Organiser’s Comments

Since Andrew kindly relieved me of all the electronic responsibilities I needed only a small team of helpers to manage the remaining tasks. My thanks are due to Anne Duncumb who processed the pre-entries and also managed the on-the-day entries. Bruce and Maria Marshall managed the start very efficiently and Dave Wotton and Julia Carpenter generously allowed me (once again!) to enlist them to manage the change-over arena. Pauline Humphries and son Philip patiently handled the manual finish backup system. I would also like to thank Steve Hinshelwood, Jitka Sengerova and Ursula Oxburgh for providing the reserve helpers’ support.

Working with Rolf and Roger was a pleasure, especially as they are both so helpful and easy-going, coping very well with the new technology and relay event format. Finally, thanks to all you competitors who came along and seemed to enjoy the event so much - making it very worthwhile for the other officials and me.

Tim Mulcahy (WAOC)

Planner’s Comments

This was the first WAOC event to use electronic punching, manufactured by Sport Ident. The dawn of a new era. Epunching records the order in which competitors visit controls. Therefore manned controls are no longer required, and courses can cross over themselves several times. It was unnecessary to exploit these advantages for the short courses I planned on Mildenhall, but will be particularly useful for longer courses on compact areas like Rowney Warren and Maulden Woods.

However, I must point out that epunching also increases the workload for the planner. Before the event, the ekit needs to be collected and the epunches programmed. Programming the epunches is a simple task, not to be feared, and takes only half an hour the evening before. The computer also needs to know the control codes for each course and any pre-entries. Entering this data is straightforward so long as complicated things like handicapped relays aren't required. The day before the relays I put out the kites on canes, and those blue fence posts. I found the blue posts difficult to carry whilst running (as did some of those collecting controls). This meant hanging controls took longer than normal.

On the day of the event I ran around the area clipping the epunches to the posts, this was to avoid overnight vandalism and to save epunch battery power. To reduce the workload, I'd recommend attaching everything to a single blue post, and putting out as many as possible on the morning of the event.

A few weeks before the relays, in accordance with the BOF guidelines, I sat down in my comfy armchair and planned some cunning courses with a plate of pasta. A few days later I got a phone call from controller Roger, "I think you should go to the forest Rolf, as the nettles have grown". So the courses were replanned, and I assure you, in terms of nettles, you got off very lightly.

I must thank Roger Orpin, Tim Mulcahy our organiser, Andrew Cordle the epunching guru, and everyone else who helped, or ran.

Rolf Crook (CUOC)

Controller’s Comments

Having not orienteered for 2 years, when the 'Can you control a small relay event?' came along it sounded a good way to dust down those O shoes. What I didn't know straight away was that this would be a trial using the SportIdent electronic punching. Having never seen them in operation or having any idea what was involved this small event suddenly became a bit more complex than I first thought.

However with Rolf's obvious expertise in computing (which now seems a major requirement for any future planner) and Tim's cool organisational skills, I was confident of a successful event and so it proved. There were no hitches on the day and with Andrew Cordle (big thank-you for your initiation on SportIdent) dealing with all those little computing problems in the finish tent - the event ran smoothly.

I hope the next development in orienteering will be something to stop nettles growing at such a rapid pace - some way off I think!

Roger Orpin (WAOC)

    Pos.   Team/Competitors              Handicap Time  Running Time

    1 WAOC Sausages                         1:39:30       0:53:30
      Handicap                    46:00
      Peter Gardner               20:15
      Helen Gardner               11:41
      Neil Northrop               21:34

    2 SOS WonderWest                        1:44:51       1:04:51
      Handicap                    40:00
      Eleanor West                23:34
      Joanne West                 13:06
      David West                  28:11

    3 NOR NormenConq                        1:44:54       0:56:54
      Handicap                    48:00
      Laurence Ball               18:04
      Ian Thirkill                10:31
      Edmund Kelleher             28:19

    4 WAOC Chips                            2:08:11       1:30:11
      Handicap                    38:00
      Simon Gardner               34:25
      Clare Woods                 14:30
      Leonie Brown                41:16

    5 WAOC Beans                            2:11:48       1:28:48
      Handicap                    43:00
      Martin Humphries            29:09
      Philip Humphries            14:35
      Blanka Sengerova            45:04

    Pos.   Team/Competitors              Handicap Time  Running Time

    1 WAOC Sourdoughs                       2:19:20       1:33:20
      Handicap                    46:00
      Peter Ryall                 36:10
      Janis Ryall                 23:36
      Steve Hinshelwood           33:34

    2 WAOC Ken Holm's                       2:21:40       1:28:40
      Handicap                    53:00
      Roger Horton                34:39
      Ian Lawson                  25:52
      Ian Jones                   28:09

    3 WASH Cast Iron                        2:23:21       1:32:00
      Handicap                    51:00
      Peter Walling               31:32
      Barry Chilvers              23:01
      Kevin Smith                 37:48

    4 WAOC Wadeson                          2:31:15       1:37:15
      Handicap                    54:00
      Mark Wadeson                34:57
      Chris Brown                 18:17
      Anthony Wadeson             44:01

    5 WAOC No Name                          2:32:11       1:54:11
      Handicap                    38:00
      John Beadle                 44:52
      Noreen Ives                 26:14
      Lindsey Freeman             43:05

    6 HH Streetwise                         2:45:59       1:56:59
      Handicap                    49:00
      Jonathan Street             43:04
      Timothy Street              33:17
      Clive Street                40:38

    7 WAOC Stansted F                       2:54:40       2:01:40
      Handicap                    53:00
      Ian Clayton                 56:09
      Fred Northrop               19:34
      Peter Woods                 45:57

    8 WAOC Gardening                        2:56:42       2:09:42
      Handicap                    47:00
      Nicola Gardner              45:03
      Mike Gardner                33:01
      Bob Hill                    51:38


    n/c SOS Sunday Out                      2:47:43       1:53:43
      Handicap                    54:00
      Jean Sinclair               53:44
      Russell Ladkin              19:20
      Russell Ladkin              40:39