Participants in the EM League event hosted by NOC at Watchwood & Calverton were welcomed by a strong and very cold wind as they entered the car park at Patchings Art Centre. The walk to the Start represented a welcome warm-up!
Early starters set-off in sunshine but later competitors had to endure some squally showers. Course Planner Anthony Squire had set some challenging legs and made great use of the terrain available.
Almost 50 NOC members took part with wins for Paul Morris (Green) and Bodie Milsom (Light Green). There were second place finishes for Jan Ellis (Very Short Green), Sam Clements (Orange) and Elodie Booker (Yellow). A further eleven members finished in the top ten of their courses: Tim Booker, Jane Booker and David Booker, Hilary Palmer, Tricia Neal, Neil Milsom, Emma Donson, Peter Brookes, Alan Blackwell, Tina Brindley and new member Thomasina Copcutt.
A big “thank you” goes to Ant Squire for planning, David Sissons (Organiser), Mick Lucking (on the day Controller) along with Richard Robinson. David Olivant and Andrew Ridgeway undertook various map updates and Dave Cooke secured landowner permissions. The thanks is also extended to all the on-the-day helpers on car parking, enquiries & download, start and finish, and control collection.
A special mention and thanks must also go to all the team at Patching Art Centre who offered their facilities to make this event successful. Not only did they allow us to park in a dedicated field, but they prepared the field in advance to accommodate all the vehicles and NOC tent, and even offered a special rate for refreshments in the cafe. Super hosts. We are all very grateful indeed for their support.