Droobers regain the Laurie Bradley Trophy

Droobers regained the trophy on a rather soggy Pooley Country Park on New Year’s day beating holders Wrekin into 2^nd place. The trophy is a unique event in the annual calendar as it is run over a single course with a mass start and a 60-minute time limit. The scores of the top 25 competitors for each club are used to arrive at the club score.

The start is always interesting since the runners have varying strategies, some stand and plan their routes while others tear off in different directions. With time penalties for being late finishing, route planning is key to make sure that runners complete the maximum number of controls for their ability. The post-event discussions on route choice prove almost as interesting as watching the apparently haphazard starting techniques.

As well as winning the trophy overall, special congratulations to Droobers runner Will Gardner was the fastest overall completing all 27 controls in an amazing time of just under 30 minutes, around 6 minutes quicker than the 2^nd placed runner. Congratulations to the other 24 Droober counters and also to the other club competitors who all helped to reduce the scores of other clubs.

BEGINNERS ORIENTEERING AT RYTON POOLS COUNTRY PARK

Octavian Droobers Orienteering Club are holding a free introductory session for beginners on Saturday afternoon 26 November from 1pm until 2pm at Ryton Pools Country Park.

All ages, especially families, are welcome to come along to experience this fun outdoor adventure sport. Full instructions will be given by local club members. Participants can walk or run around the park noting the letter on each post, using a free map to complete the trails, a bit like a treasure hunt. Trail lengths are from 1.2km to 5km.

If you have always wanted to know about the sport of orienteering this is your opportunity.

For details email odpoc@octavian-droobers.org.

or see website www.octavian-droobers.org