10 Wrekin Orienteers qualified on a 16 hour Outdoor First Aid course over the weekend of April 23rd to and 24th. Well done to all of them and thanks to our Trainer Cara Allison for an enjoyable weekend.
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JK news; a tough weekend with a good ending for WREKIN.
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The Veteran Home Internationals is a competition between the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Like me, you may have be aware of this competition, but not know a lot about it.
Similar competitions include the Junior, and Senior Home Internationals.
I was asked this year to join the Welsh team.
I qualify to run for Wales because my mum was born and was brought up in Betws-y-coed.
The event weekend was based close to Dorking/Gatwick, with an Individual race on the Saturday at Winterfold and the Relay event on the Sunday at Glovers Wood.
Each team consists of 24 runners, 12 Males and 12 Females taken from age classes 35 to 65.
One runner for age classes 35 and 65, and two runners from age classes 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60.
Team accomodation was available, but with taking the dog, I stayed at the Travelodge at Gatwick.
I drove down early on the Saturday morning. It was great to meet the rest of the team, I picked up my Welsh kit, and we all got ready and started heading for the start, which was almost 2km away.
The start was not taped but we were provided with a map extract to navigate to the start.
I was running a short blue course, and all competitors on this course were a minimum of 3 minutes apart.
This meant I had a very quiet time in the woods only occassionaly seeing another competitor.
I made a couple of errors on control 3 and 4, number 4 I was in the correct area but just couldn’t see the control.
After this things went really well and I finished 5th out of 7 on W50.
Later that afternoon the teams all met up in a local village hall for Tea and cake, a social and evening meal.
England were presented with the Lagan Valley Rosebowl as winners of the Individual event.
Sunday was the Relays. There are two classes, WMW, 2 Women and one Man, and MWM, 2 Men and 1 Woman. 4 teams from each nation run in each class with the best 3 teams from each nation to score. The combined ages of the runners in a team must be 145 or greater.
I ran the first leg in the WMW race, the wood was fast and runnable and included several stream crossings.
I was neck and neck with a Scottish competitor but managed to loose her at control 9. I handed over to Alun. Sian was my other team mate and we came in 11th overall.
England took the Quaich trophy as the overall winners of the relays.
England also took the Mickelgate Bar trophy as the overall winners for the weekend.
Wales retained the Stonewall trophy as best scoring team between Wales and Ireland.
Thanks go to SLOW club for organising the weekend in just 7 weeks after the original venue for the events was cancelled.
Di Jacks
As it has not been possible to arrange a Club Championships before Christmas.
I have arranged with Dave Deakin to register an activity.
The event is for Wrekin members and family/friends.
Christmas Eve, Massed Start, 12 noon, (or you can go as soon as you have
registered.
Forest Glen car park TF6 5AL (busy, so please share)
Jn 7 M54, SE towards Little Wenlock.
Walk or run, 3 courses,
Short 3.5km 9 decision points
Medium 4.3km 12 decision points
Long 5.3km 13 decision points
Climb- all visiting the scenic summit with it's neaby Iron Age hut
circles.
Registration, my van, DS04 EFP, from 11:30
No dibbers needed. There are no controls, just decision points to notice.
You must register your return. Courses close at 2 p.m.
The routes are all on paths. Dogs allowed.
Free Entry! Christmas card exchange (another tradition)
Free refreshments! Warm Fruit Punch, mince pies,
stollen cake
What's not to enjoy?!
( well, you might need cagoules.)
You take part at your own risk
Organiser and First Aid, Mike Callow
Queries 01952 412 314
On the day, 07487653233
This years Choc-O is up and running from 22nd December. Organised by Lawrie Jones further details available on our events pages.
Choc-O
It was great to see Peter Stephenson and Dave Gittus in attendance, both founder members of the club back in 1974 were orienteering in Shropshire before that.
The good news is that WREKIN now has a new look committee and club secretary giving a blend of established and new members to build the club for the future. The first committee meeting is due to be held on November 1st. Our first aims will be to re-establish the role of the committee, begin setting up the fixtures list for the future and identifying our priorities for the next few months. Please let us know if there are topics you would like the committee to consider..One way is to email Wrekin Committee at wrekin-orienteers-committee@googlegroups.com.
Di Jacks and John Broadhead have stood down from the committee after many years of hard work. The club owes a big debt of thanks to both. John who was club secretary has leaves us for pastures new in the near future. Di has earned a rest after serving on the Committee and as Club Chair and many other roles for the club over many years.
Adrian Pickles
In what felt like a return to something normal 20 WREKIN members travelled to Kidsgrove Cricket Club for a Potteries Orienteering Club Event. The map was a lovely new one, surveyed and drawn by our own Rod Postlethwaite. Another club stalwart, Clive Richardson was the official controller for the event so WREKIN played a major part in helping this event happen.
The area was long and narrow with steep wooded slopes around a train line and park area. Competitors had to move quickly and make decisions about whether to go through the wood or up and down to the nearest path.
The West Midland League seems to have fallen off our club radar so we are not performing to our full potential. There is still time to improve our league standing but the more of us that are there the better we will do. Next event in the West Midland League is a Harlequins race at Worcester Beacon on November 14th with a couple more events after that. Hope to see you at one or more of these.
Adrian Pickles
WREKIN managed to field a small, select team which finished 9th out of 14 clubs. The race was held in compact area of woodland growing on an old mining area, a bit like parts of Donnington or Wrockwardine Wood. Courses were technically hard and physically challenging. Almost everyone made navigational errors and maintaining navigational contact with the map was the key skill because relocation when lost was difficult. The undergrowth and steep slope made progress through the terrain slow and longer alternatives using paths required care due to lots of fallen leaves covering them up.
The 2022 Compass Sport Trophy will begin in February or March next year with a regional knock out round. It is a really good way to come together and meet up as a club. So watch out for more details in the new year.
Adrian Pickles
Planners and Organisers comments
Thanks to everyone for coming, competing and helping. Thanks for parking tidily.
It was great to have such good weather. Vegetation growth was exceptionally strong this year so after a surprisingly long day out visiting control sites I shortened the long and medium courses.
Courses were planned to give challenging route choice decisions and make definite navigation important. It will be really good to see routes up on Route Gadget so we can assess the route options.
Thanks to the National Trust for access. Thanks to Space Mobiles for finding the location.
See you next year
Adrian Pickles
Routegadget here
Severn Valley Country Park offers our first Tuesday Evening event since 2019. Check the website for details especially about start times which, because it would be dark, will be earlier than usual.
Nesscliffe and Gog Batch events have been moved to Saturdays.
- 14 September Severn Valley Country Park. Planner/Organiser Steve Parker
- 25 September Nesscliffe- Planner/Organiser Adrian Pickles
- 16 October Gog Batch(Long Mynd NE) Entry Limit 60 Planner/Organiser Adrian Pickles Followed by a sociable AGM at the Yew Tree in All Stretton
Watch the Club Website for more details and how to enter. All of these will be pre-entry using the “let us know and pay the bank method” used so successfully for our events this year.
HELP! Obviously we need Organisers and Planners for future events as well. If you would like to take on either, both or on-the-day roles for any of these events please get in touch as soon as possible.
Adrian Pickles
John Bennison Long O Saturday Sept 4th from High Park
Once again we managed to hold the John Bennison Long O on a lovely September day. 41 people entered and enjoyed the autumn weather as they battled with route choices and vegetation.
Thanks to everyone who helped in anyway in particular Pete Jones for the map and mementos, Steve Parker and Richard Rogers for SI download and results, Dave Deakin for banking and Clive Richardson for the kit and signage.
Full results are on the WREKIN website.
Adrian Pickles
John Bennison Long O Saturday Sept 4th from High Park Area Entry limit 120
Entries open- see EVENTS section of the website
Although we had to postpone our Nesscliffe and Gog Batch events the good news is that are still going to happen. Both have been moved to Saturdays.
• 14 September Severn Valley Country Park. Planner/Organiser Steve Parker
• 25 September Nesscliffe- Planner/Organiser Adrian Pickles
• 16 October Gog Batch(Long Mynd NE) Entry Limit 60 Planner/Organiser Adrian Pickles
Watch the Club Website for more details and how to enter. All of these will be pre-entry using the “let us know and pay the bank method” used so successfully for the Concord picnic and events last year.
HELP! Obviously we need Organisers and Planners for events.If you would like to take on either, both or on-the-day roles for any of these events please get in touch as soon as possible. Email Adrian.pickles@gmail.com or ring 07846301251
British Sprint Orienteering Individual Championships at Skelmersdale on Sunday August 22nd
4 WREKIN members competed in this event on a warm and drying day. Skemersdale was a new town back in the 1960s so has some similarities with Telford- high density housing in complicated blocks, big roads and many roundabouts as well as a large shopping centre in the middle.
Sprint races are short intense bursts of high-speed navigation in which runners have to be in control of their navigation whilst running as fast as possible for about 15 minutes, getting both things right is the key to success.
The British Champs has a first round of races from which people qualify for further A or B finals. After the qualifying races there is a time gap to allow the organisers to get organised and competitors to recuperate before the Finals. This year’s competition centred on a primary school using two overlapping areas of contrasting housing both of which were reminiscent of our own new town.
Three of our runners made it through to the A-finals-
Di Jacks and Sarah Bayliss finished 10th and 12th on W50A,
Adrian Pickles was 6th on M60A.
David Pal was 24th on M50B.
This event was postponed twice due to the pandemic and it was a major feat to organise it at all. All our WREKIN representatives enjoyed their runs and looked smart in our WREKIN tops.
A news sheet for WREKIN Orienteers about forthcoming events and other things.
It was very nice to see some many of us at Concord College last week. Thanks to the Weaver family for all the effort to put it on.
EVENTS Good news! We have permission for some events on Tuesday nights and provisionally for the John Bennison Long-O as follows
HELP! Obviously we need Organisers and Planners for events.If you would like to take on either, both or on-the-day roles for any of these events please get in touch as soon as possible. Email Adrian.pickles@gmail.com or ring 07846301251
Tuesday Evenings 3 or 4 courses, starts probably from 1900 ... or 1830
• 10 August Gog Batch(Long Mynd NE) Entry Limit 60
• 24 August Nesscliffe-
• 14 September Severn Valley Country Park
John Bennison Long O
• Saturday Sept 4th from High Park Area Entry limit 120
Watch the Club Website for more details and how to enter. All of these will be pre-entry using the “let us know and pay the bank method” used so successfully for the Concord picnic and events last year.
CLUB KIT
We think we know where it all is but just in case I have overlooked something please can you let Dave Deakin know if you are looking after any club equipment Dave Deakin’s email is eriktheviking@lynda99.plus.com .
RACES and COMPETITIONS
Orienteering events are happening even though you might have to look a bit harder than usual to find them, start with the British Orienteering Website.
Entries are open for the British Sprint Championship Weekend in Skelmersdale on August 21/22.
Not many WREKIN people are entered for the individual Sprint Championships Sunday August 22nd but the British Sprint Relay Championships are being held on Saturday Aug 21st . Teams are mixed sex and age based. If you would like to be in a WREKIN Sprint relay team please let Tom Lewis know tomrlewis_2000@hotmail.com .
ADVANCE NOTICE
The Compass Sport Cup Final was due to be held in Sutton Park on October 17th but has no venue at the moment. If the event does happen, we are eligible to send a team.
AGM and WREKIN FUTURE
We have to have a delayed AGM in October- several WREKIN job roles will become available, so if you would like to take the club into the future please consider stepping up.
Best wishes

2021_concord_score_picnic_results.pdf | |
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Top three placings are shown in the table.
Congratulations to our Midland Champions;
Mark Pearson M60
Harriet Allinson W12
Mike Callow M80
Caryl Roscoe W80
Adrian Pickles
Social Picnic and Team Score event for all members in the early evening of Tuesday 13th July at Concorde College, Acton Burnell . More details to follow.....

Congratulations to Mike Callow who finished 1st and brought home the gold medal in the M80 class at the recent British Middle Distance championships, held at Summerhouse Knott in the Lake District.
Mike completed the 2.5km course with 135m of climb and 14 controls in a time of 52.35 beating second placed Trevor Simpson of OD, by a staggering 6 minutes. Well Done Mike.
Also competing in the M80 class was Derek Turner who finished in 7th place.
In the W50 class Sarah Bayliss had a great run finishing 9th, and Di Jacks wasn’t far behind in 12th.
In a large M55 class Tony Callow finished 28th, and competing in the M65 class John Broadhead finished 29th.
Well done to everyone who took on the challenging courses on a very hot day.
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