Season's Greetings and New Year Cracker details

Photo: Quentin Harding

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and an exercise-full New Year! And what better way to start the New Year than by running at the 14th New Year Cracker? This year we return to the open fells and wooded valleys of Traitor's Gill, but without the snow of this January 2010 photo from the same area. Final Details may be viewed here.

Street League Tables

The latest Street League tables are here. These are the last tables for 2014 and we are half way through the series - from now on discards are available! Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year and your extravagances don't slow you down too much for Ormskirk - Bob

Clayton le Woods results

Results for Wednesday's street event are now on-line here. Our photo is 'Mr and Mrs Christmas' Matt and Jill Cochrane who ran as Liverpool and Everton Santas!

Night Street League

Last night's event in Clayton le Woods was number five in the series and marks the half-way point. RouteGadget is ready to receive your routes. After the Christmas break event six is in Ormskirk, details here. Please note that food needs to be ordered in advance.

SROC second in Compass Sport Trophy 2014

Well done to team SROC at yesterday's final of the CST competition at Long Valley near Aldershot. Wins for Quentin, Becca Rooke and Helen Ockenden helped the team to second place. FVO won with Sarum in third place. A great turnout from the club for an event so far from Lancashire.

Night Street Series: Clayton Le Woods

Event 5, at Clayton Le Woods, is on Wednesday 17th December. The event is based at the Ley Inn Public House, Back Lane, Clayton Le Woods, Chorley PR6 7EU.
A score event of either 60 or 75 minutes. Starts between 6.30 & 7.30 pm. High visibility clothing compulsory, head torch advisable, road shoes will be fine!
Bar meals will be available until 9.00pm
Remember 'It's Christmas!' so seasonal attire is entirely compulsory. - Tony

North West Night League

Latest scores and league tables for the North West Night League, sponsored by Bright Bike Lights, may be viewed here.

Street League tables

The Street League tables after the Standish event are now on the web to view here. Any queries please contact me. See you all at Clayton-le-Woods next Wednesday. Don't forget your 'seasonal attire' - Bob

Tim Watkins Trophy 2015

Preliminary details of the next Tim Watkins Trophy long distance event, to be held in March 2015 on Blawith & Subberthwaite, have been published here.

SROC Celebrates 50 years

Just a few of the past and present members who enjoyed an evening of celebration yesterday. Old friends were reunited and anecdotes abounded as SROC recalled the last 50 years. A good time was had by all and thanks must go to Peter Knott and members of the committee for organising.

Standish Results

A great turnout last night. Many thanks to Mark for the event. Chris has put the link to the results from Standish, but if you have any queries can you send them to Mark please. I will update the Gross and Age adjusted tables during next week to allow for any possible changes. See you all at Clayton-le Woods - Bob

Standish results

Results for last night's street league event.

Street League 4 Standish

We are grateful to SELOC members for laying on a lovely clear night, new map and a great venue for this evening's event in the ever popular Night Street League. Results will appear once they have been double checked but in the mean time why not add your route to RouteGadget?

England team selections

Congratulations to Quentin an Zoe Harding who have been selected for England's Interland Team.

Night Street League - Guild Trophy

Apologies but in my excitement at doing my first post I forgot to mention the very important detail of who had won the Guild Trophy this year. This Trophy is awarded to the person who has the highest Gross score and is not a previous winner. Congratulations go therefore to Quentin Harding, this years Guild Trophy winner.

SROC 50th Anniversary Celebration Evening. Saturday 6th December 2014 from 6pm until 11pm.

At Best Western Garstang Country Hotel and Golf Centre, Bowgreave, Garstang PR3 1YE.

Street League Tables

The League tables after the Penwortham event are now on the web. Click here to view them. Apologies for the delay but have been away. I don't think I have missed anyone but please let me know if you think I have got your score incorrect. Now on to Wigan - see you there - Bob

NWJS calendars

The North West Junior Squad (which includes at least three of our Juniors) has produced a 2015 calendar to raise funds. They are laminated and great for Christmas presents or for your own use! If you would like some they are only £3 each and are available from Martyn and Sue Roome Martyn@mroome.myzen.co.uk or send a cheque made payable to NWJS to:

Autumn League

The results of the Autumn League are available here. Congratulations to our winners Alice Ball, Finlay Johnson, Helen Ockenden, Chris Roberts, Dawn Lock, Peter Marett, Ben Richards plus 1 and Andrew Mort. If you did not receive your prize at the event on 22nd November I will be in touch with you by email. Special mention must be made of Finlay Johnson who achieved 88 points out of a maximum of 90. All protests to me – sorry in advance!
And a huge thank you to Julian Lailey, Mark Edwards, Alex Finch, Tom Barkas, Gavin Smith and Quentin Harding and others who helped before and after to put these events on. Look out for our next daytime event on 1st January 2015 at Traitors Gill (also known as Caton Moor!), Nr Brookhouse, Lancaster. Martyn Roome

Autumn Series 3, Williamson Park

The final event of the series took place today in Williamson Park, Lancaster, followed by a prizegiving. Final series tables will appear shortly but in the meantime here are the results.

North West Night League event in Lancaster

Results for tonight's event in the University of Cumbria and Williamson Park are available here. RouteGadget is ready too. Thanks for all the appreciative comments. Chris Roberts

Penwortham results

The results for Penwortham are on the web here. Any comments, queries etc. initially to Simon please. Another great night for running saw a very pleasing turn out for the first event Simon has organised and planned, hopefully the first of many. It was great to see a number of new faces, I am sure you will get the 'bug' and realise this is a great way to spend every other Wednesday evening! Once again thanks to you all for coming - I will put the league tables on the web during next week. See you all at Wigan - Bob.

Penwortham Street League 3

Last night's event at Penwortham saw a high turnout to a good venue and warm, dry conditions. Several high scores were posted but who will win the Guild Trophy? All will be revealed in due course but in the meantime why not add your route to RouteGadget?

SROC night event this Saturday, 22nd November

Further details of the SROC night event on Saturday 22nd November have been published here. Registration will be in the Park Hotel, close to the University of Cumbria campus, with pub food available post run. This will be the first time that the UoC and Williamson Park maps have been linked in the same event, and may be the last time that the campus can be used for a while as a major redevelopment is planned. Part of the North West Night League, sponsored by BrightBikeLights.

The WARRIOR O-Trial Sun 7th Dec 2014 invitation

Trial by orienteering! The classic Warrior O-Trial returns after a break of several years. In contrast to previous open fell venues, the setting this year is Graythwaite – England’s most mighty forest – and we promise a test of both fortitude and forest craft. 

Do you want to run at the Compass Sport Cup Final?

Following our win in Manchester back in February,our club has reached the final. This final is open to all members of the club who are willing to travel to the event on Sunday 14th Dec near Aldershot. If you have not already heard from me and would like to take part please contact me asap at captain@sroc.org and I will make you an entry and inform you as to the arrangements. Quentin Harding

Orienteering Coaching at Williamson Park

Saturday 22nd November sees the third of our Autumn Series of events, at Williamson Park , Lancaster. We will be running a coaching session for adults and juniors from 11.30 to 12.30. After that you can take part in the event itself, which has start times from 12.30 to 13.30 and a beginners/improvers course (orange) and a hard (green) course.
The cost is just £1 per person)! Please let Martyn and Sue know at Martyn@mroome.myzen.co.uk by close Sunday 16th November if you are coming, so we can print enough coaching maps.

Night Street League Tables

The Night Street League tables, which can be found here, have been updated with the Kirkham results. The Kirkham event incorporated the Blackpool Tower Trophy and unless there are any more queries the Champion for this year is John Embery, a seasoned orienteer but new to our league - well done John. It was a very close run thing with Richard Davies missing out by less than 1 control! Now on to the Guild Trophy at Penwortham - can John do the double or will Richard get his revenge?

Headtorch runs

The first of the SROC Headtorch Runs will be on Wednesday 12th November from Jane Anthony’s house – please phone her on 01772 865876 for directions. Meet 6.50 for a prompt 7.00pm start. There will be some room on the drive, otherwise please park considerately.

Kirkham results

The results from the Kirkham event are now here on the web. Wednesday saw a great night for running, clear and crisp and Ray set an interesting challenge with all controls having the same value. Personally I initially found it difficult to ignore the control number and not look for the high ones, however it certainly made me run further than I had intended. Hopefully everyone, and there were a lot of you running including a pleasing number of new faces, enjoyed the different approach. Any queries regarding your score to Ray please. Ray has also produced an analysis of control visits for the real geeks amongst us - have a look at it here. I will announce the Tower Trophy winner after the weekend in case there are any queries. Now on to the next event, the Guild Trophy at Penwortham - see you there - Bob

Night Street League

The new season of the famous SROC Night Street League (many imitators but no equals!) continued in fine bonfire night weather yesterday. Results including this year's Tower Trophy winner will be available soon and RouteGadget is available now, here. Don't miss the next exciting installment in two weeks at Penwortham, where the Guild Trophy will be contested. Details here.

Autumn Series update

After the 2nd of the Autumn League events at Eaves Wood, here is an updated League table. It looks like being a close run thing for almost all classes, with the final event of the series at Williamson Park on 22nd November being decisive. The only class already settled is W60+ where Dawn Lock is unbeatable – well done Dawn!

Eaves Wood Autumn Series 2 results

After thankfully overcoming the parking field problems the rescheduled event at Eaves Wood was well attended today. RouteGadget and results are now available.

Street League points tables

Following this link will take you to the points tables for the Night Street League as they stand currently.

Autumn Series event 2 at Eaves Wood 1st November

Final details for the rescheduled event at Eaves Wood may be viewed here.

Street League 2 Kirkham 5th November

Final details for the next street event have been published.

Blackburn results

The provisional results for the Blackburn event are now on the web - any queries to me, although I will be away from Friday lunchtime until Sunday evening. There will be at least 2 additions to the results when those stuck in traffic do their runs on Friday evening. Very pleasing to have a number of new faces, especially John Embrey who is going to be a 'one to beat' for the rest of the series. As Chris says some people got quite high time penalties probably due to the hilly nature of the area and their over enthusiasm also, unfortunately there were some transposition errors. Overall though I believe a good time was had by all both inside and outside the pub. So now onto Kirkham. It is very important that you read the final details as Ray has devised a very different scoring system. See you there - Bob

The Street League is here again!

SROC's popular Night Street League started the new season with a return to Blackburn North and the Alexandra. The hilliness of the area seemed to catch out quite a few with some punitive penalties deducted for lateness. Add your route to RouteGadget to compare with others'. Scores for the event will be published shortly.

Bright Bike Lights discount offer

North West Night League sponsors BrightBikeLights have just announced a 20% discount on orienteering lights for north west club members. If you have fancied treating yourself (or a loved one?) to a new more powerful headtorch visit their website and use the voucher code "NORTHWESTNIGHT" when checking out.

SROC North West Night League event 22nd November

Further details of the SROC night event on Saturday 22nd November have been published here. Registration will be in the Park Hotel, close to the University of Cumbria campus, with pub food available post run. This will be the first time that the UoC and Williamson Park maps have been linked in the same event, and may be the last time that the campus can be used for a while as a major redevelopment is planned.

Night Street League details

Details for event 1 on 22nd October and event 2 on 5th November are now available. Please note that anyone wishing to order food for event 2 needs to place an order no later than 22nd October. See details via the above link.

Event Postponed

We are sorry to announce that the 2nd Autumn Series event at Eaves Wood, Silverdale, on Saturday 11th October has had to be postponed as we have lost the car park field and cannot find a replacement. Watch this space for a new date in a few weeks time.

Possible postponement of Eaves Wood event on Saturday

Please check the website nearer the day to check if alternative parking arrangements have been found. Otherwise the event will have to be postponed.

Autumn Series event 2 - Eaves Wood

This event is in doubt as the parking field has been lost due to a double booking.

SROC success in Montenegro

Miriam & David Rosen both won medals in last week's Montenegro 5-day event. The races, organised by Park World Tour, featured sprint races around picturesque old towns such as Dubrovnik and Kotor and a middle distance forest race in the limestone mountains.
Miriam won three of the stages in the W65 class and won by 11 minutes overall. The last day was a tricky sprint round the old town of Herceg Novi and half of the M60s failed to visit one or more controls so David unexpectedly came 3rd overall.

SROC Night Street League 2014-15

As the darkness rapidly approaches the witching hour of 6.30 pm so it is time to turn our thoughts to the adventure of the next Street League series. So dig out your kit, sharpen your pencils, check your torches and prepare yourselves for the challenges. In just over two weeks time it will be a return to Blackburn and details of the venue can be found here. A menu for the night is here. The full series with dates and areas can be found using this link. Many thanks to all those who have agreed to put on an event and I look forward to seeing 'old' faces and meeting newcomers. See you there - Bob

Margaret Adams funeral arrangements

Margaret Adams was a keen fell walker and played tennis and golf before being introduced to orienteering at the age of 49. Living in Kendal Margaret took to orienteering quickly and started winning major events after only a couple of years in the sport. Joining SROC Margaret was part of a very competitive group of older women including Lorna Collett, Judith Wingham and Irene Munro.

Outside orienteering Margaret was heavily involved in the Ramblers Association, and penned many guided walk booklets. She was also a keen church goer.

Margaret ‘retired’ from orienteering around 15 years ago following heart surgery but remained active and still lead guided walks until around 5 years ago. She is survived by her daughter Sue (Barrie) and son Charlie, along with 4 grandchildren.

The funeral will take place at 12.30 on Tuesday 7th October at Kendal Parish Church.
After refreshments (venue to be confirmed) we will be making our way to Dalton Woodland burial ground for the committal.
Please dress appropriately for a woodland walk.
All welcome.
Charlie Adams

Margaret Adams

It is with sadness that we share the news that Margaret Adams, a long standing SROC member and winner of many club trophies, has recently passed away. Many older members will no doubt share our fond memories of Margaret. We hope to bring details of the funeral, which all past and present SROC members would be welcome to attend, when they are available.

Autumn League

After the 1st round of the Autumn Series the latest scores in the Autumn League are here and the rules (!) are here. The next event of the series is on Saturday 11th October at Eaves Wood, Silverdale.

 

Martyn Roome

Williamson Park Autumn Series 1

Results for the first event in the Autumn Series may be viewed here.

An evening of celebration

This will be held at the Garstang Country Hotel & Golf Centre, Bowgreave, Garstang on Saturday 6th December 2014. This the nearest Saturday to the 50th anniversary of the formation of the club on 4th December 1964.

The evening will include a reception, principal speaker (Mike Murray) and possibly others, a buffet supper (sponsored by the club), displays of historical photos and documents and ample opportunity to socialise and reminisce.There will also be a ceilidh at the end of the evening. All for £5. There will be a bar (pay as you go) open from 6pm to 11pm.

You can book your place for this 'must go to' event by giving £5 to Peter Knott or Karen Quickfall. 'First come first served' Places might be limited. Please make cheques payable to 'SROC' Cash also acceptable.

 
We would like to see as many members and past members as possible at this event. Please pass this information on to any past members you may be in contact with or pass contact information to Peter Knott.

North West Night League

As the nights draw in an orienteer's thoughts turn to the North West Night League. This season's league looks set to be one of the best yet, and once again we are delighted to report that it will be sponsored by Bright Bike Lights, with a selection of excellent prizes. Six events are currently planned:

SROC success at the LDMT (La Sportiva Lake District Mountain Trial)

SROC has strong connections with the Lake District Mountain Trial, the original navigational fell race. In the very first race in 1952 from the Old Dungeon Ghyll, Maurice Collett was 2nd and Maurice Dean was 4th. David and Miriam Rosen are currently the race organisers.

Ripley club nights

It is with regret that SROC are unable to continue to hold club nights at Ripley school on a Tuesday evening. The financial cost was too great for the numbers attending and many of those who did attend were non club members. SROC would like to thank Quentin, Julian and Mark for organising and running the sessions over the last few years.

British Middle Champs

SROC has two British Champions from the Middle Distance races in Staffordshire today. Miriam Rosen was 1st in W65 and Zoe Harding won W20. 2nd places went to Finlay Johnson (M12) and Quentin Harding (M50). Results here.

SROC 50th AGM

The 50th AGM will take place on Thursday 11th September at Garstang Fire Station. There will be a Jacobs Join after the meeting. The meeting will start at 7.30pm.
Location Details

British Sprint Champs

Quentin Harding is clearly back on top form. Following his victory at the Capricorn last week he won the M50 race at today's British Sprint Champs at Keele University. Other SROC successes include 2nd W55 for Mary Ockenden and 2nd W65 for Miriam Rosen. Sarah Watkins was 3rd (W40), and Finlay Johnson 4th (M12). Zoe Harding was also 4th, in the Women's Open class. Deb Murrell won the W45 B final. Results here.

Success for Karen at the UTMB

Congratulations to Karen Nash for completing the Ultra tour of Mont Blanc, 168.7km with 9600m ascent in a time of 39h 07m 44s. A tremendous achievement.

White Rose 2014

As for many years the late August Bank Holiday weekend saw the White Rose take place, this year based in Scarborough with most activities in walking distance of the assembly and camp site. An evening sprint on Friday was followed by a Classic race around the town centre and South Cliff and a mass start night score in Raincliffe Woods on Saturday. Sunday had a Middle race on Oliver's Mount and Trail-O. The select band of SROC members who enjoyed the weekend did not stay on for the team event on Monday. Prize winners include Jane Anthony (pictured) 2nd W50L, John Brewer 3rd M50S and Sophie Roberts 3rd W18L.

Lakes 5 results

The overall results for the Lakes 5 include the following top ten placings by SROC members:

M12A 7th Finlay Johnson

M16A 9th Laurence Johnson

M60S 3rd David Rosen

M65S 4th Philip Gager

M70S 6th Richard Collins

W18L 10th Helen Ockenden

W21S 8th Rebecca Rooke

W45L 10th Deb Murrell

W50S 4th Karen Quickfall

W55L 10th Mary Ockenden

W65L 3rd Miriam Rosen (Prize Winner)

Order your New Club Shirts

Great to see lots of new club shirts charging around at the Lakes 5 Days. We are hoping to place an order very soon for those who missed out. There are a few shirts in stock so contact Mark Edwards, he will have some with him at the Lakes 5 days. Please follow the link on the website and complete an order form. You can order custom made shirts by completing the 'Custom made shirts order form' simply enter your measurements as directed.

Lakes 5 days

The Lakes five day competition started yesterday in extreme weather conditions, resulting in some long times and higher than normal retirals. Results for day 1 may be viewed here. The middle races in Simpson Ground are today bathed in sunshine. Follow results for each day via the Lakes 5 website.

Fantastic 6th place for Zoe in the JWOC Middle!

Once again thanks to British Orienteering for the sound link and @SROC_1964 for the photo link.

Zoe 11th in JWOC Sprint!

With thanks to British Orienteering for the photo and sound link.

New SROC O top

The initial order of new SROC tops has now been distributed and many were seen worn at the Club Picnic on Saturday. Anyone who missed out can still place an order, ready for the next bulk order to our supplier. Details and order form are in this earlier news item.

Junior European Cup selection

Congratulations to Helen Ockenden who has been selected to represent Great Britain in the JEC to be held in Belgium in October. More on the British Orienteering website.

Club Picnic

Further details of the picnic tomorrow have been added to the fixtures section of the website.

Summer Sprint Series (Short Course) 2014 final results

For all those people who have been feverishly calculating their scores and can't wait until Saturday the final league scores have been published. You can also compare all age classes by viewing the overall results. There were a few changes to top placings after the fifth event at Chorley so congratulations go to Mike Johnson and Helen Ockenden, winners of the open classes. The junior class winners were Finlay Johnson and Beth Davey and the Veteran winners were Chris Roberts and Jane Anthony. Sheena Cottam and Mary Hewitt won the pairs and groups category. There will be a swift presentation of (edible) prizes at the Club Picnic.

Club Picnic

Don't forget this Saturday is our club picnic at Hyning Wood, Carnforth. It is a mass start at 1pm but turn up ready to run at 12.30. This is a retro event going back to the days of pin punching before electronic punching came into use. Wear original club kit if you have some. The start, finish and picnic are all in same place so you can bring all your gear with you from the car. Please bring food and drink to share for the picnic after the run. Find out who won the sprint series at the prize giving.

Astley sprint

RouteGadget for yesterday evening's event is now ready for your routes. Gavin Smith set some interesting route choice legs so it would be great to have a look at which way you went.

Astley Park, Chorley sprint event 5

The final event of the Summer Series was held in heavy showers at Astley Park and Village this evening. Results are now on-line and may be viewed via the series page. I'm sure that all participants will join us in thanking the organisers/planners of all the events, each helping to make an enjoyable series. Age class winners will be declared at the Club Picnic this Saturday at Hyning Scout Wood.

Lancashire Scout and Guide Orienteering Championships - Beacon Fell 25th June

A great turnout of well over 100 Scouts and Guides from all the various age groups meant this was quite a hectic evening for all the SROC helpers and I am very grateful for their help. The fine weather contributed to the success of the evening and the feedback from the various Troop leaders was that all the competitors had a great time, even if some got rather lost! The results for the event can be found by following this link.
Bob Nash

Summer Sprint Series latest scores

With only one more event in the series, next Tuesday at Astley Park, it remains numerically possible for any of the current leaders to be moved off their top spots. It looks like an exciting finish to the series! The latest league scores after 4 events are here. Routegadget for Stanley Park is now available. Check out leg 5-6 on the Prologue if you wondered why there were several disqualifications.

Stanley Park Sprint Event

The results for the 4th event in the series can be found here

Summer Sprint (Short Course) events 4 & 5

The next event in the popular sprint series will be held at Stanley park in Blackpool on Tuesday 1st July. This area has not been used for a club event for some years and the map has been fully updated by event planner Julian Lailey. More details here. The fifth and final event is the following Tuesday, 8th July. This is at Astley park, Chorley, on the area first used for the British Sprint Champs a few years ago. See details. Please note that the Blackpool event is suitable for all including under 16s while the Chorley event is open to those 16 and over, unless shadowed by an adult throughout.

LAMM 2014 photos

We thank Bob Nash for a series of photos from the recent Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon. Pictures of the several SROC members at the event and the stunning scenery are in the gallery.

Clitheroe photos

Many thanks to our roving photographer Karen Nash for these photos from the Clitheroe event.

Orienteering on Beacon Fell on Wednesday 25th June

Please note that as well as the courses for the Scouts and Guide there are two courses especially for other orienteers. There is a conventional Score Course and a special course to test your mettle. This is a Butterfly Course with a difference. There will be no defined Butterfly loops on your map. You will define the Butterfly Loops you run. There will be a detailed explanation both at Registration and on your map. It is a challenge to see how many 'Butterflies' you can complete in the time available. I will provide pencils but you may wish to bring your own marker. Will you rise to the Challenge?

Summer Sprint (Short Course) series 2014

League scores after three events have now been published and Routegadget is available for all the events so far in the series. None of the age class prizes has been settled yet. There are two more events remaining so still time to add to your score, or come along and try the sprint format if you haven't already.

Clitheroe sprint - number three in the series

A select band enjoyed the challenges posed at Clitheroe this evening. Results may be viewed from the series page.

Twin Peaks weekend

Results from the MDOC Twin Peaks weekend of sprint and urban races are on-line here. Success for SROC runners in the inaugural North West Sprint Champs on Saturday with Finlay Johnson (M12), Mike Johnson (M35, running up), Deb Murrell (W45), James Walsh (M21) and Sue Harding (W50) all taking gold medals home. In the overall Twin Peaks competition Finlay was once again victorious.

Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon 2014

SROC success at the LAMM - Julian Lailey and John Taylor 1st vets on the C course, Rowena Browne and Karen Nash 1st Females on B course, Tony Marlow with partner Albert Sunter 4th Vet on Score. Well done all of you. http://www.lamm.co.uk/2014/results/overall/

Beacon Fell event Wednesday 25th June

The 2014 Lancashire Scout and Guide Orienteering champs will be held at Beacon Fell on 25th June, registration from 5.30. This event is open to all, not just scouts and guides. More details are on the fixture list.

Summer Sprint Series scores

The score tables for the SROC summer series have been updated to include points gained at Williamson Park yesterday. Will the early leaders hang on to their positions? Who will be running at Clitheroe in a fortnight? Remember it's best three scores to count, so still plenty of time to increase your total. Last call for hot pot for Clitheroe! (see below).

SROC bike ride

Cyclists are reminded that the SROC family/social bike ride takes place on Sunday 8th June, following the Preston Guild Wheel. Details in this news item.

Summer Sprint (short course) series

There was a good turnout to enjoy some excellent courses in Williamson Park at the second sprint event this evening. Results may be viewed via the series page. RouteGadget is also ready so please share your route. Important: anyone who would like to eat after the Clitheroe event in two weeks time needs to let Sarah Watkins know as soon as possible, preferably today (Tuesday). There is a choice of hot pot or cheese pie, and the cost is just £3.50 a head. Registration and download are in the pub, and food will be served straight after the final.

British Relay Champs

No SROC relay champions this year but some very solid runs from many competitors. 2nd place in M50 for Mike Johnson, Gavin Smith and Quentin Harding and 2nd again in W50 for Sue Harding, Jo Taylor and Mary Ockenden. The Women's Short team of Zoe Harding, Helen Ockenden and Deb Murrell finished 3rd. All results for the weekend may be viewed from here. Photo: W50 podium, by Mark Edwards.

Williamson Park Sprint/Short course event

Details for this event on Tuesday, are on the fixtures list. This is the second in our sprint/ short course series this summer. Come and enjoy the challenge the park has to offer.

British Orienteering Champs

Success for Zoe Harding, 1st in W20E, Quentin Harding still recovering from his JK injury 2nd in M50L, Sue Harding 4th in W50L and Miriam Rosen 5th in W65L. In the short courses Matthew Cochrane was 1st in M60S, Sarah Watkins 3rd in W40S and Karen Quickfall 3rd in W50S. Congratulations to all of them and anyone else who finished what were very tough courses.

Junior selections

Congratulations to SROC juniors who have recently been selected by British orienteering. Helen Ockenden is part of the 2014 Talent Development Summer Camp and Zoe Harding will once again represent Great Britain at the Junior World Orienteering Championships.

Summer Series scores

League points for the first event are now available here. There were some very close overall times but of course it's your finishing position that counts. Points are awarded as follows: 1st 60 pts, 2nd 55 pts, 3rd 51, 4th 48, 5th 46 then 45, 44 etc. Incomplete runs still score points but at the bottom of the table for that day.

Worden Park Results

Results for tonight's sprint event may be viewed here, and RouteGadget is here.  Our photo shows Rowena Browne finishing the Prologue.

Worden Park Summer Series 1

Details for event 1 in the Sprint (short course) series are now available here.

Summer Sprint (short course) Series returns

Preparations are well in hand for the popular SROC Summer Sprint Series which begins this year on Tuesday 20th May at Worden Park, Leyland. For those not familiar with the "Sprint" event format we are also calling these events "short course" because that accurately describes them to newcomers. Each event consists of two races: a Prologue and a Final. The times from the Prologue are used to determine the start order for the Final with fastest starting last. This provides a similar experience to big Sprint orienteering races like the British Champs. The results go to form a league with prizes to be awarded at the Club Picnic. More details will be found in the fixture list or on this flyer.

SROC Social / Family Bike Ride - Sunday 8th June 2014

This year we will (weather permitting) take in the delights of the Preston Guild Wheel. It is a 21 mile surprisingly green 'greenway' circling Preston, built to commemorate the 2012 Preston Guild. It mostly uses off road tracks, with some roadside cycle lanes and minimal time on minor roads. At a leisurely pace suitable for families, and with a couple of stops, we will probably take about 3 hours, meeting at 10 for a 10:15 start. For anyone wanting a bit more I can suggest one or two 'extensions', and all are invited to tea and cake afterwards at Jane's.

MacMillan orienteering Wednesday Evening 28th May

WAROC / LOC Bishop Woods
An event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Please come along and support this very worthy charity! Thanks to Graythwaite Estates for coming up with this great area at short notice.

Northern Championships organiser's comments

2014 is a big year for SROC and orienteering in England as it is 50 years since Gerry Charnley, Ken Turner, Jim McVeigh, Frank Milner and co held the inaugural meeting of England’s first orienteering club. To celebrate this  the club has organised a year of special events, the centre piece of which was the Northern Championships Festival of Orienteering, ably assisted by our colleagues at LOC.

Northern Championships photos

Links to photos taken over the weekend have been added to the event web page. We would be glad to add any more photos, if available.

Northern Championships weekend day 3, Kendal results

Results for the urban race in Kendal are now available on the LOC website.

Northern Championships planners' comments

In our opinion the area covered by Gummer’s How and Blake Holme is one of the best in the Lake District. The three contrasting parts provide lots of variety and most of the terrain is tough - both physically and technically. Martin Bagness’s map is excellent and legible. There is a lot of rock on the ground and the map (rightly) concentrates on the contours, only showing the significant cliffs.

Northern Championships weekend day 2, Gummer's How & Blakeholme results

Results for the Northern Championships race held today are now available on the event webpage. Splits analysis and RouteGadget are also available.

Northern Champs weekend day 1, Summerhouse Knott results

Results for today's middle race are now available on the LOC website.

Northern Championships weekend - start times

Start times for all three days have been published on Fabian4.

JWOC selection

Many congratulations to Zoe Harding who has been selected to represent Great Britain in the 2014 Junior World Orienteering Championships which are being held in Bulgaria from Monday 21st July – Monday 28th July 2014. See BOF news.

Northern Championships final details

May we remind fellow orienteers that entries for the 2014 Northern Championships, to be held next Sunday 4th May, close tonight at midnight (27th April). Final Details are available here. Because of the very high number of entries for this event parking space will be severely limited. Competitors should make every effort to share transport to help alleviate this.

JK Relays

The JK festival ended today with the traditional relays. Stand out result for SROC was a clear win in the Senior Women (W120+) class. The team of Zoe Harding, Mary Ockenden and Sue Harding were over two minutes ahead of their nearest rivals. All results for the weekend here. Photo courtesy Rob Lines, showing Dick Collins complete with sling.

JK Day 3

Day 3 was held in dramatic weather conditions today. Top SROC results were Martyn Roome 1st and Matt Cochrane 2nd in M60S, Zoe Harding 2nd in W20E and Kira Browne 2nd in W20S. Overall results combining days 2 & 3 include Martyn and Matt 2nd and 3rd in M60S, with David Rosen 6th in that class. Helen Ockenden 6th in W18E, Zoe Harding 2nd in W20E, Kira Browne 2nd in W20S and Miriam Rosen 8th in W65L. More here.

JK Day 2

Headline results for Day 2: Rowena Browne 2nd in W50L, Kira Browne 2nd in W20S, Zoe Harding 3rd in W20E and Martyn Roome 3rd in M60S. Full results here. Photo is of Miriam Rosen (foreground) courtesy Crawford Lindsay.

JK 2014

This Easter's JK International Festival of Orienteering is taking place in South Wales, and got off to a good start with the sprint event yesterday. Outstanding performance for SROC was a win for Zoe Harding in W20E. Keep up to date with results here. Photo credit: Crawford Lindsay.

Yarrow Valley Spring Series 3

Results for third and final event in the current series are now available here.

WOC test Sprint RouteGadget

We now have RG for the WOC test sprint race in Keswick available, via the usual page.

WOC test races

Results for the third test race, the Sprint at Keswick, are available, along with Winsplits Online for all three days and RouteGadget for the Long race. All linked from the usual page.

More WOC test race results

Results from the second day, the Long at Whitbarrow, are now linked from the test races page.

WOC test races results

Results from today's Middle race in Eggerslack are linked from the WOC test races page.

Yarrow Valley Spring series event 5th April

Final details for the final event in the current series have been published. The available courses include a novel "pick your own butterflies" option. Read more here.

New Club O-tops

SROC – Red Rose Orienteers are pleased to announce the arrival of our new club tops. The shirts can be ordered from the Club Chairman, Mark Edwards. Download this pdf for sizes, prices and ordering details.

WOC selection races final details and start lists

Final details and start lists for the upcoming BOF WOC selection races are now available.

Ashton mass start street O results

The results from Ashton are now on the web - there are three tables showing a) in black, the raw score on the night b) in red the score using the multiplier from all the events people entered in the series (minimum of 3 events to count - that is why some in the first group don't appear here) - [this is the column which decides the Prize Giving winner]. and c) in purple the score using the same multiplier as used during the series. Not really sure what they show, probably nothing in terms of an appropriate multiplier but based on this information and subject to appeals I declare that Stewart Forsyth was the winner at Ashton and will be duly awarded the 'WINNERS CERTIFICATE' - Well done Stewart. Many, many thanks to all those who Planned, Oganised and ran in the series I hope you all found the experience enjoyable and I look forward to seeing you all again in the Autumn - Have a good summer - Bob

Street League finale

The mass start handicap event, number 11 in the series, rounded off another very successful Night Street League season last evening, thanks to league coordinator Bob Nash's planning. If you want to add your routes to RoutGadget you may do so using either version one or version two. After the race the league prizes and trophies were presented by Maurice Dean, instigator of street O back in 1967. Top three males on gross scores were Steve Lang, Matt Driver and Paul Turner while the best three females were Karen Nash, Jane Anthony and Rowena Browne. Pairs prizes went to Tracy Peters & Steve McLean, Abi & Albert Sunter and Ruth & Shaun Turner. Best under 18 was Josh Sammon and best newcomers were Rhian Glover and Matt Cochrane. Blackpool Tower trophy was awarded to Ray Pickett and the Preston Guild trophy to Steve Lang. In the age-adjusted competition the top five were Karen Nash, John Britton, Jane Anthony, Paul Turner and Steve Lang. Now we just have to wait until October to start all over again!

Night Street League tables

The final league tables are now on the web - this is your last chance to check and query the tables before I complete things for the Prizegiving! - Bob

Beacon Fell Spring Series, Saturday 15th March

Thanks to all those who came and enjoyed Philip’s excellent courses. Don’t forget the next event in the Series, at Yarrow Valley, Chorley, on 5th April – details on the SROC Fixtures page. Apologies but also congratulations to Mikey and Joyce, who acquired the Score course map instead of the Orange course at the start, and did the Score course in number order! This created a monster course, which we have called Hybrid Course – on which they are first and second! Results here.

Street League lost property

Contact Bob Nash if you lost a pair of black gloves at St Annes or a headtorch at Blackburn, or collect either from the final event at Ashton.

Blackburn results

Blackburn North results are now on the web. The last counting run in the series went well - a bit disappointing that more people didn't turn up to run on a great night weather wise and in a new area. The venue was well received for both being very friendly and offering great value for money. A number of requests that we should use the pub and the area again soon - we'll see. A number of map errors were pointed out to me. I have, I think, amended the map with the points raised and will bring an update to Ashton - if people have time I would appreciate them checking and commenting further. From my point of view it was a pleasing finale, now on to Ashton and the Prizegiving - See you there - Bob

British Championships Individual 31/5 & Relays 1/6/14

To take advantage of the cheaper entry fees for this year's British Championships you need to get your individual entries in before 15th March and relay entries by 23rd March. The entry fees this year are considerably higher than previous years and if you miss these earlier dates they get considerably worse. To co-ordinate the relay entries I need to have the names of all those who are interested by 21/3/14. If you would like to be included in a team and have not already let me know that you are interested then please do so now. Please contact Quentin now giving me your 2014 age group, BOF membership number and SI number.
Entry is £12 for adults and £5 for juniors, to be paid to the club captain on or before the day. It is not refundable if you are unable to attend.
After this date further teams can be entered but at a cost of £6 extra per team and the team combinations may be less flexible.

Blackburn North street league event

Street leaguers have been somewhat spoiled by an event a week for the last three weeks, and still we have the final to look forward to next week! Last night's in Blackburn saw the first use of Bob's new map, and he had kindly displayed an OS map as well, to show the contours. The hilliness certainly added to the usual route choice challenges. Routegadget v1 and v2 are ready to go.

Quentin makes the front page – and Zoe is a Page 2 girl!

Quentin Harding made the front page of the Garstang Courier and Longridge News, showing him winning his World Masters title and his daughter, Zoe, appeared on page 2 with a picture taken at JWOC in the Czech Republic. The main feature was on page 11, a full page profile of SROC/Red Rose Orienteers, its formation out of the South Ribble Search and Rescue Team, after a tragedy in the Bowland Fells, its Golden Jubilee and recent successes. Also pictured was Helen Ockenden, a member of the British Talent Development Squad. The article also highlighted the forthcoming event on Beacon Fell.

St Annes results

The results from the St Annes event are now on the web. As Ray says what a difference a few weeks makes. The League tables have also been updated with the Lancaster East results and I will endeavour to include the St Annes results over the weekend so people can see where they are vis a vis potential prize winning. These may alter if there are any queries from the St Annes event. If there are please be aware that Ray will be away until Monday and I will be away until Tuesday evening so any changes may be at the last minute before Blackburn. Don't forget that with discards things can still change. See you in Blackburn. Bob

St Annes street league event

Almost balmy weather greeted the re-arranged hurricane-postponed event at St Annes last night. A flat area on a 1:15,000 map with some new sections encouraged a long hard run. Routegadget is ready in versions one and two.

Lancaster East results

The results for Lancaster East are now on the web. Many thanks to Quentin for trying something different, it certainly made us think - not sure that's a good thing for me when I am running! Hopefully there won't be any queries but if there are there will be a delay in sorting them out as Quentin will be in Portugal for the next week. Don't forget the re-arranged St. Annes event is next Wednesday - see you there - Bob

Lancaster East street league event

Another re-worked map to give different route choices and refresh the challenge for old hands at the White Cross tonight. For once we enjoyed dry conditions to go with Quentin's course and innovative control labelling. You may now add your route to RouteGadget, either version one or version two. Both ways allow routes to be viewed on the other version as well.

British Night Orienteering Championships success

Proving once again that lack of daylight is no barrier to the best orienteers, the British Night Champs were held on Saturday in East Sussex. SROC British Champions are Quentin Harding (M50) and Zoe Harding (W20). Miriam Rosen (W65) was second and Sue Harding (W50) was third in their respective classes. Results may be viewed here. Photo is of Quentin, thanks to Rob Lines.

British Orienteering Federation 2014 World Orienteering Championships Selection Races

These will take place in the North West Friday 28th March – Sunday 30th March 2014. The Middle race is on Hampsfell, the Long on Whitbarrow and the Sprint in Keswick. Preliminary details may be viewed here.

SROC qualify for CST final

In almost Spring-like weather a strong contingent from SROC just failed a clean sweep in the Compass Sport Trophy heat at Irwell Valley today. This was the first year that we have competed in the Trophy event for smaller clubs and our strength in depth was evident with 10 wins out of 11 courses, and second place in the 11th. First places worth 100 points were claimed by: Mike Johnson, Tony Marlow, Zoe Harding, Quentin Harding, Jane Anthony, Julian Lailey, Laurence Johnson, Helen Ockenden, Finlay Johnson and Alice Ball. 99 points for second places went to Sue Roome and Michael Wilmore. Thirteen runners score in the club total so one 98 pointer was needed to reach our total of 1296. 98 points are awarded to either third or second place, depending on the class. (Smaller classes drop 2 points per place). The official results show Deb Murrell as the 98 pointer but the same score was also credited to Mark Edwards, Becca Rooke, Gavin Smith, Martyn Roome, Dick Collins, Jacob Roberts, Annie Ockenden, Craig Somers and Niamh Marlow, any of which could have been the nominated scorer. Many more members helped to depress the scores of other clubs. Results are here.

Compass Sport Trophy - SROC in the Final

Provisional results suggest that SROC are through to the final of the Compass Sport Trophy after a superb turnout by 52 members of our club at today's MDOC event in the Irwell Valley. Individual and team results should soon be available on the MDOC web site. If this is confirmed then please put Saturday 8th November in your diary for a trip down South for the final.

Lost dibber

One of our competitors on Saturday at Williamson Park lost her SI card (dibber) during the event. An immediate search failed to find it, so if anyone happened to pick it up but then forgot it was in their pocket please can the owner have it back? Contact results@sroc.org

Route Gadget and Java

Anyone who keeps their Java up to date will no doubt have noticed that Route Gadget causes problems after the latest update. This can be worked around by changing the Java security settings from Java Control Panel, by setting to a lower level of security. You may also have to list the websites you want to let through such as http://www.sroc.routegadget.co.uk. However there is a new version of Route Gadget now available which avoids any such security problems. It was first mentioned here last November when under development and is now fully functional. All past (and future) SROC events can be accessed via http://www.sroc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/ Other clubs have the same RG2 available too.

Williamson Park Spring Series event

The first event in the SROC Spring Series was held in Williamson Park today. There was some confusion over which courses people ran when these did not match the ones on their registration slips. However these have now been sorted out and anyone who jumbled their control order has been moved onto the normal score course. Results may be viewed here. Any queries to results@sroc.org please.

New date for the St. Annes Night Street League event

The St. Annes event which had to be cancelled because of the adverse weather conditions has been re-arranged for Wednesday 5th March. Hopefully the weather will be more settled by then. Apologies to those who go to the MDOC series who, I believe, have their final event on the next day. However, I have cleared it with Grahame (MDOC) who understands our need to find a suitable date before it gets too light. Bob

St Annes street orienteering postponed

With the RED WARNING for high winds this evening the decision has been taken to postpone the event at St Annes. More details of the rearranged fixture will follow. Please pass this on to anyone who may not have seen this message.

Night Street League

With three more events to go in the ten event series (plus the series finale), and with the best five results to count, we are starting to see a bit of a shake up in the league tables as some of the less regular runners have amassed five scores. You can see the gross scores and age-adjusted scores. The St Annes event scheduled for this evening has been postponed because of the very high winds forecast.

JK Relays - If you want to run then tell your captain now

To take advantage of the cheaper entry fees for the JK relay I need to have entered teams by 16/2/14. If you would like to be included in a team and have not already let me know that you are interested then please do so before 14/2/14. Please contact Quentin now if you would like to enter, giving him your 2014 age group, BOF membership number and SI number.
Entry is £10 for adults and £5 for juniors, to be paid to the club captain on or before the day. It is not refundable if you are unable to attend.
After this date further teams can be entered but at a cost of £9 extra per team and the team combinations may be less flexible.

Interland 2014 selections

Congratulations to Zoe & Quentin Harding and Laurence Johnson (travelling reserve)on their selection for the England Orienteering Squad. Details on the Orienteering England website. Interland Cup 2014 is on 30th March at Bruay La Buissière in the Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Looking to try Orienteering?

Saturday 15th February sees an ideal event at Williamson Park Lancaster, with starts from 12.30 to 1.30. Full details here. Full help and coaching will be provided on the day.

An evening of celebration

Saturday December 6th 2014 at Garstang. Part of SROC's Golden Jubilee programme. You can book your place for this 'must go to' event by giving £5 to Peter Knott or Karen Quickfall. 'First come first served' Places might be limited. Please make cheques payable to 'SROC' Cash also acceptable. We would like to see as many members and past members as possible at this event. Please pass this information on to any past members you may be in contact with or pass contact information to Peter Knott. Peter Knott and Karen Quickfall

Tree planting on Beacon Fell, a 50th anniversary event

Twenty members of SROC rolled up their sleeves on Friday 31st January and helped to plant hundreds of trees at Beacon Fell. The planting was arranged by Mark Gordon of GlobalRenewables acting on behalf of Lancashire County Council. Five large tree were donated by J A Jones Nursery of Southport to symbolise each decade of the club’s existence. The planting is part of the master plan for the sustainable development of Beacon Fell Country Park. The first photo shows Club President, Peter Knott, Club Chair, Mark Edwards and John Gillow from JA Jones Nursery planting one of the larger common oak trees. The second photo shows Alex Finch, Quentin Harding and Peter Knott acting like all good workmen, watching John Gillow do all the hard work. A bit later on it did some serious snowing and we were all glad to get stuck in to get warm. Martyn Roome

Fulwood street O, Wednesday 29th January

Congratulations to Jane and John for 'organising' such a lovely evening for running. Although from a personal point of view it was perhaps too tempting, must remember that I can't run as far and as fast as I think! Anyway the results are on the web for your perusal. The league tables and the Guild Trophy winner will be added later just in case there are any appeals. As Jane says - see you at St. Annes. Same weather please Ray. - Bob

Twitter feed

We are experimenting with a live Twitter feed on the front page of the website, to allow rapid updating of news items which may interest website visitors. There is a known problem in the way the website displays on Safari on iPads, which we are looking into. If any web developers out there know of a solution then please contact webteam@sroc.org. Also please send any other comments about the website to the same address.

Northern Champs entries

Low entry fees for the Northern Championships in May end at midnight tonight. Entry is via Fabian4. Anyone wishing to help at the event should contact Tony Marlow to receive the discount code before entering.

Fulwood Street League

It was a fine night to run the streets and muddy paths of Fulwood this evening. RouteGadget is now ready for your routes.

Torrisholme results

The results from Torrisholme are now on the web. Thanks to Chris for adding a new area to the map plus an interesting scale. The second half of the season started with a mixed night weather wise, early starters got a good soaking whilst the late starters had a dry run still c'est la vie. On a serious note can I remind people that the rules state that a reflective top is essential, for me this is equivalent to being compulsory. Flashing arm bands are not sufficient on their own especially if you are wearing dark clothing. If you don't have a suitable top or forget yours then tops are available to borrow. My understanding is that failure to comply with this could invalidate the insurance. The next event is at Fulwood and is for the 'Guild Trophy' - see you there - Bob

Torrisholme street league event

Event 6 in the series and the first of 2014 was held on a new map covering parts of Lancaster and Morecambe this evening. Despite the forecast rain we had more runners than expected and had to recycle a few maps. RouteGadget is ready for your routes here.

Annual Prize Giving

The annual prize giving followed the handicap yesterday. It was good to see a few new youngsters among the awards. The National & Provincial Shield, awarded for prolonged service to the club, went to Julian Lailey.

Arnside Knott handicap

The annual club handicap was held in glorious sunshine on Arnside Knott yesterday. Planner Alex Finch devised a system to ensure that everyone had a fair crack of the whip. The winner was Laurence Johnson, and our picture shows the close battle for second and third places. Results may be viewed here and RouteGadget is available here or here for version2.

Club Handicap

Don't forget the club handicap on Saturday at Arnside Knott. Please arrive to register by 1pm. Remember to bring some food to share for the jacobs join afterwards at Gaskell Hall in Silverdale. Come and join in the social and prize giving.

New Year Cracker results!

What a cracking good start to our Golden Jubilee celebration year today at Beacon Fell! Results are available to view here, and RouteGadget is here.