SELOC Club League

Latest league table is on the results page, showing Matt Driver clearly out in front after 3 events. A good result at Wednesday night’s Helmshore Street event added to his excellent one from Liverpool to put him well clear of Paul Turner and Mark Seddon in joint 2^nd place, though these guys are the only ones with 3 counting runs so far. Robert and Lucy Seddon are then close behind after just 2 counting runs, so are the leading juniors, then it is Cath Wilson as leading senior lady in 6^th.

As you’ll see from the website, there are effectively just 2 League events to go as only one from PFO can count to avoid unfair advantage (their night league and regional event are both at Holcombe Ranges on consecutive days). So will you maximise points by exploiting the scoring system and doing the night event, where a lower turnout may offer better scores, or look for a nice clean, fast run at the daytime one?

Then all to play for at EPOC’s Newmillerdam event the Sunday before Christmas – always good fun – prior to the prizegiving at SELOC’s Christmas event (details coming soon but pencil in 27 December).

SELOC Successes

Lots happening on what at first sight appears to be a quiet week in late November. Most popular event was Wednesday night’s Helmshore event put on as part of SROC’s winter Street League by Steve Wilson & family. Around a dozen members plus a few “associates” taking part, so can’t list them all but as mentioned above, Matt Driver had the best result taking 3^rd place. He’s only done 2 League races so far this winter but on current form would go to top spot if he had 3 scores. As it is, we have Josie Greenhalgh at no.2 in the League, running with Darren Baker of DEE.

Saturday saw the PFO Club Champs, with a score format at Peel Park, Accrington. Only the Wilson family took up the invitation for other clubs to join in but Cath had an excellent run, pipping Steve by 10 points and taking 3^rd place. Daniel and Anna ran together, finishing 28^th overall but top of the under-10’s. Then on Saturday night it was NW Night League time. Mark Seddon and Kev Latham both made it to SROC’s opening event of the season at Low Park Wood near Kendal, with Mark taking 5^th place on the Blue course and Kev placed 8^th on Green.

Sunday saw Steve Round as SELOC’s sole representative at CLARO’s distinctive Plumpton Rocks – an area with rock outcrops, caves, narrow passages between cliffs plus a bit of forest and an ornamental lake. The map at 1:3000 scale was an update by Quentin Harding from an original by former SELOC member Jem Wilcox (there’s a memory test for the oldies). Steve got his head in a mess, found the dense packing of controls a bit too much and failed to spot no. 20 on the map, let alone on the ground, so was disqualified.

Upcoming Events

This coming week it is the turn of the MDOC Street League with a race at Altrincham on Thursday 29^th. Not many seem to have noticed that there’s also a midweek league from AIRE taking place over in the Leeds area, comprising alternate forest and street night events each Wednesday. Then at the weekend we have a Saturday morning schools league event from DEE at Marbury Country Park, Northwich followed by regional events from SYO (Ramsley Moor, Chesterfield) and WCH (Brereton Spurs, Rugeley) on Sunday 2^nd 

By that point we are into December and a busy run-up to Christmas. The UK Urban League is the only major UK trophy still to be decided and the final event takes place in Derby on Sunday 9 December. Alternatively, LOC have a park sprint at Brockholes, Windermere if anyone fancies the rare opportunity for a blast round a Lake District area. Before that we have street events from both SROC (Carnforth, and a counter in SROC Street League) and LOC (Windermere) on Wednesday 5^th followed by a DEE night street event on Thursday 6^th at Appleton, just south of Warrington. Saturday 8^th brings another MDOC Park + Urban event in Bramhall, Stockport.

The following week sees midweek night events from MDOC (another Street League, in Romiley on Tuesday 11^th) and LOC (in terrain, near Kendal on Wednesday 12^th) before we get into PFO’s weekend of events on our doorstep at Holcombe Ranges on 15/16 December. As mentioned, one of these will count in the SELOC Club League but it will be the night event if you do both in order to prevent any unfair knowledge of the terrain.

Further ahead into 2019, events making up both the UK O League and the UK Urban League have been announced, so you can start planning your bids to succeed in these prestigious competitions. See the relevant web pages for details, then get out the road maps and the planning calendar as you start to salivate over the prospects on offer.

And finally…..

• Membership renewals have been issued via BOF, and you’re advised to renew promptly if you plan on entering any major events such as British Championships or JK while early bird discounts are available. JK this year is in Hampshire, the various British Champs are scattered but the Sprint Distance is back at Loughborough University – Matt Driver take note! If you’re one of the many people who are reading this but aren’t yet a SELOC member then click on the Join Now button over there on the right hand side of this page or contact me (Annmarie Thetford on info@seloc.org.uk) for more information.
• The latest edition of CompassSport magazine has just landed on doormats. It contains a very interesting article by former SELOC member Graham Patten about his life in orienteering, not to mention yet more memories for the oldies. He was a member of our famous SELOC Racing Team in the 1980’s and 1990’s, when a group of elite runners all moved to the Manchester area. They chose to join existing SELOC members Mark Seddon and Ian Christian and form a top class team which won JK Relays and Harvesters. There’s a team picture on page 40 – most of them are still competing after moving away, albeit in slightly older age classes. Graham recalls it as “the most fun I’ve had and my best year’s orienteering in the UK”. Consider a subscription as CompassSport is the UK’s only magazine dedicated to orienteering and mountain marathons.
• Don’t forget the opportunity to buy night orienteering equipment at a discount from Bright Bike Lights, suppliers of good head torches and sponsors of the North West Night League. If SELOC can get a group together that wants to spend £300 collectively then each of them will get a 10% discount. So if you are thinking of upgrading your night equipment for the coming season then take a look at our own website and at https://www.brightbikelights.com, then contact Steve Round by 1 December.