Club News by Karin Kirk news@octavian-droobers.org
SIX TEAMS WIN TROPHIES AT WEST MIDLAND RELAYS
Congratulations to club members who turned out for the club at the West Midland Relays held at Pelsall Common, near Walsall, on Sunday. Sixteen teams entered 13 of the 14 classes and came away with a great total of 6 trophies.
The winning teams were: Junior Women - Heather Rogers, Ella-Rose McCartney and Gursimran Kullar, Intermediate Women – Francesca Slade, Tamsin Alcock and Lizzie Davies, Intermediate Men – Harrison McCartney, Jeremy Knott and Alastair Gardner, Open Men – Calum Barnetson, Alan Segar and Will Gardner, Senior Women – Clare Scott, Suzanne Humphries and Liz Cross, Super Veteran Women – Sue Hallett, Hilary Simpson and Sue Bicknell.
At the Caddihoe Chase, a two day event, held at Burrator, Southern Dartmoor, Lesley Ross W40 and Matt Elkington M16 were overall winners in their classes and Stephen Elkington M14 came 2nd. Julie and Rachel Emmerson had great runs on the Green courses, at the Dales Weekend, another 2 day event. Julie was awarded 1st place after completing both days and Rachel came 4th.
Congratulations to club member Matt Halliday M20 who has been awarded a Talented Athlete Sponsorship Scheme award for 2011/12. He is one of the seven athletes from British Orienteering who have been given this award who have shown potential to be world class performers at the World Championships to be held in 2015 in Scotland.
20th September 2011
LONDON CITY AND REGENTS PARK
On Saturday club members enjoyed some great racing around the City of London. The courses were designed to make the most of the multi level Barbican area at the start and over 1000 runners had to make fast route choices to reach the controls via tunnels, staircases and skirting prominent landmarks such as the Gherkin tower and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Matt Halliday M20 was 7th out of 191 runners on the 8.9k Mens Long course clocking up 59.04mins and on the Womens Long 7.1k course Sophie Kirk W20 was 9th in 1.03.50 and Jo Halliday W21 13th 1.06.07. Lesley Ross W40 was 8th on the 5.8k course in 58.18mins and Jane Halliday W50 12th in 47.17mins on her course. Alfie Bullus M12 had a great run coming in 11th in 18.24mins on the children’s course.
On the following day London Orienteering Club organised an Ultra Sprint race around part of Regents Park including two specially constructed mazes adding further challenges. The event comprised three preliminary sprint races followed by a final. Having earned places in the final OD’s Matt Halliday came 2nd in the Mens Open 5 secs behind the winner, Sophie Kirk was 3rd and Jo Halliday 4th in the Womens final and in the Womens Vets Jane Halliday came 2nd and Liz Phillips 4th.
The Peter Palmer junior national relay championships were also held this weekend and the club fielded 2 teams. The races started before dawn and the juniors wore headlamps on the early legs to aid navigation around the army base at MOD Stafford. The A team of Matt Elkington, Harrison McCartney, Calum Barnetson, Julie Emmerson, Rachel Emmerson, Aimee Morse and Will Gardner were the fastest team but unfortunately the team were disqualified by a mis punch on the final leg. The less experienced B team came in an excellent 11 place out of the 25 teams, team members were Stephen Elkington, Guy Ross, Heather Rogers, Ellie Beach, Hamish Rogers, Sam Hart, Jeremy Knott and Michael Hanson Morris.
13th September 2011