AUSTRALIAN 3 DAYS

from The Australian Orienteer – June 2009

by Orienteering Australia

CLIMATE CHANGE

Sprint – Julian Dent (NSW) followed by Simon Uppill (SA) Photo: Mike Hubbert

Day 3 – Evan Barr (VIC) heads Glenn Meyer (NSW) Photo: Clive Roper Day 3 – Hanny Allston (TAS) Photo: Clive Roper

The Trewin Report

Blair Trewin reports on the Easter Carnival in Tasmania.

2009 Australian 3-Days:

Dent and Allston return to the top

JULIAN Dent (NSW) and Hanny Allston (TAS) cemented their positions as the leading orienteers in Australia today with comprehensive wins at the Australian 3-Days in Tasmania. Both were either missing or restricted by injury for large parts of 2008, but look to have returned to something close to their best and can now look forward to performing on the wider stage. Dent had a strong rival in Simon Uppill (SA), who was in touch on all four days, but was unable to break through for a win on any of them. The lead was around two minutes after the first two shorter races, extending to four after the Long Distance day, and six in the end. The only time the NSW Stingers runner looked at all vulnerable was when Uppill had an excellent section through the middle of the Long Distance day, winning five successive splits and cutting deeply into the lead established during Dent’s fast start, but that was as close as he got at any stage. The rest were effectively competing in a different race, in what was the largest elite men’s field since the 1980s. The best of several contenders for third were Grant Bluett (ACT), Rob Walter (ACT) and Rob Preston (NSW), but it was Bluett who prevailed, a result set up with a strong third place on the Long Distance day. Troy de Haas (VIC), making his first appearance in a major national event for some time, might have been expected to challenge for third at least, but lost his chance of an overall result by mispunching on the first day and never got into the competition thereafter. The women had a contest for the first two days. Allston made two errors in the Sprint Prologue and had to settle for third behind Kathryn Ewels (VIC) and Shannon Jones (ACT). She was still a little below her best the next day with a two-minute mistake at #10, but others stumbled too in the low-visibility eucalypt plantations, giving her a three-minute break to take into the Long Distance day. From there it was one-way traffic, as she had nine minutes in hand on the Long Distance day, and more remarkably seven on the relatively short last day, stretching the final margin to around 20 minutes. Ewels was best of the rest, ahead of fellow Victorian Jasmine Neve, who looks to have improved over the summer, particularly over the longer distances that have tested her in the past. There was also a career-best result for her older sister, Mace, who took fourth with a good final day, while Shannon Jones (ACT) was also solid in making up the top five. A good contest was anticipated in the junior women’s, where four 2008 JWOC Team members all entered the week in decent form. It proved to be less of a contest than anticipated; Belinda Lawford (ACT) made a statement early with an impressive Sprint and went on to win the event comfortably, winning three out of four days and finishing seven minutes clear of the field. The close contest was behind her with the next three separated by less than two minutes. Bridget Anderson (QLD) took second, while Sarah Buckerfield (TAS), who indicated that she has taken a big step up with an impressive four-minute win on the Long Distance day, edged out Krystal Neumann (QLD) by two seconds for third. M20 was closer at the front. Joshua Blatchford (NSW) had a disappointing Easter last year after going in with high hopes, but was always at or near the front in 2009, and set up his eventual victory with a three-minute win on the Long Distance day. (The Long day was not quite as critical on paper this year as in some recent years because the lack of a last-day chasing start meant there was more scope to gain or lose a lot of ground, but the decisive breaks at the front were still made then). Lachlan Dow (ACT) was not always at his peak but was consistent enough to take second, while Max Neve’s (VIC) equal-first on the last day got him into the placings. Leon Keely (VIC) won two days but lost his overall chances when he punched the wrong second-last control on the Long Distance day. The younger junior classes are often rather thin at Easter with no State teams present, and such was again the case in Tasmania, but there was still room for an M16 contest between two Canberrans, Ian Lawford and Oliver Poland. Poland was very impressive in the Friday Sprint where he placed fourth in M20 (as he would again the following weekend), but over the three main Easter days Lawford was comfortably the stronger, with Poland needing a good last day to edge Karl Bicevskis (TAS) out of second. W16 was a largely Tasmanian affair with Rebecca Phillips emerging as the best of the bunch. Many of the veteran classes were won by relatively comfortable margins. The terrain around Launceston was largely enjoyable (assisted by kind weather) but not exceptionally technical, especially for the shorter courses, and numerous classes took the form of the fastest runner opening up a margin on the first day and gradually building on it over the next two. There were only three veteran classes with last-day lead changes, all of them women. The pick of these was W60, where only 29 seconds separated Ruth Goddard (VIC), Jenny Hawkins (NSW) and Debbie Gale (TAS). All three led at times on the last day, and Kathy Liley (VIC) also got close, but in the end it was Hawkins who prevailed after having the most consistent run of the leading group. The other two classes were two-horse races. W35 was close throughout but Suzie Kluth (formerly Hogg) (ACT), in her first major event appearance for a long time, reversed a one-miute gap against Martina Craig (NSW), while Maureen Ogilvie (NSW) conceded seven minutes to Jeffa Lyon (SA) on the first day in W75 but pulled that back over the last two to win by just over a minute. (Craig’s husband, Steve, marked his return to Australia with a emphatic victory in a thin M40 field). A number of statements were made by Australians who will be strong medal candidates at the World Masters Championships later this year. Jenny Bourne (ACT) set up her comprehensive W55 victory by winning the first day by 13 minutes (on a 31-minute course). Geoff Lawford (M50-ACT) and Hugh Moore (M60-ACT) both totally dominated local opposition; they were pushed a little by Swiss opponents, Toby Imhof and Ernst Baumann, but both still won all three days and won easily. New Zealanders, or former New Zealanders, made their presence felt in a number of classes. Graham Fortune took out M65, although not without some nervous moments late in the piece when a four-minute loss on the third-last control saw Tim Dent (VIC) cut his margin in front. Ted van Geldermalsen (VIC), a regular presence towards the front since settling in Australia several years ago, broke through for a rare win in M55, over Nick Wilmott (NSW), in a class otherwise notable for Roch Prendergast’s (VIC) final-day surge from ninth to third. Gillian Ingham (NSW) won the first day in W50, but struck trouble at the first control on the second, which proved to be decisive as she had to settle for second behind Liz Abbott (ACT).

Stingers lead the way in SILVA National Orienteering League

Blair Trewin

THE senior men’s trophy for the SILVA National Orienteering League is almost certain to have a new name on it in 2009. After 15 years of domination by the Canberra Cockatoos – only interrupted by Victorian Nuggets’ wins in 2003 and 2007 – the NSW Stingers, led by Julian Dent and with an impressive array of depth behind him, have had an exceptional start to the 2009 season, achieving maximum points from each of the first nine rounds, and only a total collapse in the second half of the season will see them fail to achieve their first series victory. Their closest rivals, the Southern Arrows (SA), also went into this year hoping for a first title but look as if they will have to settle for second. The senior women’s competition is in more familiar territory, with a close battle for the lead between the Nuggets and the Cockatoos, in a competition that is likely to be decided by the quality of available back-up for the lead runners from each State. The Victorians fared a little better in this department in the last part of the Easter week and take a six-point lead into the May races in Canberra. The Tassie Foresters are also still in touch, but will need more support for Hanny Allston – which may happen if Grace Elson returns for any of the late-season events – if they are to challenge for the lead. The Tasmanians are faring better in the junior competitions, leading the way along with the Queensland Cyclones in both competitions. In the men’s competition the Tassie Foresters lead the Cyclones by two points; the positions are reversed in the women’s, with the Cyclones holding a solid and probably unassailable lead. The junior individual competitions are well-contested this year with the carrot of a trip to Europe for the series winner with the largest margin. Belinda Lawford (ACT) is the front-runner for this at present, opening up a 19-point lead after winning three of the four days of Easter, but a win on the final day of the carnival by Bridget Anderson (QLD) has kept her in touch, and Aislinn Prendergast (VIC), with some low scores to drop, may also move into contention later in the year. Joshua Blatchford (NSW) and Lachlan Dow (ACT) are currently well ahead of the junior men’s field, with Blatchford leading by five points, despite Dow producing the performance of the season to date with a sixminute win at Lively’s Bog; the other one likely to challenge later in the year is Leon Keely (VIC), with four wins but only two other scores to date.

Day 3 – Hanny Allston (TAS) Photo: Clive Roper Day 3 – Julian Dent (NSW) Photo: Paul Prudhoe

The senior individual competitions, despite a larger number of races (10) counting this year, are both virtually decided at the season’s halfway mark. Julian Dent (NSW) has won nine times from nine starts in 2009, an unprecedented sequence in the League’s history, and has opened up a 54-point lead. A single fourth place from any of the remaining seven individual races would be enough for him. Equally remarkably, Simon Uppill (SA) has eight second places from eight starts (he was course-setter for 1 the Long Distance race in SA) and has an equally strong hold on second, while Grant Bluett (ACT) has enough points to have the inside running for third. Hanny Allston (TAS) is almost as much in control as Dent – she is 35 points ahead and, unlike Uppill, none of her closest rivals 2 have a zero score to drop. There is a good battle for second in store between the two Victorians, Kathryn Ewels and Jasmine Neve. Neve started the better with two seconds and a third in South Australia, but Ewels moved to a narrow lead at Easter and extended it to 10 points with two second places on the carnival’s final weekend. 3

Day 3 – Rachel Effeney (Qld) Photo: Clive Roper

Benbullen

Day 1 – W17-20E Scale 1:10 000

It takes more than a little heat to ruin an SI box…

Jim Laver

WHEN Barbara Tassell and Jim Laver were putting out controls the day before the Fonthill mini-Rogaine during the Easter Carnival in Tasmania, they noticed a burning log in the vicinity of one of their control sites. The wind was blowing away from the control site and that night it rained quite heavily but neither of these factors saved the control! Next day, when competitors reached the control which was on the side of what remained of a gorse thicket, the flag was burnt down to its wire frame and the punch was melted and inoperable. The casing of the SI box had melted and a perspex ‘icicle’ was hanging from its distorted base (see picture). But amazingly the SI box still worked! An impressive performance. The circuitry must be very robust!