West Midlands Orienteering Association
Monday 1st January 2007
Tittensor Chase
The individual and team results are listed separately.
club points
1 OD 5650
2 HOC 4950
4 WCH 4880
3 WRE 4440
5 POTOC 1780
6 COBOC 740
Matt Halliday and Robert Gardiner, both of Octavian Droobers, were the highest scoring juniors (M/W 18 or under) and were awarded the trophy.
We were very lucky with the weather.
Thank you for everyone who stayed for the presentation of the Trophy and apologies for keeping you waiting; I should have realised a good 10 minutes beforehand that the margin from the winning score to second place was large enough to not require checking of individual scores and cards of all but the winning team.
It was good to see competitors running in all of the 360 degrees from the start. However this figure should have been 270. A large group set off to the last control which was not then put out until 15 minutes after the start -- it is important to read the event instructions. A few competitors also did not punch the correct boxes; they appeared to punch the boxes in order starting with No 1 box at their first control.
We were very lucky indeed to get a window in the weather. When I finished collecting controls at 4.00pm it was raining steadily. Also when I removed the stiles on Thursday even the ground that had been dry underfoot was wet. I apologise for the numerous muddy tractor tracks but we only found out the FC were thinning the whole wood 8 weeks before the event, thus requiring a remap but, thankfully, not much of a replan. Thank you to those who have sent their "270" routes, I will digest them soon. I took you to the 2 highest and 2 lowest points on the map but several of you still managed to get round completely.
I have never seen so many people standing puzzling for so long at the start, I must have posed you some problems and it was very good to see people running off in all directions. It took a long time even for me to work out my optimum route in spite of knowing the area like the back of my hand. Although small it is a deceptively hilly area. I would have taken the Eastern wood first but only because being somewhat older and slower now I prefer to do my climbing early on and it would also mean I was nearer to the finish when tired nearer the end of the hour.
Thank you all for coming.
A big thank you to the Potteries club for making this event happen, in particular to John Heaton (organiser) and Paul Graetz (planner). Paul proved that the area is ideal for a sixty minute score event, whereby it is possible for the confident to get round the 27 controls with minutes to spare. I overheard comments from those who only realised at the finish that the 27 had been a reality -- too late. Others however found that they had been too adventurous to get back in time and avoid having points taken away. After the stormy previous day, the 2007 weather was glorious. Having checked Paul's well positioned controls by 11am, I was able to sit beneath a tree at the start for half an hour enjoying the tranquility of the venue (I got used to the distant hum of the M6).
Throughout John and his team were on top of the job -- their only concern being that the minute hand of the race clock got ahead of itself downhill between zero and 30, but was back on track by the time it had climbed to the o'clock. Maybe time to go digital.