OCTAVIAN Droobers Orienteering Club in Warwickshire enjoyed some success at the annual Orienteering Festival recently, whilst also impressing at the Urban Middle Distance event in Birchwood, and being represented in the World Schools Orienteering Championships this week.
Ten representatives from the club participated in the Orienteering Festival, held on the border between Berkshire and Hampshire, competing in a pool of over 4,500 UK and international competitiors – making it the biggest UK event for the sport.
Leading the way for the club was Will Gardner from the M21 Elite category, ranking third overall, after coming fourth in the Middle race and second in the Long race.
He finished with a combined time of 2:09:16, just 28 seconds behind the winner.
Matt Elkington (13th), Nathan Lawson (17th) and Duncan Birtwistle (21st) also impressed in the M21 Elite race, with Elkington and Lawson joining Gardner to finish third in the JK Trophy relay.
In the Senior Women’s side of the race, Lesley Ross, Juliette Soulard and Anne Straube ranked fourth as a team, as did the trio of Bob Brandon, Sheila Carey and Barry Ekington in the Ultra Veteran event.
Over in Birchwood, Peter Carey was the top-ranking club member in the men’s HyperVet event, with a time of 33:24 on the 3.2km course, whilst Sheila Carey finished third in the women’s UltraVet course (42:09).
Keith Wildig meanwhile, finished 7th on the men’s UltraVet 4.2km course, in a time of 37:09.
The club will be represented by Kenilworth School pair Florence and Tabitha Lunn, who are this week competing at the World Schools Orienteering Championships in Otepaa, Estonia.
They will form part of the junior girls team, and will take to the thick forests and hilly landscapes of the Northern European country, competing alongside over 800 athletes from 23 different nations.
OD’s Mel Elkington and Sophie Kirk will be supporting the England teams during the week-long tournament, which started on Wednesday (May 1).
The club’s next event at Elmdon Park in Solihull on Wednesday May 8 starts between 6pm and 7:30pm, in the second event of a series of Wednesday Summer evening races held by the club.
It provides first time orienteers the opportunity to learn the sport first-hand, with different length courses being made available for all abilities.
There is no requirement to book, with more information being made available at www.octavian-droobers.org, or by calling the club directly on 01926 632189.
