Orienteers From BRGS Took Part In The Peter Palmer Junior Relays September 2011

Young orienteers from Pendle Forest Orienteers (PFO) and South East Lancashire Orienteering Club (SELOC) took part in the Peter Palmer Junior Relays held in Beacon Barracks MOD Stafford.

The Peter Palmer Relays are an annual event for junior orienteers.

Twenty-four teams of six runners ran a combined distance of over 30km per team – with the mass start for the first leg runners at 4.45am!

The first two legs were run in darkness with the orienteers using head torches to find their way round the course.

BRGS students Jamie Hoyle (Year 9) and Dominic Walton (Year 13) set off on the first leg.

The course was set in a way that prevented following and, at the spectator control, Jamie had taken a short lead over Dominic.

At the changeover however, it was Dominic in front with the team in fourth place in the small clubs competition.

A disqualification by the Welsh team ERYRI on the next leg moved the club’s overall position to third with Alex Holland (Year 10) running in his first ever night leg.

At the next two change overs, Emily Jesson (Year 12) ran well.
It all came down to the last leg, the longest by far at 7.2km.

Charlotte Jackson (Year 13 ) set off for the club’s A team while Phoebe Jesson (Year 10 ) set off for the B Team.

By the second spectator control Charlotte had built up a substantial lead over Phoebe but with tiredness setting in, Charlotte unfortunately mis-punched a control near to the end which disqualified the team.

All Phoebe had to do now was finish the course and with superhuman effort, she did just that.

The eventual winners of the small clubs category were MAROC who had came all the way from Inverness.

POW managed to pull away after the third leg to finish in second but Phoebe’s determination awarded the B team a credible third place.

Read Rossendale Free Press report online here

Free Press

Pendle Forest Orienteers hold a weekly training at Newchurch Primary School, Dark Lane, Rawtenstall every Wednesday evening. Newcomers are welcome. Further details at www.pfo.org.uk.