Airienteers qualify for national final

Airienteers Press Release: Contact Simon Bowens 07921 039251 simon@bowens.org.uk

Airienteers, the orienteering club for Leeds, Bradford, Airedale and Wharfedale, celebrated qualification for the sport’s most prestigious inter-club competition in the UK. In the regional heat at Gilling Woods near Helmsley they came a close second to reigning champions, South Yorkshire Orienteers.

In tough terrain consisting of mature woodland with many fallen branches and trees and lots of technical navigation, physical strength and speed coupled with navigational skill was the order of the day.

On the 8km Brown course, James Logue from East Pennines won with a comfortable margin of over three minutes over South Yorkshire’s Aidan Smith. Baildon’s Steve Watkins grabbed third place a further three minutes back persevering to hold onto his podium place by the narrow gap of nine seconds.

On the 6.4km Blue Men’s course, Airienteers seized third place again with Baildon’s Graham Watson finishing five minutes adrift of the South Yorkshire pair of Mark Chapman and Charlie Adams.

On the 5.5km Blue Women’s course, some fast times were posted by some of the UK’s fastest female orienteers making the competition particularly tough. However, Headingley’s Natasha Conway and Guiseley’s Faye Pinker held top ten places to ensure they added valuable points to the team’s total.

On the Green Men’s course, Eborienteers’ Steve Whitehead won by the staggering margin of nearly ten minutes from East Pennine’s Richard Payne leaving a fine battle for third place between Skipton’s Martyn Gill and Ilkley’s Tony Thornley with Martyn edging Tony out by two seconds.

Headingley’s Ruth Ker excelled on the 4.2km Green Women’s course to claim second place two minutes behind Cleveland’s Jill Libby while on the Short Green Veteran’s course, Wakefield’s Gill Ross bagged third place.

Airienteer’s only course win of the day came from Ilkley’s 14 year old Ruaridh Mon-Williams on the 3.1km Orange course keeping a cool head to win by 35 seconds from Cleveland’s Adrian Rigby.

Airienteers now move onto the national final near Hawick in the Scottish Borders at the end of September.

Closer to hand, Airienteers are hosting their next event in Roundhay Park on 26 February. All members of the public are welcome and expert hands will be available to help beginners.

Full Airienteers results(with positions in brackets) from Gilling are:

Brown: Steve Watkins (3), Tim Street (5), Joe Mercer (7), Pauls Liepins (13), David Bowman (14), Neil Conway (16), Ian Furlong (17), Tim Patterson (21), David Alcock (22), Leon Foster (23), Lee Beavers (25), John Macdonald (27), Andis Celinkis (ret)

Blue Men: Graham Watson (3), Steve Webb (8), Mark Mon-Williams (10), Andrew Kelly (17), Ian Marshall (18), Peter Jones (27), Maurice Calvert (29), Howard Sawyer (35), Peter Avis (50), Simon Bowens (53), Simon Brook (58), Greg Hull (mp)

Blue Women: Faye Pinker (8), Natasha Conway (9), Sophie Brown (15), Carol White (16), Rebecca Mon-Williams (20), Jess Nixon (21)

Green Men: Martyn Gill (3), Tony Thornley (4), Tony Carlyle (8), Chris Burden (23), Gerry van Hee (34), Ken Patterson (38), Guy Patterson (44), Fred Ross (50)

Green Women: Ruth Ker (2), Susan Stevens (8), Joyce Marshall (9), Janet Leake (16), Wendy Carlyle (21), Alex Watkins (24), Val Gilleard (30), Marion Bowman (ret)

Short Green Vets: Gill Ross (3), Hilary Allen (8), Jo Thornley (9), Tom Crowther (15), Gill Hunter (18), Jackie Coates (20), Chris March (29)

Light Green: Davy Ker (12), James Avis (19), Daniel Calvert (22), Sam Avis (24), Kirsty Mon-Williams (31)

Orange: Ruaridh Mon-Williams (1), Holly Avis (17), Miles Gilleard (21), Mel Avis (29)

Yellow: Eve Conway (1), Annie Brown (3), Amy Bowman (6)

White: Joanna Bowman (5), Alice Watson (6), Jack Beavers (mp)