It was good to get back into this sizeable area for a full event again. We have had to cancel several plans to use it in the recent past as the rapidly changing terrain ran ahead of the maps we had of the area.

I would like to start my comments by mentioning other parts. No! not other areas but the partners of competitors, who helped out on the day. Roger Keeling of DVO, who is crocked at the moment provided invaluable assistance manning registration whilst wife Margaret took part and Judy Leake, who is not even an orienteer, also spent all morning holding down one of the required roles as did husband Peter who is nursing an injury at present.

Finding helpers looked like being a challenge in that we had a come-and-try-orienteering event the day before and have the Midlands championships next week. In the end members rallied round and we had no problem finding volunteers which is perhaps one of the reasons why we can have such an ambitious programme and have just won Club of the Year. Many thanks to all the helpers.

Returning to the area, the old and original woodlands in Martinshaw have seen a continuous felling programme as the Woodland Trust removes coniferous trees and works to restore this ancient woodland to native species.

Unfortunately, in the short term this stimulates the brambles and whole blocks become fight at best making this area barely usable. What was white or light green woodland suddenly becomes dark green or tight undergrowth lines, making the map a negative image of itself. The opposite is true of the newer woodlands in Peartree and Burroughs Woods where the canopy is now suppressing the undergrowth.

A new map is in hand and was completed for those areas to be used for this event allowing us back in, which is just as well as more and more areas become unavailable to us or financially unviable. The challenge with partial remapping is of course trying to keep consistency across the map.

We were blessed with dry weather, if not as warm as earlier in the week, and most runners seemed to enjoy their outing. The area is extensive but a number of pinch points do make planning a bit difficult. To make best use of it the planner did walk people out towards the newer, and at present, better areas which involved a 1.3k walk so perhaps it was as well it was dry. Courses did however finish back at the event centre.

Short courses inevitably just had a run back through the path networks of Martinshaw which was the best that could be done in the circumstances but longer courses did provide suitable challenges as some of the times indicate.

We will have to make increased use of this area down the years. It provides a large expanse of woodland and has a good event centre. We will have to get round the effect of the pinch points one way or another; possibly by using the nearby footpaths to bring people back into the area. One unfortunate circumstance of pinch points is that they effectively act as another control and can make longer legs difficult to achieve reducing variety in that aspect of course planning.

Given all these restrictions I think the planner and controller put on an excellent event and trust the runners felt the same.

I cannot close without mentioning Kevin Bradley and his electronics team who performed the now-to-be-expected miracles. Course closes 2.00 - Results on web 2.30 and ranking points uploaded shortly afterwards.

Well done everyone.

Roy Denney