Junior boys dominate Aus school sprints
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 September 2017 19:20
NSW junior boys starred at the Australian Schools Sprint Champs on Wednesday as the senior boys blew it with two mispunches.
Year 7 student Alvin Craig (Newcastle) was second overall and first Australian, covering the 2.8km course at All Saints College Bathurst in 12m24s. Ewan Shingler (Big Foot, pictured) was almost a minute further back in third overall and second Australian in a fantastic result for the 'Carbines'.
Curiously, of all the schools starters, 11 boys mispunched and only three girls. New Zealand took out both boys divisions while the Melhuish sisters (ACT) won the girls classes.
But their older counterparts Alastair George (BF) and Duncan Currie (Garingal) were left ruing some crucial inattention as they recorded the dreaded 'mp'. That left Wagggaroos' Lachlan Billett as the leading NSW senior boy in 11th place overall and seventh fastest Australian.
Claire Burgess (NC) was again the best of the senior girls in 15th place, while Nea Shingler (BF, on debut) was our best in the junior girl in 16th place.
In the public races that preceded the schools, these ONSW runners finished in the top three:
1st: Tony Woolford (BB) Men C, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Paula Shingler (BF) Women C, Airdrie Long (GO) Women D, Cassandra Thompson (NC) Women E, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Ben McConaghy (GO) Open Very Easy
2nd: Mark Freeman (BF) Men C, Ross Barr (GO) Men D, Seth Sweeney (WH) Men G, Oliver Freeman (BF) Men H, Saacha Donaldson (BF) Women D
3rd: Andy Simpson (BF) Men C, Carolyn Matthews (NC) Women C, Jane Boland (UR) Women G.
Lastly, we had the pleasure of showing Prime TV Central West sports reporter Tom Corrigan (second from left, in red shirt) and his cameraman James how to orienteer. They filmed as they went around the EOD Easy course, and the report featured on the Wednesday night news.
Alvin Craig wins gold at Aus schools Long champs
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 26 September 2017 22:24
Our young Newcastle prodigy Alvin Craig has continued his outstanding form with a hard-fought victory in the junior boys division at the Australian schools championships.
The Year 7 student, who was raised in Sweden, was giving away three years in age but triumphed by just over a minute from New Zealand's Will Tidswell, covering the 5.7km course in 39:11.
Former Bennelonger Marina Ishkakova set testing courses on the beautifully remapped Roseberg State Forest (thanks Rob Vincent - everyone loved it), where pockets of rock contrasted with vague gentle slopes to provide a mix of terrains.
NSW was also on the podium in the senior boys, with Alastair George (Big Foot) taking third place behind Victorian star Aston Key.
Claire Burgess (NC) was an impressive seventh in the senior girls, while Nea Shingler (BF, on debut) was our best in the junior girls in 11th place.
In the public races that followed, there were several NSW families among the placegetters:
1st: Tony Woolford (BB) Men C, Lyn Dabbs (WH) Women D, Cassandra Thompson (NC) Women E, Wendy McConaghy (GO) Women G, Alton Freeman (BF) Open Very Easy
2nd: Mark Freeman (BF) Men C, Jamie Woolford (BB) Men H, Carolyn Matthews (NC) Women C, Vanessa Freeman (BF) Women D, Alex Woolford (BB) Open Easy, Ben McConaghy (GO) Open Very Easy
3rd: Andy Simpson (BF) Men C, Paula Shingler (BF) Women C, Robyn Pallas (CC) Women D.
Hill End gold diggings have heads scratching
- Last Updated: Monday, 25 September 2017 12:21
So many controls, so many huge erosion gullies and earthbanks, and so many people absolutely certain they are in the right place.
Only to find the number on the control is not theirs. Welcome to complex gold mining terrain.
The Australian Middle Distance champs unveiled the first of three new maps at Hill End in the state's central west on Sunday to great acclaim as 899 participants tried to work their way through what appeared to be quite short courses.
Setter Graeme Dawson faced a difficult task to set fast but technical courses; and lured many into his spider web with some generous initial controls - followed by increasingly intricate ones in very confusing terrain.
The pick of the wins by NSW orienteers was in M14A where Bennelong Northside's Clyde McGhee had a breakout victory at national level, while JWOC rep Toby Wilson (Garingal) bounced back to form with a third placing in the junior men's elite.
However, it was our NSW women who carried the can with 11 victories on the day.
Kiwi Bill Edwards cleaned up M50A by an astonishing eight minutes. At the other end of the scale, spare a thought for ONSW president Greg Barbour - the commentators announced him as the winner of M55A by just two seconds... only to learn later he had in fact lost by one second to Victorian arch rival Warren Key.
We thank newly elected Bathurst Mayor Graeme Hanger for making the trip out to present the medallions, and the cameraman from WIN TV (see pic, left) for filming the event and conducting interviews. Look for these on Monday or Tuesday nights.
NSW winners (there were 18, from nine clubs) were:
W10A Aoife Rothery (BF), W12A Erika Enderby (NC), W20 Clare Jessup (GO), W21A Nikolett Halmai (GO), W35A Phoebe Dent (CC), W45A Jenny Enderby (NC), W45AS Maria Orr (NC), W55AS Carolyn Davies (GO), W65AS Carolyn Rigby (NC), W70A Jenny Hawkins (NT), W JuniorB Serena Doyle (UR).
M14A Clyde McGhee (BN), M21A Charles Keir (GS), M35AS Peter Fozo (GO), M40A Doug Jay (SH), M55AS Peter May (NT), MOpenB Willam Thompson (NC), Open Easy William Nolan (UR).
Tuesday is the Australian Schools Champs at Roseberg State Forest.
Click on the blue links for Middle results, Facebook photos, Routegadget and WinSplits.
Fast times at 2017 Aust Sprint champs
- Last Updated: Monday, 25 September 2017 12:17
Twenty-three orienteers from nine NSW clubs took out national titles as the Australian championship carnival started with a hot, fast sprint at CSU Bathurst.
Temperatures nudged 30C at 3pm, and it was still 26 degrees at 9.30pm when the dozens of tired organisers and helpers hit the hay after a tiring Saturday.
Course setter Ross Barr loves to have an ace up his sleeve and today it was starting from inside a building, leading to some puzzled looks when runners emerged into the daylight to find their bearings.
The flat, open nature of the campus ensured many very fast times: Aston Key (Vic) won the NOL junior men's with a kilometre rate of 3m57s, and Peter Hodkinson led a NZ sweep of the senior men by running the 3.9km in 14m41s.
Aston's mum Natasha took out the senior women's elite class in the first of several family doubles on the day.
NSW winners were:
W12A Erika Enderby (NC), W20 Clare Jessup (GO), W21A Clare Murphy (UR), W21AS Kate Alborough (NC), W50A Paula Shingler (BF), W55AS Sandra Stewart (SH), W60A Debbie Davey (WR), W65A Carol Jacobson (GO), W70A Jenny Hawkins (NT), Open Easy Justine Brindley (GO).
M21A Charles Keir (GS), M35AS Mark Brindley (GO), M40A Doug Jay (SH), M45A Jock Davis (BF), M45AS Ian Jessup (GO), M55A Greg Barbour (BF), M55AS Michael Halmy (BN), M60A Mel Cox (BN), M65AS Dennis Sparling (GO), M70A Steve Flick (BN), M75A John le Carpentier (SH), M80A Lloyd Gledhill (GO), MOpenB Willam Thompson (NC).
Sunday is the Middle Distance Champs the first of three events on brand new maps at Hill End.
Click on the blue links for Sprint results, Facebook photos, Routegadget and Winsplits.
