Latest ONSW News
ONSW organisers are delighted to reported we have more than 160 entries for the Australian Mountain Bike Orienteering Champs at Wingello in the Southern Highlands.
Our Kiwi cousins are bringing more than 50 eager riders for the carnival from October 4-8, which includes two midweek warm-up events plus the three championship events on the weekend.
There will be limited enter on the day in the recreational class, which will cater for pairs as well as solo riders, and for Juniors under 14.
Big Foot took out the top two divisions of the MetrO League for the second time in four years after a dominant display in the final round at Lansdowne on Sunday.
The Feet needed only a win over Garingal in Division 1 to regain the newly minted Frank Assenza Trophy, and did so 32-23. The hybrid WHO Evers team beat SHOO-IKO 31-24 to finish level with Big Foot but second on 'goal difference'.
We believe it may be the first time a father-son combination (Mark and Ewan Shingler) have shared in a Division 1 title.
Big Foot beat Uringa-Central Coast by the same scoreline in Division 2 to make it a double, but UR-CC had their moment in taking out Division 5 against WHO 34-21. SHOO-IKO triumphed in Division 3, beating an unusually lacklustre KNOX team for whom Thomas Gordon sped around the 4.1km course in 26:39 - a massive nine minutes ahead of his nearest rival.
Continuing the lopsided scorelines, Bennelong had an easy win over the Garingal Monitors 36-19 in the Division 4 final.
Congratulations to our team and individual champions for 2017:
Division 1: Big Foot + Toby Wilson (Garingal)
Division 2: Big Foot + Ross Morrison (Garingal)
Division 3: SHOO-IKO + Clyde McGhee (Bennelong)
Division 4: Bennelong Northside + Bob Morgan (Bennelong)
Division 5: Uringa-Central Coast + Serena Doyle (Uringa)
A big thank you to all our setters, controllers, organisers, club captains, SI gurus and participants. Uringa hosted us for the finals on the revamped Boggabilla map and setter Dick Ogilvie regaled us all with a botany lesson that seared asparagus weed into our minds until next year!
Our big national carnival is just two weeks away - and you can read all the latest in Bulletin 2 here.
Please note the requirement for all participant to carry a whistle at all bush events, and to bring thermals in case of very cold weather at Bathurst or Hill End.
Enter on day details are also included. Anyone thinking of doing EOD - if you know in advance you are coming, please
If you have local friends who'd like to try orienteering, please remind them of the special $14 entry fee for Bathurst Council area residents.
All nine competing clubs will contest the Sydney Metro League finals after a fast and flat round 5 at Castle Hill on Sunday.
We say a massive thank you to hosts and setters WHO, the results team from Garingal, Bennelong for rego and starts, and Big Foot for the whiteboards as we put this event together at very short notice.
A warm day thankfully resulted in some shortish courses at Fred Caterson Reserve (see Div 3 and Div 5) that favoured the speedsters - and there were a whopping 64 runners back in under 35 minutes.
Fathers Day took out a few regulars, so it was delightful to see around 30 enter-on-day people, including German exchange students Kari and Siggy (pictured).
In Division 1 where it's first past the post, Big Foot thrashed an undermanned WHO to take first place on points difference. In next Sunday's last round at Lansdowne, Big Foot can regain the trophy by beating Garingal. WHO will need GO to spring an upset to have any chance.
In the other divisions we will have the usual finals with 1 v 2 as follows:
Division 2: UR-CC v Big Foot
Division 3: KNOX v SHOO-IKO
Division 4: GO Monitors v Bennelong
Division 5: UR-CC v WHO
In Division 3, KNOX won both their matches to leap into first place and knocking Bennelong out of the final. GO Molochs paid the price for two mps in their loss to Big Foot. UR-CC inflicted a first defeat on WHO in Division 5, setting up a rematch next week. And in Division 2 the front-runners UR-CC and Big Foot won to ensure they meet in the final.
Team and individual scores have been updated on the Metro League web page, and IKO have posted a lovely photo album on Facebook.
Congratulations to Ross Morrison (GO, Divn 2) and Clyde McGhee (BN, Divn 3) who already have their individual medals sewn up.
Our finals are next Sunday (Sep 10) at Boggabilla Reserve, Lansdowne. Entry is open via Eventor.
