Summer League #7: Moanbaun Wood Results and Report

Moanbaun Wood near Watergrasshill was the destination for the seventh event in the Cork Orienteering Club Summer League. A large crowd of 90 orienteering adventurers converged at the wood on Tuesday evening to take on this week’s Summer League orienteering challenge. Although the sky was overcast and there appeared to be the threat of rain thankfully the evening stayed dry and all present got to enjoy the fabulous terrain on offer in Moanbaun Wood.

Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who were active in the wood on Tuesday evening. Regrettably there was also an abundance of midge present and although the pre-event information did advise that midge repellent would be beneficial and many did come prepared no doubt some still did suffer at the expense of these annoying insects.

Aside from the midge this area is more importantly renowned for its extensive network of paths which link several pockets of forest run. The event planner designed the courses to maximise the use of these areas of open forest. This week’s Short course was a little longer than normal and comprised a loop around one of the forest paths. However the later part of the course afforded participants the opportunity to experience one of the beautiful areas of open forest made up of magnificent beech trees.

On the Long course some competitors had a slight stumble at the first control which was rather inconspicuous in its surrounds. For some this was merely a false start to a successful run but for others it knocked their confidence early and made them more hesitant for the remainder of their run. The Long course this week was all about route choice as the planner selected control sites such that there were multiple route options on several legs. Competitors had to decide quickly between using the tracks and travelling longer distances or chance more direct routes through the forest and some of the rough open ground. The fast runners in the field may have favoured the track running options.

From the post route analysis the key differentiating legs on the long course seemed to be the very long leg from 2 to 3, the leg from 6 to 7 and leg 8 to 9. All these legs tempted competitors to take shorter direct routes along rides, narrow trails or through forest walk. However the added risk with these types of routes is that the going might be considerably slower than the tracks and this could cost precious time. Some prior knowledge of the wood would definitely have been advantageous  In particular those who attended our Sunday event in this forest earlier this year would have known how to find the optimal route to control 9. I’m sure most took great pleasure running in the forested area in which controls 7 and 8 were positioned the cushioning of the forest floor certainly added an extra spring to ones step.

Full leg cover was recommended to all competing at the event and those who elected to ignore this advice may have immediately rules out some of the route options available. Although judging by the state of some finishers, a lot were willing to chance anything and persist with their chosen route decision just for a shorter way. I hope they managed to remove all the twigs from their hair and I’m sure the grazes will heal fast!

Last night's event winner needed to have the right combination of speed, decision making and orienteering ability and there was no shortage of these folks in the field. With the Corbett men back in competitive action again this week they continued to demonstrate their speed and navigational skill. Once again father and son competed hard for the bragging rights at the dinner table last night and it was Cillin who was fastest on the night and won the Long course with a time of 30:52. In winning this event Cillin has become the first competitor on the Long course to win two events in the 2013 Summer League. Cillin’s dad Brian achieved second place this week finishing the course with a time of 32:33. Danny O’Hare had another steady run this week and just 25 seconds separated himself and Brian at the finish. Danny’s route selection gave him a time of 32:58.

It was no surprise that the fastest Lady in Moanbaun Wood was of course Niamh Corbett. Niamh completed the course in a time of 41:05. Niamh took time out from her packing for her trip to the Junior World Orienteering Championship (JWOC) to attend the event and secure her sixth first place finish. This gives Niamh the perfect score of 6 in the Ladies league and ensures she will be crowned Summer League Ladies Champion 2013 despite the fact that there are three competitive events left! Niamh and the rest of the Irish team left for the Czech Republic this morning so on behalf of CorkO we would like to wish her all the best and hope her winning form continues. You can find out more about JWOC at www.jwoc2013.cz. The second quickest lady last night was Trishia O’Mahony who finished the testing course in a time of 48:58. Despite some sub-optimal route choices Elaine Sheridan took the final podium spot with a time of 57:40.

On the short course there was no stopping Joe Bosonnet again this week and the extra distance presented no issues for him as he completed the course with a time of 21:54 and had almost eight minutes to spare over his nearest contender. This win gives Joe a hat trick of wins in the 2013 Summer League and he is looking like the guy to beat for the Short course title. Second place on the Short course went to Billy Caball who finished with a time of 29:46. The combined efforts of the Broderick Family secured them third place on the night as they finished with a time of 34:30.

Well done to all who competed on the night. Full individual results with splits are available here. As usual we’ve added a few photos from the event to the Gallery on our website so check them out if you like at www.corko.net/gallery

Just to mention that someone left a kids light weight jacket at registration last night, if this belongs to you or one of your family please do get it touch with us.

Rob McEvoy was well recovered from his exploits at the Setanta 6 hour Rogaine event on Sunday and was planner and organiser for this week’s event. So thanks to Rob McEvoy for planning the courses and forcing us all to think fast and make important route decisions. Rob paired up with Josh O’Sullivan Hourihan (his orienteering rival last week!) for the Rogaine and together they won the 6 hour team event on Sunday despite the challenging conditions on the day. So congratulations to them both.

Thanks to John Scannell for taking care of registration and Bobby O’Connor for erecting all the signage to the event and taking care of starts. Special thanks also to Jim O’Donovana and Paul O’Sullivan Hourihan who assisted with control collection following the event.

With just four events left in the 2013 summer league and only three of these to count in the league and team results if you have an orienteering nemesis you wish to gazump in the results table or want to do your bit for your team, then don’t miss the remaining events. Several folks have already completed 6 events and some of these will also be looking to improve on their current standings over the coming weeks. Remember if you attend 6 events you will be eligible to receive our Summer League finishers t-shirt which is an additional incentive to keep up the Tuesday evening orienteering.

The competition arena for our next event is Ballyannon Wood in Midleton. This ancient woodland with its ruined cottages, boathouses and sandy shore lines has challenged many in the past. A useful tip for next week would be to check the tides! Further forest trivia and directions are available here.

Remember your team needs you. So hope to see you there!