Finals spots are still up for grabs in most divisions after a tough round 4 of our Sydney Metro League at Manly Dam.
Many participants expected some intricate map work in the rock platforms near the start at Allambie Heights Oval. However, they didn’t feature as much and setter Rachel Povah had most courses stick to the main tracks with only small deviations off to the controls.
It is a difficult area to set courses in, as it is scattered with cliffs and mostly dark green, limiting options for route choice. Having said that, this time we went all the way down to the dam (into a section previously only used for the Sydney Summer Series)... and all the way back up again!
The steep terrain and rocky trails made for slow going, but the scenery and weather were superb.
One of the drawbacks of setting in such an environment, and a great learning curve for newcomers, is that courses are often much longer than the stated 'red line' distance. The Division 3 course, for instance, was 3.7km as the crow flies - but 5.5km actual (so 50% longer, and with 150m of climb!). A great workout, nonetheless.
Back to the nitty gritty of jockeying for positions.
Division 1 looks to be a race between the hybrid WHO Evers and Big Foot. If WHO win next round at St Ives they'll be champs, otherwise the last round at Boggabilla will decide the title - possibly on 'goal difference'.
In Division 2 we could end up with 5 teams on 6 points. If Big Foot and UR-CC win at St Ives then they'll contest the final.
In Division 3, in-form KNOX need to beat top-placed Bennelong to have a chance in what's looming as a three-way tussle with SHOO-IKO.
It's the same in Division 4 where Garingal's two teams and Bennelong are fighting it out. And in Division 5, the two SHOO-IKO teams are hoping one of them can edge ahead of UR-CC to take on WHO in the final.
Thanks to Bennelong for a lovely day out and to the local scouts for the use of their hall.
The ML web page has been updated with points tables, individual points tables, whiteboard scores and Winsplits.
