newbury. The extremely muddy timber extraction tracks did not deter club junior Peter Markham M12 who came 1st on the Orange 2.8km course taking 51.40mins. On the longest course Harrison McCartney M18 was the highest placed Octavian Droober taking 1.11.09mins to come in 4th on the 11.8km course only 2.59mins behind the winner. Also on the Black course Mateusz Podsiadly M20 was 9th in 1.27.29mins.
Top woman on the Blue 7.6km course was Lesley Ross W45, in 1.02.19mins, and in 9th position overall. Alfie Bullus was the second best M16 on the same course taking 1.19.02mins. Top ten positions were earned by Chris Markham M10 7th on the White 1.6km course in 24.17mins, Ant Walker M50 3rd in 53.30mins on the Short Green 3.8km course and Stephen Elkington M18 10th in 59.44mins on the Short Blue 5.4km course.
An extra mid week event, organised by the British Army Orienteering Club, at Bramcote Barracks, near Nuneaton, gave club members an extra chance to compete on three courses. Top placed club members were: Mike Hampton 13th on the Blue 6.4km course in 46.24mins, Sheila Carey W65 7th on the Green 5.lkm course in 39.36mins and on the Light Green 3.7km course Janet Richardson W65 6th in 40.47mins.
At the Crewe Urban event Kin Kwan Kwok took 7th place in the Mens Open 6.675 course, Liz Phillips was 6th in the Womens Vets 5.8km course in 53.56mins and Bruce Bryant M55 ran down to course 4, 4.55km, to take first place in 34.42mins.
27th Jan 2015
ENGLAND SELECTIONS
Congratulations to Andy Simpson M40 and Julie Emmerson W20 who have been selected to represent England in the Interland Cup 2015 in the Sprint event on Saturday 7th and in the long distance orienteering event on Sunday 8th February staged on the North Downs, Surrey. They will join 40 other England athletes competing for the Cup against a team from the Netherlands and two teams from France. The event will also run alongside the English Southern Championships competition.
Octavian Droobers club are now leading in the West Midlands League after the 1st event in the series of 12 events scheduled throughout the year. The score of 1495 points puts them ahead of Wrekin’s 1283 and Harlequins 1275. Club members scoring the maximum 100 points are: Thomas Chapple M10, Peter Markham M12, Oliver Lunn M14, Alfie Bullus M16, Matthew Elkington M20, William Gardner M21, Alistair Powell M35, David Lawson M50, Robert Brandon M65, Trevor Simpson M75, Lesley Ross W45, Liz Phillips W50, Janet Richardson W65 and Hilary Simpson W75.
At Coopers Hill, North Gloucester Orienteering Club event, Kirsten Strain W21 was the leading lady on the longest course, taking 1.21.06mins on the Brown 8.1km course with a massive 490 metres of climb through beautiful woods on a completely new area for orienteering. Alfie Bullus M16 was the fastest on the Green 4.5km course with 180 metres of climb taking 49.14mins to find 15 controls only 10 seconds ahead of Mike Hampton M65 49.24mins. Guy Ross M20 was 3rd on the Light Green 3.2km course taking 37.04mins.
Crich Chase, a Derwent Valley event, attracted several club members and on the Yellow 1.8km course both Nathan M12 taking 23.41mins and Thomas Chapple M10 29.52mins were fast enough to achieve their Yellow standard. On the Green 3.5km course with 145 metres of climb Bruce Bryant M55 was 4th in 45.22mins. On the Blue 5.2km course David Lawson M50 was 4th in 61.54mins, Harriet Lawson W20 6th in 63.59mins and Anne Straube W40 8th in 66.03mins. The longest course was Brown 6.7km with 275 metres of climb and Matthew Elkington M20 in 4th place was the fastest club member taking 57.20mins to find 28 controls, Mateusz Podsiadly M20 5th 59.57mins, William Gardner M21 8th 64.03mins and Harrison McCartney M18 3 seconds behind in 64.09mins.
Carolyn Marr W65 was 3rd in 52.40mins on the Short Green 3.7km course at Chelwood Vachery, near Uckfield, Sussex.
20th Jan 2015