Autumn League #1: Currabinny Wood Tuesday August 25th Results and Report

The first event in the CorkO Autumn League took place on Tuesday evening last in Currabinny Wood. The conditions on Tuesday morning were more indicative of a winter’s day rather than an Autumnal one. But thankfully the thick mist and heavy rain which greeted competitors on Tuesday morning cleared as the day progressed and by the time our event kicked off at 5:30pm the rain had ceased and a hint of blue sky was even present. After our short recess it was great to get back out into the outdoors and the wood looked magnificent on Tuesday night with it's thriving flora.

The changeable conditions didn’t deter our enthusiastic followers and 60 orienteers converged in Currabinny Wood for the event. This was the first opportunity for many of our dedicated Summer League supporters to collect their hard earned league finishers t-shirt and several decided to immediately test them out on the hilly terrain in Currabinny.

As the evenings begin to draw in there are only a few evening events left in the 2015 orienteering calendar and this week’s planner set a Long course which allowed competitors to enjoy the evening light for a little longer than anticipated. Furthermore, some late starters might have incurred some difficulty locating controls in some of the darker sections of the wood and the setting sun might have hampered their visibility on route to the final control and on the run in.

The heavy rain meant that conditions were a little slippery under foot as competitors traversed this charming hillock. The Long course was physically demanding from the start were it commenced with a long leg and steep climb from the car park up to the elegant octagonal shaped tea house. The course did offer plenty of route choice and paying heed to the contour detail helped eliminate some unnecessary climbs and descents along the way. Several legs such as 2 to 3, 4 to 5 and 7 to 8 enticed competitors to take the direct line to the control site and these required some careful navigation through some of the undergrowth. The flourishing vegetation in some of these areas may have caused competitors to veer off their intended line leading to some difficulty locating these controls.

The Long course was a test of both orienteering skills and stamina and it was Agris Kramins who demonstrated both in abundance on Tuesday night. He took the event win when he completed the gruelling course in a time of 42:22. He made light work of the hills and demonstrated excellent navigational prowess finishing over two minutes clear of his nearest contender. The runners-up honour went to Gerald Duffy when he punched all 16 controls in a time of 44:42. Pat O’Donovan claimed the final podium spot on the Long course when he finished the 4.9km course in a time of 47:09.

The fastest lady around Currabinny Wood on Tuesday night was Niamh Corbett she finished the Long course in a time of 48:40 which also saw her finish fourth in the overall results. Eibhlin Cleary took second place when she completed the arduous course in a time of 56:54. There was a close contest for the final podium spot which went to Claire O’Brien who finished in a time of 61:01 a mere nine seconds clear of Elaine Sheridan.On the Short course the team work from Kieran and Fiona bagged them the event win when they completed the 2.2km course in a time of 20:28. Billy Caball took the runners-up title when he finished in a time of 21:45. Not far behind Billy was third place finisher Matthew Kearney who completed the course in a time of 22:16.Well done to all who took part on the night. Full individual results with split times are available here:www.orienteering.ie/result2?oaction=moreResult&id=2553Huge thanks to Gary O’Donovan for accepting the challenge to plan the event and for setting out a testing and adventurous course. Thanks also to Brian Corbett for controlling the event and to Liz Deane for taking care of registration on the night. The refreshments and jellies at the finish were most welcome and thanks to Gerald Duffy for arranging these.If you felt that your navigational errors proved costly on Tuesday night then perhaps you might consider attending our Training Day at Walshtown Wood on Saturday September 12th. It just might help give you the edge over your orienteering rivals! Further details to follow in a separate post.

Meanwhile the second event in the Autumn League will see us visit the Regional Park Ballincollig. This flat parkland terrain will be a good deal less physical than the exhausting hills in Currabinny. Just a reminder to all Summer League finishers your 2015 technical t-shirts will also be available to collect at this event.

Hope you can join us.