Club News by Karin Kirk news@octavian-droobers.org
TAMAR TRIPLE AND URBAN ORIENTEERING
The bank holiday weekend saw club members competing over the three days at the popular Tamar Triple event organised by Cornwall and Devon Orienteering Clubs. On Day 1, at Fernworthy Forest on Dartmoor, Bruce Bryant M55 came 2nd on the Green 4k course with 155metres of climb taking 39.52mins and Hilary Simpson was the top W75 on the same course taking 68.01mins.
Day 2 was a middle distance race at Inny Foot, close to the River Tamar which loops around the woods. OD members scored well and three came away with first places winning their age classes: Roger Hailey M75 on the 3.35k course going round in 47.40mins, Hilary Simpson W75 taking 68.53mins on the same course and Liz Phillips W50 44.13mins on the 4.03k course. Trevor Simpson took third place on the M75 3.35k course in 53.10mins. In the evening Liz Phillips came 4th on the 6.05k urban course running around Tavistock in 56.07mins.
At Cookworthy Forest on Day 3 Bruce Bryant M55 came 2nd on the Green 4k course in 39.35mins and Liz Phillips, top W50, 5th in 48.09mins. Roger Hailey was top M75 came 3rd overall taking 52.41mins on the Short Green 3.3k course and Hilary Simpson was top W75 in 80.41mins on the same course.
With Urban orienteering really becoming popular OD members had several events to compete in over the last few days. The inaugural West Midlands Urban League event staged at Kenilworth had some very tough courses and winners were Iain Embrey M21 who took 43.06mins on the 6.75k course, John Embrey M55 36.28mins on the 4.85k course, Bob Brandon M65 43.51mins on the 4.5k course and Sheila Carey W65 37.07mins on the 3.25k course.
On Sunday at Jennyfields in the Harrogate Urban Race, Sheila Carey won the 3k Womens Ultra Veteran course in 27.59mins. Chris McCartney took 4th place on the 4.7k Mens Veteran course, less than 1 minute behind the winner. Mike Hampton was in 3rd place on the Mens Ultra Veteran 3.2k course in 33.38mins.
The 14th York City Trophy Urban Race on Bank Holiday Monday saw Sheila Carey winning her second title over the weekend winning the Womens Ultra Veteran in 30.49mins on the 3.3k course as did Mike Hampton who won the Mens Ultra Veteran race on the 3.9k course taking 28.53mins; Peter Carey M70 came 6th in 34.16mins. Nathan Lawson M18 came 3rd in the Mens Open 6.1k course taking 39.12mins only 3 minutes behind the leader and father David Lawson M50 was 5th Mens Veteran 42.28mins on the same course. Chris McCartney M45 won the 5k B course in 32.39mins.
Julie Emmerson went to Scotland to compete in the Scottish Championships at Dalnamein and won the W18 Elite 6.5k class with 140 metres of climb taking 47.33mins, Toni O’Donovan came 2nd in the W35 class on the 6.5k course in 53.29mins and Andy Simpson came 3rd on the M40 10.5k course taking 67.11mins.
27th May 2014
HARVESTER NIGHT RELAY EVENT
Octavian Droobers fielded a ladies team for the annual nationwide overnight relay competition held this year at Winterfold Forest in the Surrey Hills and organised by South London Orienteers.
Julie, Rachel and Jill Emmerson were joined by Anne Straube and Sophie Kirk. The race started very late on Saturday night and finished as dawn was breaking on the Sunday morning. It was a very exciting event finding controls in the forest using head torches and congratulations to the ladies who came 4th taking a total of 333.11mins not too far behind winners Southern Navigators 322.42mins.
SUMMER TRAINING CAMPS FOR JUNIORS
Congratulations to club juniors who have been selected for summer tours this year in Sweden. The annual tours are run by the Junior Regional Orienteer Squads organisation whose objective is to develop orienteering talent from the 12 British Orienteering regions. From the West Midlands region OD juniors Matt Elkington M20 and Julie Emmerson W18 have been selected to attend the Gothenburg 10 day training camp in mid-August and Harrison McCartney M16 and Nathan Lawson M18 will be going to Stockholm for the 2 week camp also in August.
Harrison McCartney and Nathan Lawson have both also been selected for the 5 day British Orienteering Talent Development Summer Camp, which this year will be held in Sedburgh at the end of July.
The Newark event, part of a series of 18 urban races at different towns and cities around the country, starting in the park by the river and ruined castle in glorious sunshine proved very popular with club members. Chris McCartney had a great run and came 3rd in the M40 class on the 5.7k course finding 22 controls in 39.02mins only 1 min behind the winner from Manchester Orienteering Club. Club chairman Liz Phillips also came 3rd in the W40 class taking 46.35mins on the 4.8k course. Coming 2nd, only 20 seconds behind the winner of the M65 class was Mike Hampton who took 31.23mins on the 3.6k course visiting 19 controls along the way, Bruce Bryant was 3rd on the same course in 32.54mins. Karin Kirk was 4th on the 2.8k course for W65’s taking 35.54mins.
At the Rushall Wood event organised by Berkshire Orienteering Club several Octavian Droobers competed and top placings were achieved: Dave Marr was top M60 on the long Brown 8.9k course taking 1.29.54mins. On the Green 4.8k course Ant Walker was 1st M45 in 1.00.28mins, John Ward 2nd M65 in 1.05.33mins and Trevor Simpson 1st M75 in 1.15.36mins. Liz Cross was 1st W40 on the Short Green 3.7k course and Hilary Simpson top W75 in 58.28mins. Top junior was Alfie Bullus who was 1st M14 on the Light Green 3.5k course taking 40.26mins and Diana Hailey 1st in the W70 class taking 1.09.42mins.
20th May 2014