Autumn League #3: Regional Park Ballincollig Tuesday September 11th Results and Report

Post date: Sep 12, 2018 10:26:39 PM

The Regional Park Ballincollig was the destination for the third event in the CorkO Autumn League. The evenings are definitely getting cooler and there was even a little rain on Tuesday evening but this didn't deter the 50 plus orienteers who participated on the night. This wonderful amenity is always busy and on Tuesday evening orienteers added to the mix of walkers, joggers, runners, footballers and families taking advantage of the wonderful facilities available in the park. The event started from the middle car park which allowed the planner to set out courses which covered a large section of the map. The Short course comprised a nice loop around the middle section. The long course began by taking competitors to the Eastern end of the park. The first control as with several controls on the night proved difficult to spot from afar. The popularity of the park means that controls need to be in discreet locations and well secured to prevent curious passers-by from relocating them. So, while some may have been inside the control circle it was necessary on many occasions to read the control description to determine exactly were the kite was. This first control positioned beneath the bridge certainly caught some orienteers out. From here competitors had to run through the section of runnable forest at the Eastern end of the map. For many of the late starters the fading light and the overcast evening made for poor visibility in the area. Luckily the building the control was positioned adjacent to was large and easy to spot. Orienteers had to visit a few more buildings in this area. On the leg from 5 to 6 those with local knowledge of the park may have elected to take a more direct route to 6 by crossing the dry canals. There was some nice open running across the playing pitches and along the canal banks as competitors returned to the middle area of the map. Control 11 in the pit was another that was tricky to spot. From here competitors ran across the meadow and began their trip to the Western section of the map. Thankfully the grass had been recently cut when meant the going was fast in this area.

Controls 14 and 15 were problematic for some due to their careful positioning in the ruins. Following 15 there was a lovely run along the gravel trail back towards the start area. Unfortunately, some competitors got a little carried away on this home stretch and headed straight for the finish control failing to spot control 19 on the hill top beyond the finish. It was very enjoyable run around the park which required some prudent orienteering to locate the controls.