Summer League #3: Doneraile Park Tuesday May 23rd Results and Report

Post date: May 24, 2017 11:50:50 PM

The sun shone brightly in Doneraile Park on Tuesday evening for the third event in the CorkO Summer League. A warm welcome from our North Cork members awaited all competitors who travelled from near and far to the event. The glorious sunshine and marvellous location attracted 97 entrants but given many participants opted to work as a team there was probably well over 100 in action on the night. We were delighted to see so many families and groups in attendance and we were thrilled to see the Fermoy Cub Scouts back for more orienteering adventures. Tuesday’s event also coincided with World Orienteering Day and certificates of participation were presented to all juniors at the finish. Check out the photos on our website to see some of the proud finishers on the night. The Short course was a lovely loop which encompassed some of the enchanting features in the park. The planner set out a stimulating Long course which required complete concentration throughout. There were lots of short legs with many changes in direction and some discreetly positioned controls. With 24 controls to visit there was little time to appreciate the numerous spectacular views on offer throughout the park. The course commenced with a fast-downhill leg towards the first cluster of controls. These were followed by some zig-zigging across the front of the impressive Doneraile House with control 6 providing a glimpse into the secret parterre garden. I hope no one was allergic to wild garlic as it was particularly difficult to avoid around the next bunch of controls. Although for many of the late starters these wild garlic plants were well trampled into the ground but their aroma was still very strong. As competitors traversed the mid-section of the course they got to enjoy tranquil lakes, elegant bridges and the flowing river sounds. The leg from 14 to 15 was probably the only real climb of the night and the restful deer in the enclosure to the left of this track were a captivating distraction on this climb. Controls 17-20 grouped in the North-east section of the map proved costly for some. The short leg from 17 to 18 looked simple enough but many competitors failed to recognise one of the many ha-ha’s marked on the map and ended up on the wrong side of a very steep wall.

There was bit of a sting to the final section of the course with the abundance of nettles in the rough terrain around controls 21 and 23. Having punched the last control there was fast-downhill sprint to the finish. The going was fast and furious on the Long course and with many competitors making the long journey from the city to the event there were quite a few late starters on the night. Many of these chased each other around the course and the trickier controls resulting in the leader changing across various legs. Over the 5km Long course it was Dan McDonnell who emerged the fastest on the night. He completed the fast and intricate Long course in a time of 32:10. That’s back-to-back Doneraile event winner’s titles for Dan who also proved the fastest competitor around the Doneraile course in the 2016 league. The distinction of runner up on the night went to Cian O’Mahony who punched all 24 controls in a time of 34:27. Not far behind Cian was third place finisher Pat O’Donovan who completed the course in a time of 34:51. Having just finished college for the summer Niamh Corbett was back in Cork and demonstrated her orienteering prowess when she took the title of the fastest Lady on the night. She completed the course in a time 38:04. This fast pace meant that she also finished 7th in the overall results on the Long course. Very impressive running and navigation by Niamh on the night. Things were very tight among the chasing pack and there was only 23 seconds between the next three finishers. Trishia O’Mahony emerged top of the pack and took the runner-up spot when she finished in a time of 43:29. Sinead O’Donoghue and Elaine Sheridan battled it out over the final few controls for the last spot on the rostrum and with just seven seconds to spare Sinead secured third place. She finished in a time of 43:45 and continues her run of podium finishes in the league to date. On the Short course the O’Shea brothers battled it out for the event winner honour and over the 2.5km course a mere three seconds separated them at the finish. Jack O’Shea was the Short course winner on the night punching the finish in a time of 15:05. Right behind him was Colin O’Shea who finished with a time of 15:08. The final podium spot on the Short course went to Fionn O’Kelly who visited all 12 controls in a time of 17:23. Well done to all who participated on the night. Full individual results with split time are available at the following link http://www.orienteering.ie/result2?oaction=moreResult&id=2945Huge thanks this week are due to our North Cork crew. Thanks to Jim Callanan for planning the courses, Denis Power for taking care of registration on the night and to Ailbhe Callanan for taking time out from her studies to assist with data entry and download. Thanks also to Gerald Duffy and Kenneth Mulvaney for helping with control collection.

Once again, this event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Liam O'Brien and the Cork Schools Orienteering Association (CSOA) who gave us the use of their map and the Office of Public Works (OPW) who granted us access to this wonderful amenity.

The next location on our Summer League tour is the Regional Park Ballincollig. This park was once home to a major gunpowder works but has now become a very popular public amenity. Check out the link below for a map and some area trivia.

www.corko.net/calendar/ballincollig-regional-park

Hope you can join us.