Scottish Sprint Championships 2016South Queensferry, Sunday 7 February
The Prologue of this year’s ESOC Sprint was also the Scottish Sprint Championships, and the whole event was the second in the 2016 Scottish Orienteering Urban league. ESOC members had some excellent results.
South Queensferry has a variety of urban terrain, including intricate pathways through modern housing estates; open grassy areas and gardens; the old town centre with narrow alleyways and steps; the beach; and a pathway along a disused railway line. This is all set on the side of a hill and dominated by the Forth Road Bridge.
The ESOC Sprint is a two-part race, with a chasing start for the second part. Senior classes had a remote start for both races, to make the most of the terrain.
The route to the first start passed under the Forth Road Bridge, and the courses snaked around the complex housing estate to the west, then there was a long leg returning to the east side of the main road, before more controls amongst modern housing, and a remote finish. The Event Centre was at Queensferry Sports Hub, with indoor facilities including hot and cold drinks and snacks, which were very well-received between races.
The second race involved a long run to the start kite, followed by controls coming thick and fast through the main street of the town, then uphill to a few straightforward legs, with the final few controls in more modern developments.
Junior courses stayed fairly close to the Event Centre, taking varied routes through the maze of pathways in the modern housing estates.
The weather was cold, wet and windy, with some heavy showers.
ESOC had 9 winners in the Scottish Sprint Championships:
Laurence Ward, M10
Ray Ward, M40
Jim Clark, M75
Maja Robertson, W10
Rachel Brown, W14
Laura Robertson, W21
Gillian Martin, W35
Mary Williams, W65
Eleanor Pyrah, W70
Other ESOC members who were in the top half of the results for the overall ESOC Sprint were:
Open Women (17 competitors) – Rona Lindsay 5th
Veteran Men 40+ (29) – Alistair Hindle 5th, Walter Clark 6th, Clive Masson 8th, Terry Johnstone 12th
Veteran Women 40+ (25) – Heather Thomson 2nd, Helena Nolan 6th, Alison Cunningham 7th
Supervet Men 55+ (15) – Martin Caldwell 4th, Crawford Lindsay 7th, Mike Stewart 8th
Supervet Women 55+ (10) – Sally Lindsay 4th, Janice Nisbet 5th
Ultravet Men 65+ (12) – Alastair Lessells 5th
Junior Men 16- (9) – Ben Brown 5th
Young Junior Women 12- (4) – Megan Brown 1st=
Full results from the event are available in the 2016 ESOC Results Archive.
A link to the 2016 Scottish Orienteering Urban League tables can be found on the SOUL page of the Scottish Orienteering website.
Other entries categorised under: Event Reports