Firstly I would like to thank the usual suspects plus Chris for his planning duties for this 2015 inaugural Poacher Event. Apologies for any delays encountered at Registration or the Start or to the few we had to recycle maps from. This is mainly due to the numbers - pleased to say that the nearly 80 competitors was more than we have had in recent years - the weather, the Easter holiday and the HALO link to the article on 10 benefits of orienteering must have played their part! Swallow Vale has usually been used later in the season due to its relatively good runnability even with it's inevitable nettles - so it was initially intended to incorporate the adjacent Henholes wood which at this time of year is nettle free and a change for Poacherites. However due to ornithological reasons (nesting skylarks and partridges) it was inappropriate to use even for watering purposes. You will be pleased to know the hills encountered this week will be the severest of the Series (as no trip out to the open Wolds scheduled in the fixtures). On the Short course Flora took first place following in her sisters' footsteps from previous years with the Cook clan all closely grouped. On the Medium course my first observation was the number of female competitors - over 2/3 of the field & with Yasmin taking the first race Chris and Lawrence will have plenty of fierce competition in future weeks. With Ladies Champion Kate 'moving up' to the Long Course this title could be wide open. The Junior title could similarly be closely fought with Dom defeating defending Champ Joe by a narrow margin of 10 seconds. On the Long course there were 5 previous Champions in the field,but it was no surprise that last year's battle between LOG's Paul and Liam will continue to be as intense as ever in 2015. Competition from Chris G and the RAFO duo of David and Wayne will hopefully materialise. Kate's first scalp over Champ Helena was also eyecatching. So to next week, with planning courtesy of BO Level A planner Brian W - who prefers the urban terrain but will no doubt produce equally runnable courses with not quite the same amount of climb at Halliday HILL & Brompton Dale. Parking at Grasby Bottom Crossroads.
