Summer League #7: Moanbaun Wood, Watergrasshill Tuesday June 23rd Results and Report

Post date: Jun 25, 2015 2:15:16 PM

Moanbaun Wood near Watergrasshill was the destination for the seventh event in the CorkO Summer League. The warm bright summers evening enticed large numbers of individuals and families to the event, all of whom were keen to take full advantage of the glorious evening and enjoy some orienteering escapades.Among the 90 entries on the night it was fabulous to see such a large number of families taking part. The Short course entry list includes the Ryan Family, Daly Family, Lynch Family, O’Shea Family, Reilly Family, Black Family and Kearney Family. It is great to see so many families pooling their navigational skills and enjoying the sport of orienteering.At 3km the Short course at Moanbaun Wood was probably a little longer than normal but the extra distance meant participants completed a pleasant loop along a fire road through the lower part of the map. On our last Summer League visit to this area Coillte were actively felling sections of the wood along this loop and machinery and log piles were clearly evident along this route. This evidence has all been removed and all that remains is the bleak remnants of the once runnable forest. This rough open terrain was enriched somewhat on the night by the abundance of vibrant purple foxgloves plants which have taken root in the area. The evening sun further accentuated their colours.The Long course in Moabaun Wood comprised a good mix of fast running on forest trails and intricate orienteering through the pockets of runnable forest. Controls 3 and 4 were located among the grim ruins of the clear felling. The going was rough in this area and even the once distinctive earth walls were difficult to see amongst the brashings and undergrowth which surrounded them.The legs from 4 through to 7 took competitors into the runnable forest. Once again a lot of ducking and weaving was required to avoid the low hanging branches in this area. Going from 6 to 7 competitors had the option to stay in the forest or exit onto the fire road. The faster and perhaps taller runners in the field may have chosen the latter option. Precious seconds could be gained over fellow competitors by enjoying some fast running on this forest trail.

The concluding portion of the Long course took participants through several areas of runnable forest. Given the recent dry spell these areas were exceptionally dry and resulted in a lovely cushioned running surface. The steep climb to controls 9 and 10 was followed by a fast descent through the valley if you took this route to control 11.

The earth walls were useful hand rails on route to controls 12 and 13. The evening rays which flickered through the forest canopy in this region created a splendid picture. However, it would seem that some competitors struggled to locate the final control on the Long course which was positioned at the edge of the beautiful beech forest. Perhaps the rows of magnificent beech trees shrouded in the evening sun were too distracting while bounding along this very runnable section of forest. Once located the long run to the finish awaited. Many participants were witnessed sprinting down the forest road on the home straight and interestingly it was Conrad Daly who had the fastest split on the run in with a time of 1:39.Following on from his first place finish in James’ Fort last week Conrad Daly ran hard again this week and claimed his second event winner title when he completed the 4.1km Long course in Moanbaun Wood in a time of 34:48. If Conrad can keep this form going over the remaining events he will certainly challenge Josh for the 2015 Summer League title. John Chandler was runners-up on Tuesday evening when he punched all 14 controls on the tricky Long course in a time of 35:51.The contest for the final podium spot was quite intense. Following a great run at last week’s event Sean Murphy was hoping to achieve another podium honour this week however Richard Latimer managed to deny Sean a spot on the rostrum.  Richard Latimer’s impressive run meant he took third place and achieved his first podium finish in the 2015 Summer League when he finished in a time of 37:02 a meagre 23 seconds clear of Sean Murphy.A weekend of competitive orienteering in Scotland didn’t seem to take its toll on Niamh Corbett and she was once again the fastest lady on the night. Niamh completed the Long course in a time of 38:49. Just 30 seconds separated the next two lady finishers and it was Trishia O'Mahony who claimed the runners-up spot with a time of 52:43. Elaine Sheridan had to be content with another third place finish when she completed the course in a time of 53:13.Matthew Kearney’s very imposing run of first place finishes on the Short course came to an end this week when Dermot Murphy showed his fast pace and took the title of Short course winner at Moanbaun Wood. Dermot completed the 3km loop in a time of 15 minutes and 22 seconds. Matthew Kearney finished second on the night when he completed the course in a time of 20:04. There was a very close battle for third place on the Short course and a mere 15 seconds separated the next two finishers. Liam Twomey narrowly piped Sienna Bosonnet for the third place honour. Liam punched all 10 controls in a time of 21:03. Having just finished the Junior Certificate this was Sienna’s first event in the 2015 Summer League and no doubt she will be challenging for podium spots in the coming weeks.Well done to all who competed on the night. Full individual results with split times are available here.We would like to apologise to a number of orienteers who were unable to see their finish times on the night. A firmware upgrade resulted in certain types of SI cards not being read correctly at download. We managed to address the issue and the impacted orienteers should see their correct times and splits in the results. We're really sorry for the mix up on the night.This week we would like to thank Frank O’Brien for planning the courses and Liam O’Brien for controlling and organising the event. Thanks also to Willie Fitzgerald for his assistance with the event. Thanks again to Gerald Duffy for looking after the refreshments and to Niamh Corbett for assisting with control collection.The competition arena for the eighth event in the CorkO Summer League will be Ballyannon Wood in Midleton. This ancient woodland with its ruined cottages, boathouses and sandy shore lines has challenged many at previous events on this map. A useful tip for next week would be to check the tides! Further forest trivia and directions are available here.

Hope you can join us.