| Normanby-le-Wold brought the 6th series of the Poacher Trophy to a close with an enthusiastic turnout testing themselves on the highest part of Lincolnshire. The terrain destroyed the commonly held belief that the county is all flat fenland, as there was plenty of climb, particularly ( cruelly ) at the end. Planner John Fulwood made maximum use of the rough grassland area with competitors on the long having a Norwegian type course with 175m of climb. First off on the short course Deb Clark did a fine job in herding the large white bovine obstacle away from the straight route to no. 1, obviously a big help to husband Mel who came through to an excellent 4th place; also in form just as the series is ending was Grimsby's Geoff Smith with a top 5 position. Long courser Neil Harvett made up for his disaster on this area in 2002 with a convincing win from Harworth's Paul Beresford, Lincoln's John Bennett in 3rd and a re-surgent Andy Houlden just behind. The aggregate number of participants for the series was a new record beating last year's best to give an average 40 turnout. The post race analysis at The Queen's Head also set a new landmark, with more there, than actually took part in the event earlier in the evening! Thanks to all the organisers who made the series possible and to those who have 'volunteered !' to plan an event next year, and also to Martin Kullich for designing and maintaining The Poacher website. Wednesday 14th April 2004 at Mausoleum Woods is a date for your diary. |