Moravian Orienteers qualify for UK Compasssport Cup finals
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A Moray club has reached the finals of a major British orienteering competition.
Moravian Orienteering Club sent a total of 21 members to Perthshire to take part in the Scottish heat of the UK Compasssport Cup qualification races for the national finals next November.
These took place at the weekend in the beautiful Faskally Woods by Pitlochry.
The downside of holding a large competition here was the 4.5km walk there and back from the event hub at the far end of the town to the woods. This amounted to further than the run itself for many, although some took bikes for this.
Following the final last year where Moravian finished third overall behind an Edinburgh club and a Deeside one, the club was once again in third place, this time being beaten by Inverness.
Because the winning Edinburgh club had already qualified for the finals as holders, this time Moravian also made it through.
There are some mixed feelings for the Moray club in qualifying as the finals will be staged in the Forest of Dean near the South Wales border, meaning a daunting journey for the club but at least an enjoyable challenge.
Class winners, all winning 100 points, for Moravian were:
Isobel Howard (women open)
Rob Parkinson (men 60+)
Finlay McLuckie (junior men)
Eddie Harwood (men 70+ and women 60+)
Other counting scorers were:
98 Michael Bishenden (16 year old running men 20- and 40+)
98 Kate McLuckie (junior women)
97 Andrew Campbell (men 50+)
96 Morag McLuckie (women 45+ and 20-)
96 Anna Howard (women 14-)
95 Nikki Howard (women 45+ and 20-)
89 Peter McLuckie (men 50+)
88 Roo Hornby (men 40+ and 20-)
84 Donald Grassie (men 60+)
Earlier this month, Inverness Orienteering Club hosted the final event in the Northern Night Cup in a technical heathery forest south of Nairn.
The event didn't enjoy the best of luck with the weather as torrential rain meant that the outdoor prize-giving ceremony wasn't the most pleasant of experiences.
The courses were fittingly challenging for a final with many making very costly mistakes.
Finlay McLuckie (14) had an excellent run to finish third on the night, while his sister Kate was also third in the ladies.
The short course was dominated by the only two Moravian members that braved the weather. Rob Parkinson had a nearly clean run to win with Morag McLuckie in second place.
