The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Introduction
Although I joined Wrekin Orienteers when the club was already 8 years old back in 1983, I feel that
I have participated a great deal in the development of the club through my involvement in both the
Club Committee and my interest and professional expertise in mapping. As a person who maintains
an interest in history and statistics it seemed a good idea to research the history of the club and set
it down on paper. At first, I just dabbled every now and then when a spare moment presented itself,
but when the club’s 21st Birthday arrived it seemed a good opportunity to stir myself and complete
the task. History, of course, is only one person’s perspective of the truth but by concentrating on
events and club members’ achievements in chronological order I feel that this document will give a
balanced view of events. I hope that as much pleasure can be obtained from reading this volume as
I have derived from researching and writing it.
Rod Postlethwaite 1996
Acknowledgements
This book could not have been compiled without the assistance of club members both past and
present.The following particularly deserve a mention:
Peter Jones
Former Club Secretary whose statistical club records have proved invaluable
and who also lent me old club magazines and other material.
Dave Gittus
Founding father of the club who introduced me to this wonderful sport of
ours and who also provided many of the illustrations.
Judith Powell
The club’s most successful orienteer who provided some photographs.
Frank Parker
An early club member who also provided some early photographs.
The editors of Wrekinoitre and The West Midlander, Wrekin Club Secretaries past and present and
Terry Dooris, BOF Honorary Records Officer.
2
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Contents
Page
Introduction
2
Chapter 1
The Early Days
4
Chapter 2
MC79 and All That
11
Chapter 3
Springtime In Shropshire
17
Chapter 4
National Events and Cups
26
Appendix 1
Club Officials
40
Appendix 2
The Club Newsletter
42
Appendix 3
Major Events
43
Appendix 4
Club Champions
48
Appendix 5
Compass Sport Cup
50
Appendix 6
West Midlands Galoppen
52
Appendix 7
Current Mapped Areas
53
© Rod Postlethwaite 1996
3
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1. THE EARLY DAYS
many ways, attractive features which the
organisers were very reluctant to change.
Orienteering was introduced to Shropshire in
the mid 1960s and played host to the West
Midlands Championships in Clun Forest as
early as 1965. Harlequins Orienteering Club
were formed on 1 April 1968 and did provide a
little coverage for Shropshire, mainly centred
on the excellent South Shropshire terrain of
Brown Clee which hosted the county’s other
main Championship, the 1973 Midland
Championships.
At the same time a group of orienteers were
operating outside the auspices of BOF. Here is
their story as recounted in ‘Wrekinoitre’ by
Peter Jones:
An Original SOC Membership Card
In 1974 several of the original key members
had left the area but one, Dave Drudy, possibly
sensing the lapse in interest, attempted to raise
the club's sights. At this time one or two
members started competing in BOF events and
Shropshire O.C. joined BOF. Some cross
country type events were held and orienteers
from other clubs were invited to participate.
Four members of the club even surveyed The
Wrekin and Dave Drudy drew the 1:10000
Black and White map. Events were now
breaking even because of the visitors, but there
was little success in recruiting active new
members. Because of this, the few members
able to organise an event were required to do
so more frequently. Despite good publicity and
frequent notices to schools, youth groups and
firms, there was virtually no increase in
membership.
SHROPSHIRE
ORIENTEERING CLUB
Shropshire Orienteering Club was officially
formed in 1971 but had its origins back in 1968
when a group of people from a Shrewsbury
factory started holding, what could loosely be
termed, orienteering events for their own
enjoyment on occasional Sunday afternoons.
When these people became dispersed, a club
was formed in order that the recreation could
continue and the contacts be maintained.
Between 1971 and 1973 the club flourished
with an average of seven events being held a
year in such areas as Pontesford Hill, the Long
Mynd, Breidden Hills and Clun Forest. These
were invariably pairs points scoring events
using photocopied Ordnance Survey 6" maps,
as this had proved from the outset to be a
successful and enjoyable formula with the
advantage of being cheap and relatively easy to
arrange.
The depletion of the hard core of keen
orienteers and in particular the departure of
Dave Drudy, culminated in the situation at the
AGM where a committee could not be formed
hence the club ceased to exist in May 1975.
Generally each pair in turn was expected to
organise an event but, as it was true to say at
the time, very few members were even aware
that BOF national events or redrawn
orienteering maps existed. Thus little progress
was made in the quality of the events. Events
had only a gentle competitiveness with an
element of luck thrown in. These were, in
It was unrealistic for the club to continue
under such circumstances. The lack of interest
reflected in the attendances at the EGM and the
AGM; the knowledge that membership fees
could not possibly cover the increased postal,
insurance, printing, travelling and forestry
4
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
costs and the fact that a fee could not be
justified at all if the club was only capable of
organising one or two events a year, were all
decisive factors in it's demise.
evening the Club held a Social evening at the
Madeley Court Centre. An attendance of
around 50 people watched the film ‘Thomas
the Orienteer’.
The last event organised by Shropshire
Orienteers was held at Eastridge Wood on 27
April 1975
In July 1975, the now defunct Shropshire
Orienteering Club donated their equipment to
the fledgling Wrekin club and also a Trophy,
The Wrekin Shield which is used for the
Handicap section of the Club
Championships.
In return for this generous gesture the
remaining six active SOC members were
offered free club membership until the end of
1976.
The Wrekin Shop
By April a ‘Wrekin Shop’ had been
established by Dave and Tim which offered
such delights as Silva 2NlL compasses for the
princely sum of £2.25, the Orienteering
Yearbook for 50p, copies of ‘The Orienteer’,
red biros, map cases, whistles, transpaseal,
laces and Mars Bars. At this time it was very
rare to have traders at events.
The Birth of Wrekin Orienteers
1975
Just before Christmas 1974, Tim Goffe (now of
EPOC then of SN) moved to Telford and met
Dave Gittus (then a Harlequin) at an event on
Cannock Chase. Following a discussion on the
Shropshire orienteering scene the idea of a new
club emerged. Together with Ken Broad, Frank
North and Peter Stephenson, Dave and Tim
formed Wrekin Orienteers.
An EGM was held at Newport Rugby Club
on 13 May and the first Committee was elected
comprising Frank North (Chairman), Frank
Parker (Secretary), Peter Stephenson
(Treasurer), Dave Gittus, Tim Goffe, Geoff
Hamby and Paul Sanderson. The Club had a
balance of £42.46, which included a donation
of £20 from Telford Development Corporation.
Membership totalled 30 (consisting of 59
individuals). A club badge, designed by Ken
Broad , was adopted (see front cover). 100 of
these badges measuring 3 x 3 ins. were initially
ordered at a cost of 31p and were to be sold at
40p with the profit going to club funds.
An inaugural meeting was held at Madeley
Court on 2 February immediately after a Come
and Try It event held by Harlequins. A 2km
course was held using Dave Gittus’ 1:5000
coloured map and attracted 37 competitors. At
this event the name ‘Wrekin Orienteers’ was
officially adopted in honour of the hill which
dominates the countryside of East Shropshire.
An Ad Hoc Committee was set up following
the inaugural meeting comprising the
aforementioned members with Dave Gittus
taking the Chair at the first meeting on 18
February. One of the Committee’s first
decisions was to adopt the club colours of
Brown with a Tangerine flash. The following
WRE was adopted as the club’s official
BOF abbreviation.
5
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Introduction
Wrekin Orienteers was founded by Tim Goffe, Dave Gittus, Frank North, Ken Broad and Peter
Stephenson to cater for all those interested in Orienteering particularly in the Telford area.
At an inaugural meeting preceded by a ‘Come and Try It’ Event at Madeley Court Centre attended
by interested parties the name of Wrekin Orienteers was agreed and the constitution drafted. This
was held on Sunday 2nd February 1975.
It was also agreed that the club would remain ‘open’ for approximately three months to enable
people to see if they liked orienteering before joining. At the end of this time an Extraordinary General
Meeting would be held at which only paid-up members would be allowed to attend.
It was also agreed that there should be a ‘Club only’ membership category for people who only
wanted to compete in local events.
The meeting unanimously agreed that Dave Gittus, Tim Goffe, Frank North, Peter Stephenson and
Ken Broad should continue running the club until the E.G.M. was held. Paul Sanderson was asked to
join the acting committee as its sixth member.
Text of the inside page of the first minute book - February 1975
series of low-key introductory events were
staged including a training day for the
Mammoth Weekend being held in North Wales.
This was held on The Ercall on 15 August
using the map Dave had made whilst still a
member of Harlequins (who kindly donated the
area to Wrekin). Start times were between 3.00
& 6.00 and 69 competitors (at that time a club
record) were attracted despite torrential rain.
Entry fees were 20p (over 18) & 10p (under
18).
It was not only orienteering that the club
was involved in. On 15 June the club had 4 out
of the first 6 finishers in the Six Shropshire
Peaks Race. The winner, Dave Gittus broke the
record for the 36 mile race by over an hour.
Peter Stephenson finished 3rd, Frank Parker
5th and Peter Jones 6th out of the 50 starters. A
remarkable achievement.
Early Event - note the SOC kite
Wrekin’s first introductory event was held at
Trench Pool in North Telford on a B&W map
produced by Tim Goffe who also organised and
planned it. Throughout the first Summer a
6
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
One of the club’s main strengths over the
years has been the regular training sessions,
which cater for both the young and old, the
elite and beginner. These Tuesday night
sessions began on 23 September, to consist of
exercises and running plus advice on
technique. Initially these sessions were run by
Tim and Paul Sanderson and were held at the
Madeley Court Centre, eventually becoming
the focal point of the club, a fact which still
holds true today.
1975 Club Championships
Date:
5 October
Venue:
Trentham Park
Senior Open:
Tim Goffe
Senior Handicap:
Geoff Hamby
Junior & Ladies Open:
Phil Gittus
The club's first coloured map (of Sowdley
Wood in South Shropshire) was made during
the Summer by the Treasurer, Peter Stephenson
(like Dave an OS surveyor) and was the venue
for the very first Wrekin Club Event on 23
November. Five courses were planned and 161
competitors took part. This event was one of 3
events which comprised an experimental West
Midlands Galoppen competition, the
forerunner of the present contest, the others
being held at Cannock Chase and the Malvern
Hills. For the record, Wrekin finished 3rd
behind the well established clubs, Walton
Chasers and Harlequins.
1976
In these early days money was not easily come
by so Paul Sanderson organised the Wrekin
Orienteers Jumble Sale at Brookside
Community Centre on 6 March. Members
donated their unwanted goods to be sold which
proved very successful and a profit of £62 was
achieved.
Early in the year the club was ready to hold
it’s first Badge Event at Bishop's Wood, an area
previously used by Walton Chasers in the late
Sixties. Dave Gittus had worked tirelessly to
produce an excellent 1:15000 map for the
event which attracted 530 competitors and
made a profit of £59.30.
Tim Goffe became the club's first Senior
Champion at the first Club Championships
held at Trentham Park on 5 October and also
became the club's first international when he
was selected to represent the GB B team in the
international match against France. He took
full advantage of this opportunity with an
excellent run finishing second only to the
French champion.
Dave was also showing his athletic prowess
in the 6 Shropshire Summits race where he
lowered the record to 6 hours 17 minutes for
the 36 Miles and 5300 feet of ascent.
Another coloured map was also made
during this time by Glyn Jones of a local area
of reclaimed mining activity, Cockshutt Piece
which cost £30 for 500 2 colour maps.
Almost immediately the club was formed it
was recognised that a Newsletter was needed
to keep everyone informed of the club’s
activities. The first 3 issues were known as
‘Wrekin Orienteers Newsletter’. Following a
competition such names as ‘Needles Eye’,
‘Wreckage’ and ‘View Point’ were discarded in
favour of ‘Wrekinoitre’. This name is still used
today.
During 1976, Tim Goffe was again selected
to represent GB on the tour to Norway to take
part in the match v Norway, Sweden and
Denmark and another rising star, Jenny
Pearson (nee Honnick) was selected for the GB
U23 trip to the Sørlandsgallopen 6 Day event
in Norway.
7
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Francis Chichester used on his round the world
yacht.
1976 Club Championships
Date:
6 October
Venue:
Bishop’s Wood
Senior Open:
Dave Gittus
Senior Handicap:
Phil Walker
Another significant landmark occurred in
October of this year when founder member
Ken Broad of Church Aston gave up his job in
HM Customs and Excise and began Ultrasport,
a shop familiar to every orienteer in Britain and
indeed many parts of the world.
Junior & Ladies Open:
Chris Jones
Merit:
Clare Stephenson
1977
Jenny, a local girl, became the club's first major
event winner when she triumphed in the W19A
class at the Midland Championships held at
Hawksmoor & Dimmingsdale on 6 February.
This was actually the 1976 Championships
which had been delayed.
1977 was, in fact, a very successful year for
the club. Jenny and Tim were again selected
for the BOF Senior tours to the
Sørlandsgallopen 6 Day event in Norway and
Finland respectively.
Tim Goffe and Ken Broad
On 1 December an EGM was held as the
AGM had been unconstitutional. This was the
beginning of many minor changes to the
constitution leading to the current one which
was adopted in 1982.
The club organised it’s first major multi-day
event, the Welsh Weekend, which was held on
4/5 June at Hafodgwenllian with 630
competitors taking part. This event took place
just 6 weeks after holding a local Badge Event
at Donnington Wood, an area of old mine
workings, which is still being used in abridged
form under it's new guise of Granville Country
Park.
On close inspection of the above results a
name not usually associated with the winning
podium can be seen - Colin Roscoe. Whilst an
extremely active club member, Colin would be
first to admit that he is an orienteer of the
recreational variety. It is worth recalling an
interview conducted with him in Wrekinoitre #
20 May 1978:
It was Dave Gittus’ map of Donnington
Wood and his 1977 British Championship map
of Cannock Forest which deservedly won him
the orienteering mapping world's supreme
accolade, the Chichester Trophy, a magnificent
trophy comprising the actual compass Sir
How did you start orienteering?
Reluctantly - the sadistically minded
(Dave) Westcott was looking for someone even
worse than him at training and picked on me.
8
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
What appeals to you about orienteering?
Stopping orienteering!
1977 Club Championships
What motivates you having reached the high
standard that you are at?
Date:
5 March 1978
Venue:
Lizard Hill
Senior Open:
Tim Goffe
Senior Handicap:
Colin Roscoe
What is your best performance to date ?
Junior Open:
James Ellis
Completing tonight’s training session.
Junior Ladies:
Clare Stephenson
What is your favourite terrain?
Ladies Open:
Sarah Goffe
Gentle downhill, particularly down to
Ironbridge because of the hope that the bus I
catch will pass everybody on the way back up.
Merit:
Rob Pearson
The fact that Frank Parker is even older
than I am and moves faster than me. I am
waiting for him to grind to a halt.
1978
What sort of training do you do?
On 22 January an epic Long ‘O’ event was
organised by Peter Stephenson at
Church
Stretton using the local 1:50000 map. Two
courses were held one of 22 miles and the
other 14 miles. Those who took part in the
event still reminisce in reverent tones.
Nothing bar Tuesday night. Some people
have a ten minute recovery period - I have a
seven day one. Every Tuesday I have a special
businessman’s lunch to enable me to last the
session.
A week later the club held the Midland
Score Championships (a forerunner of the TSB
Trophy) in blizzard conditions at Bishop’s
Wood. 150 brave souls turned up and Wrekin
provided both the Men's and Women's
champions, Tim Goffe and Jean Mackenzie
(now Payne) respectively.
How did you approach WOC 78?
With equanimity - no tension at all.
Have you any ambitions left in ‘O’ ?
Not really besides not winning the Wrekin
Champs. again as I’ve been barracked so much
ever since. Next year I’m claiming M21 Gold!
Jenny Pearson again had a good year and
became Wrekin's first (and to date only) Elite
British Champion, winning the W19A course at
Tentsmuir. To add to this she completed the
'Double' by winning the British Night
Championships held near Aldershot. Jenny was
subsequently selected for the BOF trip to
Norway and was also selected for the World
Championship team in Norway, although she
didn't run. To cap this immensely successful
period she was selected as Team Manager,
along with husband Rob, for the BOF Junior
trip to the Eifel 3 Day event in West Germany.
By this time Rob, himself, had been chosen to
represent GB at the Suunto Games in Finland.
Any advice to youngsters?
Train hard or you will end up like me.
Finally, what are your chances in the JK?
What’s the JK?
9
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Midland Championships. Although the club
were to hold two National Events in the early
1990s, they didn’t have the same prestige as
the old Regional Championships.
Dave Gittus, Peter Jones, Tim Goffe, Geoff
Hamby and others had begun the mammoth
task of surveying the Wrekin and its
surrounding woodlands. The Wrekin had
previously been mapped by Dave Drudy and
Shropshire Orienteering Club but only in Black
and White at 1:10000; The Ercall had been
mapped by Dave Gittus whilst a member of
Harlequins, but the rest of the woods had not.
It was a titanic effort for which the members
can rightly feel proud.
Jenny Pearson - 1978 British Champion
International success was not only the
preserve of the elite but also the junior section
of the club with Pat Tranter being selected for
the BOF Junior International Tour of Denmark
and Norway.
1978 Club Championships
Wrekin were once again involved in the
organisation of the Welsh Weekend during May
(The Shape of Things to Come?). This time the
event was held on Groes-Y-Forwyn, a rugged
forest overlooking Lake Vyrnwy. Dave Gittus
planned the courses, having already redrawn
the map. Tim Goffe was the organiser. The
event was one of 3 days (the others being
C e d ig a n d D y f n an t) an d attr acte d a
participation of 1072.
Not content with organising a large event
like the Welsh Weekend the club were also
busily preparing for what was arguably the
biggest event in their history - the 1979
10
Date:
26 November
Venue:
Brocton Fields
Senior Open:
Rob Pearson
Senior Handicap:
John Pearson
Junior Open:
Robert Morgan
Junior Ladies:
Chris Jones
Merit:
Dave Gittus
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
2. MC 79 AND ALL
THAT
M11
2nd
Stephen Palmer
M15
2nd
Stephen Hale
M17
1st
Colin McIntyre
1979
M19
1st
Martin Bagness
W13
1st
Yvette Hague
Dave Gittus can be said to have been the
driving force behind the 1979 Midland
Championships held on The Wrekin. Suffice it
to say, without him it probably wouldn’t have
happened. If it had then it wouldn’t have been
so successful. His real talent lies in his ability
to communicate his enthusiasm for the sport to
people who have never heard of orienteering.
Apart from producing the event programme,
surveying and drawing the map, directing the
erection of the race site and then doing most of
it himself, he negotiated the many sponsorship
deals and made most of the contact with the
landowners. As well as all of these, there was
the media coverage - a preview on ATV (the
forerunner of Central TV), a review on the
BBC and good illustrated articles in the
Birmingham Post and other local newspapers.
It would, of course, be biased to say that
everything was perfect. The map, although a
fine example of the art at that time, received
some criticism. Due to the steep rugged nature
of The Wrekin, it had been decided to draw the
contours at 10 metre vertical interval. Whilst
this was not a problem on The Wrekin section
of the map, it certainly was in the flatter yet
more complex terrain of Short Woods. Because
of the sheer number of pits in that section of
the area and the complexity of the contours,
that particular part of the map was rendered
unusable - a great shame. It was, in fact, a
Sponsorship deals were struck with Wrekin
District Council who provided money, toilets,
medals and car stickers; Telford Development
Corporation who helped with producing the
map; Robinsons who provided drinks; the
Britannia Building Society and Intersun Travel
who provided plastic carrier bags and the
Shropshire Star newspaper who helped with
the Certificates.
matter of debate in ‘The Orienteer’ with
enlarged sections of the map appearing in the
magazine.
That said, the event can only be summarised
as a success.
Dave, of course, did not do everything
himself. Roy Dawson was the Organiser along
with Dave and Tim Goffe and Rob and Jenny
Pearson planned some testing courses for the
competitors.
Geoff Peck won the Elite Men’s race and
Allison Reed won the Elite Women’s race. It is,
however, worth looking at some of the winners
and runners-up in the younger age classes who
were to go on to reach international fame:
Nick Walker’s winning badge design
11
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Before the Championships had begun there
had been a competition to design a logo for
MC79 which was won by Nick Walker. His
delightfully simple, yet effective, design
depicted the twin hills of The Wrekin and The
Ercall combined with an Orienteering Flag. At
a later Committee meeting it was proposed by
Rob Pearson that the logo be adopted as the
club badge. This was unanimously accepted
and the design remains to this day as the club
badge.
Another new feature in 1979 was the
‘Christmas Eve Fun Run’ . This now legendary
mixture of mud and masochism was started by
Dave Gittus as a ‘warm-up’ for Christmas. This
first run started at the ‘Last Inn’ at Church
Aston and took in many of the local footpaths
and was followed by a buffet in the pub.
1979 Club Championships
In May there was an addition to the club
calendar when the first Wrekin Cross Country
Championships were held at Madeley Court.
Rob Pearson, not surprisingly, was the first
Champion with the young Stuart Turner
winning the Handicap Trophy. Ken Broad
triumphed in the Over-35 Shield competition.
Date:
10 February 1980
Venue:
Shoal Hill
Senior Open:
Tim Goffe
Senior Handicap:
Vaughan New
Junior Open:
Phil Gittus
Ladies Open:
Beryl Bayliss
Merit:
Peter Jones
Jenny Pearson once again represented Great
Britain, this time in the World Championships
at Tampere, Finland finishing a creditable 36th
in the Women’s Race. Jenny was not alone on
the International scene as Robert Morgan was
selected for the BOF Junior Squad tour to
Sweden, taking in the Swedish O-Ringen.
Tuesday Training nights moved from their
traditional home of the Madeley Court Sports
Centre to the present venue of Stirchley
Recreation Centre towards the end of 1979.
At this time (pre Compass Sport Cup) there
were several Inter - Club Challenge matches
held. On 23rd September at Bishop’s Wood one
such match was held against POTOC resulting
in a Wrekin victory by 86 minutes 27 seconds
over 3 courses. In addition to this event, the
first proper West Midlands Galoppen
competition had been held during the
year.Wrekin finished a very close 2nd to
Walton Chasers, only 12 points behind.
Peter Jones
12
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1980
financial support given over the formative and
developing years, Tim and Sarah were awarded
honorary life membership.
After the frenzied activity of 1979, life was a
little quieter in Wrekin as the world entered a
new decade. Having said that, it wasn’t that
much quieter.
Ever willing to be innovative, the club held
the first 3-Legged O Championships which
was organised by Frank Parker. No record was
found of the winner (s)!
The year began with a club event at
Donnington Wood on 13 January using Dave
Gittus’ hastily redrawn map (due to Telford
Development Corporation having ‘improved’ a
section of it by landscaping).
Continuing the trend of Inter-Club
Challenge Matches (perhaps the time is right
for a revival of these events with the Compass
Sport Cup soon to be biennial), Wrekin again
beat POTOC on their own patch at Swynnerton
Old Park.
The event featured a three-way club
challenge match with Harlequins and Walton
Chasers which resulted in a win for Wrekin.
Maps, the lifeblood of orienteering, are one
thing the club has never been short of and 1980
was no exception. Peter Stephenson, a founder
member and a surveyor with the Ordnance
Survey, had been busy drawing a map of the
club’s largest area, the Long Mynd, a large
expanse of open moorland ideally suited to
orienteering. The map was drawn at 1:20000
scale so that the whole area could be contained
on a sensibly sized sheet of paper and is still
current today although plans are afoot for two
separate new maps at the more modern scale of
1:15000.
1980 Club Championships
Tim & Sarah Goffe
Date:
26 October
Venue:
Swynnerton
Senior Open:
Tim Goffe
Senior Handicap:
Derek Turner
Intermediate:
Stuart Turner
Intermediate Handicap:
A heavy loss was suffered by the club when
both Rob and Jenny Pearson and Tim and
Sarah Goffe left Telford for pastures new. Rob
and Jenny going to Sheffield and SYO and Tim
and Sarah going to Rochdale. In recognition of
the immense amount of time, effort and
Richard Rust
13
Junior Open:
Alun Powell
Junior Handicap:
Alun Powell
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1981
should each hold a Badge event on successive
days. 1983 was set as the year for the initial
event to take place and Peter Jones quickly
began mapping Eastridge Wood with the new 2
Day event in mind.
1981 may be viewed as a year of ideas,
innovations and success in the forest. Many of
the ideas failed to reach fruition but many are
still with us to this day.
As early as 6 January it was proposed that
there should be a Club League but it met with
little enthusiasm and the idea was abandoned
only to emerge a few years later.
The last innovative idea put forward during
1981 was for a Score Event to be held
annually, alternating between the West
Midlands clubs which would effectively
replace the Bradley’s (Walton Chasers) New
Year’s Day event. This took a little longer to
reach fruition.
Night orienteering is very popular with
Wrekin Orienteers and it was to be expected
that the club would welcome the suggestion
put forward on 3 February by Mike Rooke of
Harlequins for a West Midlands Night League.
It also seems fitting that the club should hold
the first event of the series at Madeley Court
on 5 December using a 2 colour map of the
whole of South Telford produced by Dave
Gittus.
There was no less action in the forest during
the year. The Jan Kjellström Trophy was due to
be held in the West Midlands and the 2
Individual days took place on Cannock Chase
(Beaudesert Park and Rawnsley Hills) whilst
Wrekin volunteered to hold the Relays in
Bishop’s Wood. Once again Dave Gittus was
fully involved. He remapped and drew the
Bishop’s Wood map and planned all the
courses. He also redrew Rob and Jenny
Pearson’s map of Lizard Hill & The Gallops
which was printed alongside the JK Relay map.
This map proved a very valuable source of
income when a Training day for the JK was
planned and organised by Peter Bayliss.
It had been suggested in the higher echelons
of BOF that there should be a British Long ‘O’
Championships held in 1982 and the Long
Mynd was nominated as a possibility. This
idea, however, came to nothing. It seems to be
a shame that the idea has never been revived as
it could form a series along with a Short ‘O’
Championship and the classic British
Championships to decide an overall British
Champion.
Success in the forest was not only limited to
the organisational side. Sophie Powell
completed a ‘Grand Slam’ of the Regional
Championships and was also successful in the
British Championships at Dipton Wood near
Hexham, Northumbria in her W10 age class.
It had long been an ambition of the club to
open up new areas in Shropshire but there was
always the worry that any events might not be
well attended due to their remoteness from the
centres of population. The club had dabbled
with multi-day events during the Seventies
with the Welsh Weekend series but the feeling
was that it should happen just a little closer to
home.
Stuart Turner (M15) achieved international
recognition when he was selected for the Great
Britain Junior team which took part in the 3
Day Eifel Event in West Germany. Stuart
finished an excellent 3rd and was also a
member of the 2nd placed H15-18 Relay team.
Dave Gittus was the Team Manager. Stuart was
also selected for the BOF Junior squad tour to
Sweden later in the year.
Dave Gittus suggested the possibility of a 2
Day weekend event which would prove
attractive to orienteers who might not travel to
the county for a single event. Paul Graetz of
Harlequins quickly took up the idea and it was
decided that both Wrekin and Harlequins
14
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1981 West Midlands Galoppen Winners - Wrekin Orienteers
Left to Right: Alun Powell, Jean Mackenzie, Peter Bayliss, Sophie Powell (with Trophy),
John Pearson and Melvyn Farmer (Galoppen Organiser)
As well as the individual successes during
the year, 1981 marked the club’s one, and to
date only, victory in the West Midlands
Galoppen. A winning margin of 156 points was
achieved over the much larger clubs of
Octavian Droobers and Harlequins in 2nd and
3rd places respectively.
1981 Club Championships
Finally, in this momentous year, Dave
Westcott was awarded Honorary Life
Membership for his services auditing the club’s
accounts.
Date:
11 October
Venue:
Boreatton Park
Senior Open:
John Pearson
Senior Handicap:
Jeff Atherton
Intermediate:
Ifor Powell
Intermediate Handicap:
Judith Powell
15
Ladies Open:
Jean Mackenzie
Junior Open:
Alun Powell
Junior Handicap:
Fiona Bayliss
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1982
TARDIS In Shropshire
After all the activities of the previous year
there followed a lull in the build-up to the
multi-day event to be run in conjunction with
Harlequins which was to be known as
‘Springtime In Shropshire’. Plans had been
made to hold the event in Eastridge Wood on
the North end of the Stiperstones but it was felt
that the wood was too small and did not have
enough runnable sections to make it attractive
enough. At the same time as Peter Jones had
been mapping Eastridge, Jeff Atherton and his
Bishops Castle High School group had
commenced work on an area in South
Shropshire called Linley Big Wood. The area
covered an area of forest and two large open
hillsides, Cefn Gunthley and Heath Mynd and
was the estate of Sir Jasper and Lady More,
well known local figures. Jeff and the boys ran
into difficulty with the mapping which was
rescued by Wrekin and fitted the bill for the
Badge event. The dates of 30 April and 1 May
1983 were originally booked but unfortunately
clashed with the Scottish Championships. Two
weeks later the British Championships were
due to be held in the South East, therefore the
7th and 8th of May were finally settled upon.
Have you ever noticed that Pete Jones
nearly always carries a small, slim briefcase
around with him? What you probably didn’t
realise is that briefcase apparently contains a
complete set of OS 1:50000 maps of the UK as
well as all Wrekin’s maps and a fair crosssection of BOF maps. How he does this is
difficult to understand and you may doubt that
his collection is so vast but just casually ask
him if he has a copy of a certain map and see.
He will let his fingers do the walking and
swiftly extract the map you are after. The only
explanation can be that his briefcase is another
form of Dr. Who’s TARDIS.
Following on from the regular inter-club
challenge matches, the club entered the new
Compass Sport Cup competition. After
disposing of local rivals POTOC in the 1st
Round, the club’s interest in the competition
was ended by DEE.
1982 Club Championships
In the forest, Ken Broad was our most
successful orienteer achieving 1st place in the
M50 age class in the JK at Star Posts, the
Southern Championships at Brierley in the
Forest of Dean and the British Championships
at Shining Cliff.
Later in the year the club held the Midland
Night Championships in Bishop’s Wood with
Derek Turner organising the event, Dave Gittus
planning the courses and Laurie Bradley of
Walton Chasers controlling.
Date:
14 November
Venue:
The Ercall
Senior Open:
Peter Jones
Senior Handicap:
Peter Jones
Intermediate:
Duncan Bayliss
Intermediate Handicap:
Jean Mackenzie
It was in July 1982 that Peter Jones’
briefcase first came to prominence. Peter, the
club’s super-efficient Secretary was remarked
upon in Wrekinoitre # 43 and it is worth
recalling the article in full:
16
Ladies Open:
Jean Mackenzie
Junior Open:
Sophie Powell
Junior Handicap:
Sophie Powell
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
3. SPRINGTIME IN
SHROPSHIRE
block of woodland that wasn’t visited by any
of the main competition courses and followed a
piece of tagged string around a selection of
interesting features. All this may sound rather
passé today when String Courses are almost
mandatory at events, but it must be
remembered that at the time this was
revolutionary in this country.
1983
Most of the early part of the year was taken up
with the preparations for the new 2 Day event,
Springtime In Shropshire. Peter Stephenson
drew the map at 1:10000 scale which was to be
the last map that he drew for the club before he
went into semi orienteering retirement. The
courses were planned by Peter Jones with his
usual thoroughness and the event was
controlled by Laurie Bradley. The setting for
the car park in the River West Onny valley has
to be one of the most picturesque anywhere
and most of the competitors seemed to
appreciate it. Harlequins’ half of the event had
been held the previous day on the perennial
favourite, Brown Clee and that too was
successful. The weekend made a profit of
around £450 per club.
International honours came Wrekin’s way
once again when Ifor Powell was selected for
the BOF Junior Squad trip to the Belgian 3
Day event, again managed by Dave Gittus.
Ken Broad was selected to run for GB in the
inaugural (yet unofficial) Veteran World
Championships at Lahti in Finland.
During the Summer Dave Gittus went to
Ludvika in Sweden as manager of the Junior
Squad tour. Whilst in Sweden he purchased an
over-printer for the club which is still in
service today, replacing an older model.
On 16 July there was a wedding at Meole
Brace Parish Church for Wrekin member, Jean
Mackenzie who married Andy Payne from
POTOC. Unfortunately Jean, the reigning
Ladies Club Champion, moved Northwards
with her new husband and left Wrekin for
pastures new.
The talk after the event was about where
next year’s competition would take place.
Eastridge Wood with a Southwards extension
was the hot favourite and an increase to 3 or
even 4 days seemed a possibility. By October,
however, it became apparent that the
competition would be best if held biennially as
the best Harlequins could offer was Titterstone
Clee, deemed unsuitable at the time. It should
be noted that a different system of Badge
Events was in place at the time. Unlike today,
not all Badge Events counted towards the
Ranking Lists and Ranking Events had to
actually be nominated. It was felt that
Titterstone Clee was not technical enough to
warrant Ranking Badge status.
On 11 September Wrekin took part in a
footpath relay race against local rivals POTOC.
The race comprised a 96 mile run along the
Staffordshire Way footpath which runs from
Mow Cop to Kinver Edge. The race was split
into 17 legs of varying lengths ranging from
2.5 to 11 miles. According to the rules designed
to involve the whole club and not just elite
runners, teams had to include 4 females and 4
juniors or veterans. At the end the teams were
divided by just 11 minutes 55 seconds with
POTOC victorious in 13 hours 30 minutes.
Both teams met up afterwards for a chicken
and chips evening in Eccleshall.
One notable feature of Linley was the String
Course put on by Judith Powell and ably
abetted by Dave Gittus. A special String
Course map was made at 1:5000 scale which
was hand-coloured and decorated. The
contours were omitted, a simplified legend
added in non-jargon English and control boxes
were drawn on the side of the map. The course
itself (about 1.5 km) took place in a small
Once again the club took part in the
Compass Sport Cup competition and was
victorious in the first two rounds against
Octavian Droobers and POTOC. The
competition spanned the whole Winter season
17
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1984
and SYO proved far too strong in the next
round in February 1984 at Hawksmoor.
The year made famous by George Orwell’s
novel published in 1949 began well with ‘Big
Brother’ Dave Gittus watching everybody from
his lookout on Spout Mound. On a more
serious note, the first TSB Trophy was won by
Walton Chasers but the attendance was poorer
than expected and only Chasers and Harlequins
supported the event in any numbers. With the
new map of the Town Park an approach was
made to the Telford Development Corporation
with a view to setting up a Permanent Course.
This was agreed in principle but, in practice,
took several years to achieve due the constant
changes occurring in the park.
During the latter part of the year there was a
flurry of mapping activity with the first
appearance of a map of Telford Town Park.
Earlier in the Summer Dave Gittus had
introduced a member of his staff at the
Ordnance Survey to orienteering, Rod
Postlethwaite. Rod had worked for about 10
years as a cartographer in Southampton and
had recently moved to Shropshire to take up a
new post as a surveyor in Wellington. Using
his cartographic experience, Rod drew 3 new
maps for the club and combined these with 3
new maps that Dave had drawn to make an A2
size printing plate.
Back in 1982 Tom Heaton had approached
the Trustee Savings Bank who donated a
trophy to be used by the club for something
with a family emphasis and sponsored the club
to the tune of £200. This money went towards
the cost of the maps in return for the bank’s
logo appearing on them. It seemed fitting,
therefore, that the TSB Trophy should be used
for the New Year’s Day Score Event to be held
on the brand new Telford Town Park map.
Rod Postlethwaite now took over the
production of maps from Dave and the club
purchased a set of scribing tools with a view to
improving the quality of any new maps to be
produced in the future. The first map to be
scribed using the new tools was a new 1:10000
scale map of Bishop’s Wood.
A series of ‘mini-events’ was held
throughout the year using the legacy of
aforementioned maps with a view to increasing
membership totals. The events were run in
tandem with Tuesday evening training and
attracted a few new members, some of whom
are still with the club today. One of the areas,
Stoney Hill, an interesting area of old clay pits,
succumbed to the earth moving machines after
only one event and is now part of a local refuse
tip.
1983 Club Championships
Date:
4 September
Venue:
Bishop’s Wood
Senior Open:
Dave Gittus
Senior Handicap:
Dave Gittus
Intermediate:
Ifor Powell
Intermediate Handicap:
On 23 June there was a repeat run of the
Staffordshire Way Relay race. This time
invitations were sent to neighbouring
orienteering clubs and 6 teams took part.
Wrekin finished in 6th place in a time of 11
hours 39 minutes and 27seconds. MDOC won
the race in a time of 10 hrs 49 mins 36 secs.
Beryl Bayliss
Ladies Open:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Neil Hancox
Junior Handicap:
Neil Hancox
18
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
During the year Silva Compasses (UK)
donated a trophy to BOF to be awarded to the
person who had made the best contribution to
orienteering. Our own Dave Gittus was
selected to be the very first recipient of the
trophy - a great honour indeed. The final
selection point which gave Dave the trophy
was........well, ask Dave himself and I’m sure
he’ll be only too willing to tell you!
1984 Club Championships
Date:
4 November
Venue:
Weston Heath
Senior Open:
Colin Powell
Senior Handicap:
Colin Powell
Intermediate:
Judith Powell
Intermediate Handicap:
Judith Powell
The Silva Trophy
Ladies Open:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Sophie Powell
Junior Handicap:
Sophie Powell
1985
1 January saw a repeat of the New Year’s Day
Score Event for the TSB Trophy. The Town
Park had seen extensive landscaping in the
South West corner of the map near the site of
the old Hinkshay Iron Foundry therefore it was
necessary to resurvey the map. Thus for the
second year running there was an event on a
brand new map on the first day of the year.
The club colours of brown and tangerine
had never really caught the imagination and
around this time many clubs were establishing
Scandinavian style ‘O’ suits. There had long
been a move to change colours but nothing had
been done until now. An ‘off-the-peg’ ‘O’ suit
of light and dark blue was chosen and officially
adopted. Unfortunately the colours were not
exclusive to Wrekin and many non-members
were seen in club colours. It was, however, a
step forward from the little used colours of the
Seventies.
Over the Winter preparations had been
underway for Springtime In Shropshire II.
Peter Jones had completed the mammoth task
of mapping the whole of The Stiperstones (in
addition to the Eastridge Wood section
previously mapped). Rod then scribed the map
ready for the event in May (by now established
on Spring Bank Holiday weekend).
This season it was decided not to enter the
Compass Sport Cup competition due to
potential clashes with the West Midlands
Galoppen, the difficulty in arranging matches
and the feeling that once progress was made
beyond the 1st or 2nd rounds the club would be
unable to compete with the much larger clubs
from outside the WMOA. By way of
compensation another match against POTOC
was arranged for 4th November at Weston
Heath. Again Wrekin triumphed 220-273
(lowest score wins).
Before this major spot on the calendar the
club was involved in the British
Championships being staged by the WMOA in
the Wyre Forest. Wrekin organised and ran the
start ably co-ordinated by Peter Jones.
Everything ran smoothly apart from the
weather (not even Peter could arrange that!)
which marred the proceedings with heavy rain.
19
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
The oft talked about Club League finally got
underway but the format could not be decided
upon and two parallel competitions were run
by Phil Hancox and Brenda Dawes. Judith
Powell finally emerged as the Club League
champion.
Club events at one time were cast on similar
lines to Badge Events utilising age classes
rather than the now ubiquitous Colour-Coded
events. Wrekin resisted the change for several
years before Colour-Coded events became
universally accepted. The club finally relented
on 3 November when their first Colour-Coded
event took place in Bishop’s Wood organised
and planned by Keith and Phil Hancox
respectively.
An addition to the S in S weekend was a
training event on the Long Mynd. This proved
to be a fine warm-up for the competitors and a
money-spinner for the club. The main
competition on The Stiperstones was again not
blessed with fine weather, a fine drizzle
making Colin Powell’s already challenging
courses even tougher.
Wrekin members were beginning to
establish themselves as Night Orienteering
specialists during the latter part of the year. In
the West Midland Night League they were
victorious in 4 out of the 6 classes. Winners
were: Sophie Powell (Junior Ladies) ; Alun
Powell (Junior Men) ; Judith Powell (Veteran
Ladies) and Dave Gittus (Veteran Men). Added
to this impressive list were Midland Night
Trophy winners at Hartshill Hayes: Sophie
Powell (W15); Noreen Turner (W40) and
Derek Turner (M45).
1985 marked the 10th Anniversary of the
formation of Wrekin Orienteers and it was
decided to hold a club training weekend to
celebrate the occasion. Elite orienteer, Andy
Lewsley of Border Liners was invited to hold a
training session on the Long Mynd on Saturday
15th June and provided everyone with some
testing exercises during the day. An overnight
camp at the Stiperstones Inn (courtesy of club
member and mine-host John Sproson) was
followed by a club-only event on The
Stiperstones utilising the new map. Dave
Gittus planned the courses which were
memorable especially for the ‘mannedcontrol’ (actually an ‘Action Man’ doll) and the
dry Wet Pit containing a small yellow plastic
duck. Not everyone saw the joke though. A
club dinner was enjoyed by the participants at
the Stiperstones Inn in the evening.
1985 Club Championships
Date:
24 November
Venue:
Shugborough
Senior Open:
Roy Dawson
Senior Handicap:
Ken Posnett
Intermediate:
Judith Powell
Intermediate Handicap:
Alun Powell was having a very good year
and was selected to run for England in the
Junior Home International at Pembrey Forest
in South Wales. He won the M15 course and
helped his team to victory. He was also
successful in the British Night Orienteering
Championships held at Bulford Ranges in
Wiltshire.
Neil Hancox
20
Ladies Open:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Ian Dawes
Junior Handicap:
Wendy Dawes
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1986
Championships to be held at Miskolc in
Hungary. Unfortunately, Avvai did not finish
the course after finding and assisting an injured
competitor. To compensate she received a
special prize for her thoughtfulness. She was
also selected to appear for Great Britain in the
Transatlantic cup match against Canada and the
USA at Burrator in Devon.
For the third year running the club staged the
TSB Trophy on 1 January but this time on the
1984 map as the pace of change in the Town
Park had slowed somewhat (though it is still
occurring to this day).
To foster team spirit the club entered the
Compass Sport Cup competition again after a
year’s absence. In the 1st Round the club were
successful against Cambrian, a combined
North Wales team but lost narrowly to North
Gloucester at Malvern in the 2nd Round.
Alun Powell was selected of a BOF Junior
Squad training week at Kongsberg in Norway
and brother and sister, Ifor and Sophie were
chosen to represent Wales in the Junior Home
International in Scotland.
In the early part of the year the WMOA
were searching for areas to be used for the
1989 British Championships and Wrekin
managed to come up with a strong candidate,
the Breidden Hills. This is an uncompromising
area consisting of three very different hills:
Breidden Forest, a typical Forestry
Commission area with a few sections of natural
woodland; Moel Y Golfa, a steep rocky beech
wood and Middletown Hill a steep, open
hillside. Possibilities for the Relays were Loton
Park and Shirlett High Park. Following a Grade
1 Controller’s report the offer was declined and
the Championships were given to Brown Clee.
There was disappointment in the club but it
was decided to use the Breidden Hills at a
future date as it was too good an area not to be
used.
Noreen Turner and Judith Powell receiving their
trophies at the British Championships
On the 26 April the club hosted the West
Midland Relays at Lizard Hill using the old
JK81 Training map. Successes were posted in
both the Men’s and Ladies’ Open courses.
The British Championships in 1986 were
held in the far North of Scotland in Achilty
Forest near Inverness. A party of Wrekin
Orienteers made the long journey North and
were rewarded with a remarkable achievement.
Whilst most club members floundered in the
complex terrain and suffered with the showery
weather, Judith Powell and Noreen Turner had
outstanding runs and finished 1st and 2nd
respectively in the W45 class.
International honours aplenty were
bestowed on club members throughout the
year. Avvai Singam, who had had some
outstanding results in the W21 class since
joining the club some 2 years ago, was chosen
to represent Great Britain in the World Student
Judith was active on the administrative side
of orienteering with the beginnings of her very
successful pre-entries business later to be
known as Safestart. Working as a teacher in the
Business Studies Department of South
Cheshire College in Crewe, Judith decided to
21
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1987
give her students a real job processing the preentries for the Badge Event at Linley. Some
years later, on retirement, she started Safestart,
a service now used by many orienteering
clubs.In the Midland Night Trophy in Matlock
Forest the Powell family once again scooped
some trophies - Alun (M21), Ifor (M17) and
Judith (W45).
Once again Wrekin entered the Compass Sport
Cup and hearts sank when we were drawn
against the previous year’s runners-up and
local rivals, Walton Chasers. The match was
arranged for 22 February at the Harlequins
event at Hawkbatch in the Wyre Forest and to
everyone’s surprise Wrekin triumphed by 65
points to 61, winning 4 of the six courses in the
process. In the next round the opponents were
Harlequins with the match taking place at a
Derwent Valley event at Shining Cliff on 10
May. Expectations were high following the
victory over Chasers and for the first time a
coach was hired to take club members to the
event. The match, however, was lost by the
narrowest of margins 62-64 in slightly
controversial fashion. The coach proved very
successful especially in fostering team spirit
and was to be the first of many such trips to
cup matches.
As a means of ‘spicing up’ some of the local
events, Pat Pay of Harlequins (later to join
Wrekin) started a Knock Out Competition for
M45s and over. Over the years this competition
has proved extremely popular and it was quite
appropriate, considering the club’s age profile,
that Derek Turner should be the first winner
after beating Bob Strophair of Walton Chasers
in the Final.
1987 was, of course, Springtime in
Shropshire year and once again Wrekin had
chosen a brand new area for their day. Stapeley
and Rorrington was a predominantly open area
with 2 small sections of woodland, one of
which contained some old mine shafts. It was,
however, only relatively small and would need
a map exchange for the longer courses so the
idea of using 2 separate maps was mooted. The
other map would be of Corndon Hill, a large
conical open hillside just to the South of
Stapeley. It eventually transpired that the 2
maps could be drawn together on one sheet of
paper in relatively correct plan position.
1986 Club Championships
Date:
7 November
Venue:
Shugborough
Senior Open:
Eric Galloway
Senior Handicap:
Charlie Leventon
Intermediate:
Helena Galloway
Intermediate Handicap:
Judith Powell
Ladies Open:
Helena Galloway
Junior Open:
Ian Dawes
Junior Handicap:
Steffan North
A colour-coded event was held on the
Saturday of the weekend at Linley making this
the first true 3 Day SinS. Although it was held
at Linley it was totally run by Octavian
Droobers who have always suffered from a
lack of sizeable orienteering terrain and a
surfeit of manpower.
22
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
sister, Sophie, triumphed in the W15 class at
the Southern Night Championships at The
Pludds in the Forest of Dean.
Pat Pay’s Veteran Men’s Knockout
Championships were held for the second year
and Wrekin once again provided the champion
when Peter Bayliss defeated Bob Carey of
Octavian Droobers, an orienteer of some note,
in the final.
Ant Clerici’s ‘Spring Man’ Logo
Night Orienteering is close to many Wrekin
hearts and the ‘Holy Grail’ of the discipline is
the Harvester Trophy. Based on the Swedish
‘Tio-Mila’ and Finnish ‘Jukola’ it is a 7 person
relay beginning at midnight and continuing
into the morning with varying leg lengths.
Wrekin have never been strong enough to
compete in the A race but have always been in
contention in the Handicap on the B race. The
1987 Harvester took place in Pembrey Forest
near Llanelli, South Wales and the technical
nature of the wooded sand dunes suited Wrekin
down to the ground.The team comprising
Colin, Judith, Alun and Ifor Powell, Brian
Morris, Ian Dawes and Stuart Turner finished
4th in the Scratch competition and 1st in the
Handicap.
1987 Club Championships
Date:
20 December
Venue:
The Stiperstones
Senior Open:
Ifor Powell
Senior Handicap:
Peter Jones
Intermediate:
Brendan Anglim
Intermediate Handicap:
Eileen Frith
Once again in the Night Championships,
there were a couple of Wrekin victories. Alun
Powell continued his run of successes with a
first place in the M17 class at the British Night
Championships held in Clipstone Forest,
Nottinghamshire on 28 November. His younger
23
Ladies Open:
Eileen Frith
Veteran Men:
Colin Powell
Veteran Ladies:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Ian Dawes
Junior Handicap:
Ian Dawes
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Harvester Handicap winning team at Pembrey Forest
Left to right; Colin Powell, Alun Powell, Stuart Turner, Brian Morris, Ian Dawes,Judith Powell and Ifor Powell
1988
well, losing heavily by 53 to 73. As well as
having new club T-shirts, the club formally
adopted new ‘O’ suits. For some time there had
been a growing dissatisfaction with the twotone blue suits adapted in 1984. Because of
their ‘off-the-peg’ origin, an increasing number
of none - Wrekin orienteers were seen sporting
the suits much to members’ annoyance. As the
club now had several keen M/W 21s, they
decided to design a new kit from scratch. These
colours were then put before the members as a
‘fait accompli’ and were consequently adopted.
The tops were predominantly white with
alternate red and yellow sleeves; the trousers
were white with red and yellow stripes and any
leg ware should be red.
The New Year began very well at the TSB
Trophy New Year’s Day Score Event when,
due to some remarkable teamwork, Wrekin
triumphed over the Harlequins in their own
forest at Hawkbatch.
Hopes for a good run in the Compass Sport
Cup were dashed when the club was drawn
against the very strong Nottingham club. The
match was held at Wakerley Great Woods near
Corby in Northamptonshire and once again a
coach was hired for the occasion. The whole
Wrekin team looked resplendent in their brand
new Yellow and Red T-shirts which were
sponsored by Richard Lewis’ company
Henleys of Chester. Unfortunately the forest
was very brambly and the team did not perform
24
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
After her success in winning the British
Championships in 1986 in Scotland, Judith
Powell regained the W45 title at BOC 1988
held at Holme Fell in the Lake District by the
narrow margin of 17 seconds. Once again
Judith’s family triumphed in the Night
Championships (this time the Northern) with
son Alun winning the M21 and Judith herself
winning the W45. Daughter, Sophie was also
chosen to represent Wales in the Junior Home
Internationals.
For several years there had been talk of
opening a Permanent Course but nothing had
come of it until late September 1988. Rod
Postlethwaite had surveyed and scribed a new
map of Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre
after an initiative of Roy Mason, the BOF
Professional Officer of the time and Jim
Dutton, the Centre manager. With funding to
the tune of £385.76 for the map by the Sports
Council, the posts were finally put in place by
Dave Gittus (who planned the course), Peter
Jones and Brian and Ian Morris. Unfortunately
it was not open to the general public but one
did find it gratifying to see the England cricket
team on Central TV using the course, although
rumour has it that one or two of them actually
ran off the map (they didn’t win too many Test
matches either!).
Dave Gittus setting up one of the posts on the
Lilleshall Permanent Course
1988 Club Championships
Date:
13 November
Venue:
Titterstone Clee
Senior Open:
Roy Dawson
Senior Handicap:
John Broadhead
Intermediate:
Ian Dawes
Intermediate Handicap:
Ian Dawes
25
Ladies Open:
Eileen Frith
Veteran Men:
Colin Powell
Veteran Ladies:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Kelvin Dawson
Junior Handicap:
Kelvin Dawson
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
4. NATIONAL EVENTS
AND CUPS
Again it is worth noting the successful
competitors:
1989
M21
Alun Powell W17
Sophie Powell
M45
Dave Gittus
Eileen Frith
M50
Colin Powell W45
The TSB Trophy for 1989 was actually held in
1988 at Sandwell Valley by Harlequins on 27
December. Wrekin’s teamwork once again
proved successful with the team retaining the
trophy with a 20 point margin over 2nd placed
Octavian Droobers.
was contested at Eymore Wood on 22 January
against Octavian Droobers and again the
Warwickshire club was defeated by 67 points
was held on (almost) home territory at Weston
Heath and Wrekin gave a very good account of
themselves before eventually going down by
60 points to 66.
Night Orienteering has always proved
an extremely successful period for the club.
The West Midlands Night League was witness
to a ‘clean sweep’ with club members winning
every single course:
Veteran Men
Ken Posnett
Veteran Ladies
Judith Powell
Junior Men
Ian Dawes
Junior Ladies
Sophie Powell
Sophie Powell
M50
Colin Powell W35
Eileen Frith
Judith Powell
On the initiative of Peter Bayliss, the
Breidden Hills were again investigated with the
thought of staging a National Event. After a
‘recce run’ it was decided to go ahead with
mapping the area for Springtime In Shropshire
1991 and a photogrammetric plot was
purchased from Stirling Surveys. A grant of
£300 was obtained towards the cost from the
Sports Council and the mapping was
undertaken later in the year by Peter Bayliss
and Peter Jones. A new Finish clock was also
purchased by the club for the sum of £635 and
has proved to be a very valuable asset.
popular with Wrekin members and 1989 was
Eileen Frith
Alun Powell W17
The West Midlands Veteran Knock-Out
competitions (a Ladies version had been added
for this year) were dominated by Wrekin to
such an extent that the Men’s Competition was
a three-way affair with Peter Jones emerging
triumphant over Alan and Brian Morris. Judith
Powell defeated Jane Christopher of Walton
Chasers in the Ladies Final.
mighty Manchester & District club. This match
Senior Ladies
M19
W45
to 59 to set up a 2nd Round tie against the
Derek Kennedy
Judith Powell
The British Night Championships at
Grindleton in Lancashire proved to be another
scene of success with the following winning
their courses:
The Compass Sport Cup 1st Round match
Senior Men
W35
Dave Gittus, ever watchful for something
interesting and unusual to do, spotted a bargain
trip to Hokensås in Sweden and hastily
arranged a club trip. Seven plucky souls
ventured on the trip with Dave, many of whom
were experiencing Scandinavian orienteering
Not content with dominating the WMNL,
there were also 6 winners of the Midland Night
Championships held on 21 January by
Harlequins on Kinver Edge.
26
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
for the first time. By sheer coincidence, the
World Championships were due to be held in
Sweden in the Autumn of that year in the
vicinity of Hokensås, in fact the area adjacent
to the camp site was out of bounds (it turned
out to be the Reserve area). Contact was made
with the local orienteering club, IF SISU of
Tidaholm and the party were fortunate enough
to sample the facilities of their club hut.
courses were planned by Andy Louden for the
1324 competitors but the proceedings were
marred by protests from local ornithologists
though it must be said that the club had full
permission to use the area and were unaware of
any potential conflicts of interest.
There were also complaints to the club by
the Welsh Orienteering Association regarding
the mapping of Corndon Hill and the Breidden
Hills, most of which fell in the Principality.
Fortunately diplomatic solutions were found to
the problem.
Away from politics, Wrekin were achieving
further success in the forest. Many club
members made the trip South to compete in the
British Championships held at Star Posts
(conveniently situated adjacent to
Broadmoor!). On a rather hot day Eileen Frith
triumphed in the W35 age class to complete a
Day and Night ‘double’. Eileen, a former New
Zealand international, along with husband
Graham and children Lisa and Paul had been in
Europe on a four year ‘holiday’ and spent
much of their time with Wrekin.
Members of the club trip to Hokensås, Sweden
outside the IF SISU club hut
Left to right: Ken Posnett, DerekKennedy, Ian Morris,
Peter Jones, Stuart Turner, Rod Postlethwaite, Dave
Gittus and Brian Morris
Not long after the trip to Sweden there was
an article in the IOF magazine, ‘Orienteering
World’ regarding the ‘twinning’ of orienteering
clubs in different countries with intention of
exchanging ideas and hospitality. This notion
appealed to several club members following
the success of the Swedish trip and an
approach was made to Clive Allen who had
written the article. Contact was made with a
club near Madrid in Spain, Adyron but,
unfortunately, the initiative came to nothing
and an opportunity was lost.
Over the years the Karrimor International
Mountain Marathon had been a permanent
fixture in many people’s diaries but success
had eluded most of them. All that changed in
October 1989 when Alun and Ifor Powell won
the Score Class at the event in The Howgills,
Cumbria. This was the prelude to even greater
victories the brothers were to achieve in future
years as they established themselves as experts
in the field of Mountain Marathons.
1989 was a Springtime in Shropshire year
and Sowdley Wood, an area not used for many
years was mapped, this time with a Southerly
extension into Black Hill. The map was
surveyed by Nigel Wilkins who had recently
moved to Ludlow from Berkshire. Testing
Their mother, Judith crowned a very
successful year when she topped the W45
Ranking List.
27
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
the tie took place ironically enough at Cefn
Bryn in South Wales on a Swansea Bay event.
Once again a coach was hired for the trip but a
disappointing attendance meant a narrower
margin of victory by 64 points to 55.
1989 Club Championships
Date:
17 December
Venue:
Alton Towers
Senior Open:
Ifor Powell
Senior Handicap:
Tim Davies
Intermediate:
Ian Dawes
The British Night Orienteering
Championships were held at Sallowvallets in
the Forest of Dean on 3 March and yet again
Judith Powell triumphed in the W50 class, but
the honours must go to her son Alun who won
the M21 course and became the Men’s British
Night Champion.
Intermediate Handicap:
Kelvin Dawson
Ladies Open:
Eileen Frith
Veteran Men:
Brian Morris
Ever mindful of the problems which had
occurred at recent events, the Committee
decided to set up a system of dossiers for all its
areas which would include letters of
permission, courses, etc. and would hopefully
help to assist in the smooth running of future
events.
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Frank North
Veteran Ladies:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Steffan North
Junior Handicap:
Julia Lewis
At the Jan Kjellström Trophy in Scotland,
Lisa Frith was triumphant in the W10 class, a
notable achievement, winning by just 5
seconds over the 2 days. On the second day at
Craig A’ Barns her mother Eileen won the
W35A course but it was only good enough to
give her 3rd place overall. On day 2 at Craig a’
Barns the club tent met its demise when strong
winds snapped the fragile aluminium poles.
1990
The new decade began well enough with
Wrekin retaining the TSB Trophy which had
returned to its traditional 1 January date. The
trophy was won on home soil at Haughmond
Hill by a substantial margin from Harlequins.
In the early part of the year Peter Bayliss
was approached by Tony Jenkins (an exmember of POTOC) of British Coal Opencast
(Western Division) with a view to the firm
sponsoring the club in some way. As part of an
initiative to return something to the
Community of Telford, which has borne the
scars of much opencast mining activity, the
approach was welcomed and the committee
had to decide on the best way to take
advantage of the offer. It was eventually
decided, in consultation with British Coal, that
the money would go towards 3 projects. Firstly,
it would pay for the remapping of the Wrekin
for a National Event which would be held in
1992; secondly, a new map would be created
To build on this promising start to the
decade, a training night was held at Oakengates
Leisure Centre on 16th January at the
instigation of
Dave Gittus. Ex- British
Women’s Elite Champion Anne Salisbury, who
was working at Plas-y-Brenin, hosted the
proceedings and everyone who attended felt
the session to have been beneficial.
All the theories learnt at the training session
were put to good use 9 days later at Eymore
Wood when Wrekin took on Swansea Bay
Orienteering Club in the 1st Round of the
Compass Sport Cup. A resounding 71 points to
52 victory was achieved to set up a 2nd Round
tie against Sarum. It wasn’t until 22 April that
28
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
using 2 small areas of wooded spoil tips, St.
John’s Wood at New Works and Lawley
Furnaces which were owned by British Coal;
thirdly, a new Permanent Course would be set
up in Telford Town Park. British Coal paid for
photogrammetry of the Short Woods area of
The Wrekin map and the aforementioned new
areas; wooden posts for the Permanent Course
and polythene map bags for the National
Event. All of these products would then bear
the British Coal Opencast logo. Both sides
honoured the agreement although British Coal
later withdrew permission to use St. John’s
Wood and Lawley Furnaces saying that they
were unsafe to use.
Many club members compete regularly in
Fell Running competitions throughout the year
and it was felt that the club should become
affiliated to the British Fell Running
Association. This enabled members to compete
under the Wrekin banner rather than having to
join a separate fell running club.
On 26/27 June Wrekin repeated their 1987
triumph in the Harvester Trophy Handicap
competition on the B race. This time the venue
was the unforgiving terrain of Grizedale Forest
in the Lake District, an area where 15 minutes
per km at night is considered first class and
some felt that it was unsuitable for night
orienteering.
Harvester Handicap winning team at Grizedale Forest
The team, which finished 4th overall was (Left to Right):
Peter Jones, Judith Powell, Ifor Powell, DerekTurner, Eileen Frith, Brian Morris and Stuart Turner.
29
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
During the Summer, Mike Callow, the
‘Wrekinoitre’ editor requested that the club
should replace their old typewriter with a new
personal computer, which could hold club
membership records as well as assisting in the
production of the club magazine. At the time
the cost of a PC was still fairly prohibitive and
eventually it was decided to puchase an Atari
520 STFM computer and a Star LC10 dot
matrix printer. This immediately improved the
quality of the club magazine and, although
prehistoric in computer terms, is still in use
today.
1990 Club Championships
Date:
4 December
Venue:
Shoal Hill
Senior Open:
Ifor Powell
Senior Handicap:
John Broadhead
Intermediate:
Ian Dawes
Intermediate Handicap:
Brenda Dawes
The Compass Sport competition had ground
to a bit of a halt following the victory over
SARUM, but came back to life in early
September when Wrekin took on MDOC and
BOK in a three-way tie at Sherbrook on
Cannock Chase. Under the scoring system
MDOC triumphed by 67 points to 59 and went
on to meet BOK.
Ladies Open:
Not Awarded
Veteran Men:
Alan Morris
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Frank North
Veteran Ladies:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
James Broadhead
Junior Handicap:
Rebecca Broadhead
1991
On a sadder note, during the Summer the
club lost one of its long term members,
Godfrey Hall who passed away. Godfrey
attended many local events with the boys of
Birchfield School, Albrighton and was always
a willing helper at Wrekin events.
The New Year was not heralded by the TSB
Trophy Score event, so John Broadhead
decided to maintain the 1 January tradition by
holding an impromptu event on Wrockwardine
Wood which was appreciated by all those who
wanted to start the New Year as they intended
to go on.
On 13 October the Madeley Court
Permanent Course was officially opened at
2.00 pm by Councillor Graham Bould. The
Madeley Court Sports Centre was presented
with a framed copy of the new map which had
been surveyed and drawn by Rod
Postlethwaite.
In the first round of the Compass Sport Cup
Wrekin were drawn against local rivals
POTOC. The tie was held at an Octavian
Droobers' event at Baddesley and Grendon and
a 67 - 56 victory was secured against the much
smaller club. The second round pitted the club
against the mighty Walton Chasers and the club
ran them very close at Croes y Forwyn,
eventually losing by a single point 63 - 64.
Judith Powell again proved that she was the
best in the country in her age group by winning
the Peter Dominic sponsored Ranking List. She
also came top of the Wrekin Club League to
complete another magnificent season.
Between these two cup ties the British Night
Championships were held by Harlequins at
Hagley and Clent and yet again the Powell
30
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
family provided a winner. This time daughter
Sophie won the W19 class.
year Alun had also completed the Bob Graham
Round, the ‘Holy Grail’ of fell runners.
The West Midland Veteran Men’s Knockout
competition was again dominated by Wrekin’s
elder statesmen with Peter Jones and Brian
Morris contesting the Final at Breakneck Bank
in the Wyre Forest. This time Peter emerged as
the winner.
As if all these successes were not enough,
Ian Dawes was selected to go on the BOF
Junior Squad Training camp at Drammen in
Norway. He also captained the West Midlands
Junior team that took part in the Junior InterRegional Championships.In the W45 age group
Judith Powell retained both her Ranking List
title and also the Club League title.
On the May Day Bank holiday many club
members travelled up to the North East to take
part in the British Championships. Although
there were no individual champions at Kyloe
and Detchant, the relays were a different kettle
of fish. Ian Dawes, Peter Jones and Stuart
Turner were victorious against a large field in
the prestigious Short Open class at Callaly,
defeating many favoured teams in the process.
On 15th September the club were chosen to
represent the West Midlands in the inaugural
Inter-Regional Score Championships held at
Soudley Ponds in the Forest of Dean and
finished a creditable second to Devon.
1991 was again a Springtime in Shropshire
year and this time the club staged a National
Event on the Breidden Hills, incorporating the
Midland Championships. A large entry was
attracted to the event on an area which had
never been used for orienteering previously
(save for one of Shropshire Orienteering Club’s
infamous three hour score events in the early
1970s). The warm weather attracted many
customers for the nearby Admiral Rodney
public house, adjacent to the assembly area.
1991 Club Championships
Date:
15 December
Venue:
Breidden Hills
Senior Open:
Alun Powell
Open Handicap:
Ifor Powell
Intermediate:
Steffan North
Intermediate Handicap:
Steffan North
It was not just in orienteering that club
members were grabbing the headlines. On 1st
June, Ian Morris (Brian’s son and Club
Captain) won the prestigious Duddon Valley
Fell Race in the Lake District covering the 11
miles and 3000 foot of climb in 96 minutes.
Later in the year Alun and Ifor Powell achieved
a remarkable result in the Karrimor
International Mountain Marathon held in the
Arrochar Alps in Scotland by finishing as
runners-up on the Elite Course. Earlier in the
31
Ladies Open:
Judith Powell
Veteran Men:
Alan Morris
Veteran Ladies:
Caryl Roscoe
Junior Open:
Nicholas Lewis
Junior Handicap:
Rebecca Broadhead
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1992
beforehand, and Dave Gittus. Judging by postevent comments, the competitors were pleased
with their efforts. The legacy of the event is a
superb map and a seemingly endless supply of
British Coal map bags.
The TSB Trophy, restored to its rightful
position of 1 January was hosted by neighbours
POTOC at Swynnerton. There was much
confusion over the rules and the result and
although Wrekin thought they had won,
Octavian Droobers were awarded the Trophy.
As a result both Wrekin and OD were selected
to take part in the National Score
Championships later in the year.
A coach was once again hired when Wrekin
made the trip to Sallowvallets in the Forest of
Dean for the National Team Score Event. The
club was up against some strong opposition
from much larger clubs and finished in 4th
place behind Devon, OD and MDOC, beating
SROC and LOK.
Over the New Year period Colin and Judith
Powell ventured ‘Down Under’ to take part in
the Veteran World Cup in Tasmania. Judith did
particularly well eventually finishing 4th in
W50 against the world’s best. On her return
Judith took part in the British Night
Championships at Ogden Moor on the
Pennines and triumphed in the W50 class.
The January/February issue of ‘Wrekinoitre’
was the 100th and editor Phil Hancox produced
a special bumper edition covering the previous
17 years news.
1992 Club Championships
In the Compass Sport Cup Wrekin were
again drawn against POTOC and this time
defeated a much depleted team by 74 points to
49 at Sutton Park. In the second round
Octavian Droobers were the opponents and
Wrekin found themselves on the wrong end of
a 44-82 thrashing at Hawkbatch in the Wyre
Forest.
Date:
20 December
Venue:
Haughmond Hill
Senior Open:
Ian Morris
Open Handicap:
Mike Callow
Intermediate:
ColinPowell
Intermediate Handicap:
Phil Broadhead
The highlight of 1992 was undoubtedly the
National Event on The Wrekin. Pete Jones and
Rod Postlethwaite worked extremely hard
resurveying the area and Rod spent many hours
scribing the map regarded as his masterpiece.
As mentioned previously, British Coal
Opencast provided the sponsorship of the map
which was just as well considering the expense
of producing a 1:10000 enlargement for the
young and older age groups as recommended
in the BOF Rules and Guidelines. Planning of
the event was shared between Peter Jones, who
had already put in many hours work
32
Ladies Open:
Caryl Roscoe
Veteran Men:
Peter Bayliss
Veteran Ladies:
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
Catherine Abbott
Junior Handicap:
James Broadhead
Best Over 40:
Brian Morris
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1993
As a reward for his efforts
map of The Wrekin, Rod
emulated Dave Gittus by
Chichester Trophy for the best
in 1992.
Judith Powell was again successful in the
British Night Championship winning the W45
class at Chelwood Vachery in Kent setting the
year off to a flying start.
in making the
Postlethwaite
winning the
map first used
A Permanent Course in Telford Town Park
had been mooted some 10 years previously
when the area had been first mapped. Due to
many problems, notably the ever-changing
nature of the area, the course had never
happened. On 29 July this was finally rectified
and the course was officially opened by the
Chair of Wrekin District Council Joan Noel,
Councillor Gwynne Roberts and Tony Jenkins
of British Coal Opencast. Most of the work in
setting up the course was done by Peter
Bayliss.
The challenge of the Compass Sport Cup
competition quickly fizzled out at Kinver Edge
when Wrekin were trounced by 39 - 68 by
Derwent Valley Orienteers. This was a
particularly disappointing result as the club
were only able to field a very small team and
were unable to score on several of the courses
due to lack of numbers.
Major events stretched the club to the limit
in the early part of the year. Having organised
National Events in the last two years, members
were called on to organise and man the start of
the British Championships held on Brown
Clee. As if this wasn’t enough 1993 was a
Springtime in Shropshire year. This time the
event returned to Linley, the scene of the very
first S in S some 10 years earlier. The map was
extended to the North to include Black
Rhadley Hill and drawn at 1:15000 scale.
In the Mountain Marathon world one event
is a very popular supplement to the Karrimor the Saunders Lakes Mountain Marathon. Held
in the Lake District during the Summer it
usually is blessed with more clement weather.
It has a different class structure than the
Karrimor though it still requires the
competitors to carry enough equipment and
provisions for a weekend in the mountains. The
1993 event was held on 3/4 July in The
Howgills and saw Ifor Powell go one better
than the previous year’s Karrimor by winning
the individual Klets Classic in a time of
7:09:27. John Broadhead was also in the prizes
by winning the Harter Fell class with his
partner Alex Campbell.
It would be impossible to go through 1993
without mentioning the fund-raising efforts of
Alan Morris. Alan has taken a great interest in
the Hope House Hospice and decided to create
a running challenge which would also raise
funds for the charity. On 19/20 June Alan
organised the 3 Peaks Challenge which
entailed ascending the highest mountains in
England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours.
Transport was organised to take the
participants to Snowdon, Scafell and Ben
Nevis to complete the challenge which
involved some 26 miles and 2900 metres of
climb. 53 participants took part including one
lady. The eldest participant was 59 years old
and the youngest 22. In a magnificent effort,
£1100 was raised. Later in the year Alan was
presented with the Chairman’s Trophy for
Outstanding performance.
33
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
former winners of the Small Clubs Trophy.
One difficulty with the competition has always
been finding a suitable date and venue and this
tie proved no exception. The Harlequins
Colour-Coded event on Brown Clee on 12 June
was chosen and would be a three-way tie with
the winners meeting Swansea Bay OC in the
3rd round. The tie against ERYRI was very
close with Wrekin winning 27-25. Swansea
Bay were unfortunately unable to raise enough
team members and had to scratch leaving
Wrekin with a walkover. Thus the club had
made it to the Final at the first attempt. The
Final, unfortunately, had gone to the Scottish
Orienteering Association for the first time and
would be held at Pitlochry entailing a very long
journey. A coach was hired again and an
overnight stop was arranged at Perth Youth
Hostel. With the Final being held on 16
October, there hadn’t been a lot of opportunity
to orienteer on complex terrain and most of the
club found Allean Forest very tough. It was no
surprise that Forth Valley Orienteers won the
trophy by 26 clear points from Pendle Forest
Orienteers. Wrekin were just pipped into fourth
place by defending champions Chigwell.
Although it was disappointing not to win, the
club were not disgraced by any means and
everyone enjoyed the experience.
1993 Club Championships
Date:
5 December
Venue:
Fair Oak & Brindley
Heath
Senior Open:
Ifor Powell
Open Handicap:
John Broadhead
Intermediate Men: Steffan North
Intermediate Ladies: Jill Leventon
Intermediate Handicap:
Julia Lewis
Ladies Open:
Debbie Clough
Veteran Men:
Colin Powell
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Keith Hancox
Veteran Ladies:
Beryl Bayliss
Junior Open:
James Broadhead
Junior Handicap:
Julia Leventon
Best Over 40:
Peter Jones
1994
The British Night Championships were held in
Delamere Forest on 26 February and Judith
Powell retained her W50 championship which
she seemed to have made her own.
The new year heralded a new competition
for Wrekin to take part in. Due to a revamp of
the rules the club was able to enter the Small
Clubs section of the Compass Sport Cup. There
was a general feeling of excitement that there
was a chance of winning the trophy and that
progress would not be halted as soon as a large
club was encountered. In the first round Wye
Valley were the opposition at Hawkbatch and
were comfortably dispatched by 30½ points to
24½. In the second round the opposition was
far sterner, ERYRI from Snowdonia who were
Over the Easter weekend it was the turn of
the West Midlands Orienteering Association to
stage the Jan Kjellström Trophy. The recently
formed Herefordshire club, Wye Valley
Orienteering Club, provided four new areas but
the organisation fell on all the West Midland
clubs. Wrekin were called on to organise the
2nd day on Pyon and Dinmore and also to
organise the start on the 1st day at Foxley and
Garnstone. The overall event co-ordination was
also undertaken by the very capable Colin
34
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Roscoe, who ensured everything ran smoothly.
Richard Lewis, ably assisted by Andy Clough,
ran the individual day under often fraught
circumstances. Snow lay on the ground in the
early morning and rain followed causing car
parking chaos on the infamous ‘Herefordshire
Clay’. Under the circumstances everything
went as well as expected and Wrekin members
can feel proud of their contribution to the
success of the competition.
individual Klets Classic for the second year in
succession. Ifor and his brother Alun also
triumphed in the Elite Class of the Lowe
Alpine Mountain Marathon held at the
Arrochar Alps in Scotland - a remarkable
tribute to their fitness and navigational skills.
Judith Powell proved that she was the best
orienteer in her age group when she again
finished top of the W50 Ranking List.
In the early part of the year, founder
member Dave Gittus took voluntary early
retirement from his job in the Telford Ordnance
Survey office. For his 36 year service both here
and abroad, Dave was awarded the MBE. As
recognition of this and his huge contribution to
the club over the years he was also awarded
Honorary Life Membership of Wrekin
Orienteers.
1994 Club Championships
In the world of mapping, Wrekin have been
fortunate to have first Dave then Rod
Postlethwaite as mapping officers, who drew
maps of the highest quality. Dave had used pen
and ink then Rod moved on to scribing. A new
method was now becoming prominent Computer Aided Drawing and a Swiss
orienteer and computer programmer had
written a programme called OCAD
(Orienteering Computer Aided Drawing). This
programme had now reached version 5 (for
Windows) and the time seemed right to invest
in the new technology. Rod purchased a PC
and printer and the club paid for the OCAD
programme and a digitising tablet for inputting
the map data. The first map produced by Rod
using OCAD was Nesscliff Camp (South). The
benefits are many and should provide quick
updating of maps in the future.
Date:
6 November
Venue:
Granville Country
Park
Senior Open:
Andy Clough
Open Handicap:
Brian Morris
Intermediate Men: Martin Gibbons
Intermediate Ladies: Jill Leventon
Intermediate Handicap:
Jen Moore
Ladies Open:
Debbie Clough
Veteran Men:
Colin Powell
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Rob Formby
Away from orienteering Ifor Powell retained
his title in the Saunders Lakes Mountain
Marathon held at Grasmere when he won the
35
Veteran Ladies:
Beryl Bayliss
Junior Open:
James Broadhead
Junior Handicap:
Tom Lewis
Best Over 40:
Marcus Eassom
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
1995
The other major event on the orienteering
calendar, the Jan Kjellström Trophy, was held
in North Yorkshire. Although Wrekin had no
individual winners, the team of Tony Callow,
Ifor Powell and Stuart Turner won the Short
Open class in the Relays at Gilling Woods near
Hemsley.
Determined to make up for the disappointment
of the previous year’s Compass Sport Cup
Final defeat, the club once again entered the
Small Clubs’ Cup. After a first round bye,
Wrekin came up against Offa’s Dyke Raiders
of North Wales at Croes-y-Forwyn on 8
January. By sheer weight of numbers they
emerged victorious by 35-21 against the tiny
Welsh Club.
May was a very busy period with a cup
match, a charity run and, of course, Springtime
in Shropshire. On 13 May Alan Morris
organised another fund raising spectacular, this
time a road relay from Telford to Morda (site
of the Hope House Hospice) via a large part of
North Wales. The 225 mile run was divided
into 5 mile sections and the competitors
managed to raise a staggering £18000.
As a keen follower of Night Orienteering,
club fixtures secretary Clive Richardson was
appalled to learn that the Midland Night
Championships, due to be held in East Anglia,
were not going to take place. He duly
volunteered the club to stage the
championships in Bishop’s Wood, although it
would have to be, to coin a phrase of the time,
a ‘Back to Basics’ event with master maps.
This was deemed to be better than no event at
all, though everyone would have liked to have
had a little more preparation time. On the night
of the event the weather was inclement,
reducing the paths to a sea of mud and recent
thinning in the forest made the going very
tough. Ifor Powell planned courses fit for a
championship and everyone was pleased that
the event had not been ‘lost’.
A week later was the next round of the
Compass Sport Cup against WYE was held at
the Lickey Hills and Wrekin emerged
victorious by 33-23.
Amid this flurry of activity, preparations
were underway for Springtime in Shropshire.
There had been a struggle to find a suitable
venue for the event and it was decided to
combine the old maps of Stapeley &
Rorrington and Corndon Hill into one map
called Corndon and Stapeley. The map was
produced on OCAD and all seemed well until
it became apparent that the map might not
arrive in time for the event! After some hurried
negotiations by Chairman Mike Callow a crisis
was averted and the event ran very smoothly.
Judith Powell, operating under her ‘Safestart’
banner, pioneered her new Bar Code computer
results system at the event.
The 1995 British Championships were
staged by the Welsh Orienteering Association
and Wrekin had a very heavy involvement in
its staging. Judith Powell was the overall event
co-ordinator and her husband Colin was the
event Treasurer. Dave Gittus was the
Controller of the Individual day on the intricate
wooded sand dunes of Newborough on the Isle
of Anglesey. The event was superb and Judith
had the best Wrekin run when she won her 3rd
British Championship (daytime) in the W55
age group.
After a somewhat quiet Summer, September
heralded another National Team Score Event at
New Beechenhurst in the Forest of Dean. This
time there was a Small Clubs’ Competition
36
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
and, in appalling wet conditions, Wrekin
emerged victorious over Swansea Bay and
Devon.
A lack of suitable colour-coded events and
the late arrival of the previous round’s results
meant that the next round of the Compass
Sport Cup against Croydon OC would not be
able to be held before the date of the Final. The
organisers allowed the tie to be held as part of
the Final rather than the unsatisfactory ‘toss of
1995 Club Championships
a coin’ as stipulated in the rules. This meant
that the Final at Grace Dieu in Leicestershire
on 7 October would be a three-way tie. On the
day most of the club had disastrous results and
neither the organisation nor the forest met the
Date:
19 November
Venue:
Clent Hills
Senior Open:
Richard Pay
Open Handicap:
Clive Richardson
requirements of such a prestige event. Wrekin
Intermediate Men: James Broadhead
managed to brush aside the challenge of CROC
Intermediate Ladies: Clare Leventon
by 36-17 and reach the Semi-Final against
Intermediate Handicap:
Rebecca Broadhead
South Midland Orienteering Club. SMOC
provided sterner opposition and the score was a
Ladies Open:
Debbie Clough
30-30 draw but Wrekin went through to the
Veteran Men:
Peter Bayliss
Final having provided more course winners.
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Derek Turner
Edinburgh Southern OC arrived late after their
long journey South and had the distinct
Veteran Ladies:
Beryl Bayliss
advantage of late runs leading to their 27-33
Junior Open:
Tom Lewis
victory. Night orienteering has been something
Junior Handicap:
David Broadhead
of a speciality among Wrekin Orienteers
Best Man Over 40: John Broadhead
(witness Judith Powell’s many British
Best Lady Over 40: Caryl Roscoe
Championship wins) and the club regularly
provides the greatest number of starters in the
West Midland Night League. In 1995 the club
swept the board in the competition with Ifor
Powell winning the Robin Logan Trophy for
the A Course, John Broadhead winning the B
Course, Mark Yeadon the C Course and Clare
Leventon the D Course.
37
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Original members at the 21st Anniversary Event on the Wrekin
Left to Right: Sarah Goffe, Clare Stephenson, Ken Broad, Paul Sanderson, Peter Stephenson,
Peter Jones (with original club banner), Dave Gittus and Tim Goffe.
1996
2 February marked the 21st Anniversary of the
founding of Wrekin Orienteers and the
intention was to mark the occasion with a
special event. The nearest Sunday had,
unfortunately, been booked by Walton Chasers
for their Badge Event at Hawksmoor, therefore
the nearest available date, 11 February, was
settled upon. The original event in 1975 had
been at Madeley Court but this was unsuitable
for a Badge Event so it seemed logical to use
The Wrekin. Founder members were sent
personal invitations to attend and it was
wonderful that so many went along. Heavy
snow earlier in the week had put the event in
jeopardy but a miraculous thaw on the Friday
and Saturday meant everything would go
ahead. The courses, planned by Mike Callow
and Brian Morris, were tough but in keeping
with Wrekin’s reputation. A handsome cake
was baked by Caryl Roscoe (aided by her
daughter Sarah) and a small ceremony took
place at the assembly area (the old rifle range).
All the original members then retired to Dave
Gittus’ house for a buffet and the chance to
reminisce.
38
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
On 2 March Judith Powell won another
British Night Championship, this time the W55
at Pembrey Forest.
eagerly awaiting the next one with the hope
that it won’t take so long to materialise.
At the 1996 AGM four more club members
were awarded Honorary Membership of
Wrekin Orienteers for their contributions to the
club over many years: Peter and Beryl Bayliss,
Peter Jones and Rod Postlethwaite.
Again the club entered the Compass Sport
Cup Small Clubs’ Competition and in the 1st
Round were drawn against South Wales
Orienteering Club. This tie was held at
Burghope Wood (part of Pyon and Dinmore) in
Herefordshire and Wrekin survived the clay
and brambles to win by 36-23. The next round
pitched the club against ERYRI, the team who
had given provided tough opposition back in
1994. This time Wrekin were not so fortunate
and lost the tie at Bryn Alyn in North Wales by
28-32 on a drizzly day. Thus it was not to be a
case of ‘third time lucky’.
1996 Club Championships
The Welsh 6 Day Event, ‘Croeso 96’, was
held during the Summer and Wrekin once
again provided some help, maintaining our
good relations with the Welsh OA. Judith
Powell was again heavily involved as coordinator and she provided all the computer
expertise and results. The Leventon family
organised and planned the Training Day in
Dyfnant Forest and the rest of the club
provided the Finish team for Day 4 at Craig
Garth Bwlch, Lake Vrnwy
Date:
3 November
Venue:
Wrockwardine Wood
Senior Open:
Lawrie Jones
Open Handicap:
Rod Postlethwaite
Intermediate:
Julia Leventon
Intermediate Handicap:
James Broadhead
Ladies Open:
Jill Leventon
Veteran Men:
Peter Bayliss
Veteran Mens Handicap:
Peter Jones
Veteran Ladies:
Naomi Wrighton
Veteran Ladies Handicap:
As part of the 21st Anniversary celebrations,
Jill Leventon organised a club training
weekend on the weekend 11/13 October. This
idea had been suggested many years before but
never gone beyond the ‘drawing board’ stage.
Thanks to Jill’s organisational skills, the
weekend proved to be an enormous success.
Holly How Youth Hostel at Coniston in the
Lake District was selected as the venue and
Carol McNeill, an ex- Veteran World Cup
winner and GB International, ran the training
sessions at Guards Wood and Tarn Hows with
the theme of ‘flow orienteering’. An
opportunity to put all the theory into practice
was presented the following day at the
WestCumberland OC Badge Event at
Thornthwaite Forest near Keswick. Everyone
who attended enjoyed themselves and are
Judith Powell
Junior Open:
David Broadhead
Junior Handicap:
April Eassom
The Future ?
The past 21 years have seen many successes
and a few failures but what does the future
hold ? Of course, that question is impossible to
answer. One thing is certain, though, the club
needs a constant supply of new members and,
in particular, younger members. The age
profile of the club is high and policies need to
be set in place to counteract this if there are to
be another 21 years of Wrekin Orienteers.
39
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 1
"
Club Officials
!
! Chairmen
18/02/75 - 13/05/75
Dave Gittus †
13/05/75 - 25/03/76
Frank North
25/03/76 - 18/10/76
Phil Walker ‡
18/10/76 - 27/10/77
Ken Broad
27/10/77 - 04/10/78
Dave Gittus
04/10/78 - 05/02/80
Tim Goffe
05/02/80 - 13/10/82
Peter Bayliss
13/10/82 - 10/10/84
Judith Powell
10/10/84 - 15/10/87
Alan Morris
15/10/87 - 18/10/90
Ken Posnett
18/10/90 - 21/10/93
Richard Lewis
21/10/93 - 17/10/96
Mike Callow
17/10/96 -
Marcus Eassom
18/02/75 - 13/05/75
Frank North †
13/05/75 - 13/10/77
Frank Parker
13/10/77 - 04/10/79
Ian Gibson
04/10/79 - 13/10/88
Peter Jones
13/10/88 - 26/04/90
Andy Louden
26/04/90 -
Debbie Clough
! Secretaries
40
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
!Treasurers
18/02/75 - 13/05/75
Peter Stephenson †
13/05/75 - 31/10/75
Peter Stephenson
31/10/75 - 27/10/77
Glyn Jones
27/10/77 - 04/10/79
Peter Jones
04/10/79 - 13/10/82
Phil Walker
13/10/82 - 13/10/88
Derek Turner
13/10/88 -
Brian Morris
13/10/82 - 04/10/83
Jean Mackenzie
04/10/83 - 16/10/86
Colin Powell
16/10/86 - 15/10/87
Phil Hancox
15/10/87 - 19/10/89
Stuart Turner
19/10/89 - 17/10/91
Ian Morris
17/10/91 - 19/10/95
Phil Hancox
19/10/95 -
Pat Pay
Captains
First Provisional Committee
Dave Gittus (Chairman), Frank North (Secretary), Peter Stephenson (Treasurer),Ken Broad and
Tim Goffe.
First Elected Committee
Frank North (Chairman), Frank Parker (Secretary), Peter Stephenson (Treasurer), Dave Gittus,
Tim Goffe, Geoff Hamby and Paul Sanderson.
Notes:
† Acting until the Extraordinary General Meeting
‡ Acting until the Annual General Meeting
41
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 2
The Club Newsletter
The first three editions of the Club Newsletter were known as ‘Wrekin Orienteers’ Newsletter’
until a suitable name, ‘Wrekinoitre’ was found. The Newsletter was published in A4 format until
issue 74 (March 1988) whereupon it was changed to A5.
Editors
1- 8
(Feb 1975 - June 1976)
Tim Goffe
9 - 17
(July 1976 - Jan 1978)
Rob & Jenny Pearson
18 - 20
(Mar 1978 - May 1978)
Dave Westcott
21 - 53
(July 1978 - July 1984)
Peter Bayliss
54 - 69
(Nov 1984 - June 1987)
Judith Powell
70 §
(September 1987)
Peter Bayliss
71 - 98
(Nov 1987 - Sept 1991)
Mike Callow
99 - 101¶
(Nov 1991 - Sept 1992)
Phil Hancox & Nikki Sanders
102
(January 1993)
Ian Morris
103 -
(May 1993 -
)
Beryl Bayliss
Past and Present
Issue No.1
Issue No.122
(Feb 1975)
(Jul 1996)
Notes:
§ Emergency issue
¶ It should be noted that there were two issues numbered 101.
42
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 3
Major Events
Type of Event
No. of
Courses
No. of
Competitors
CATI *
1
37
Dave Gittus,
Tim Goffe
Mammoth Training
2
69
Geoff Hamby,
Paul Sanderson
Club
5
161
Dave Gittus,
Tim Goffe
2 Man Relay
2
120
Ken Broad
Badge
10
530
Dave Gittus,
Tim Goffe
Badge
10
473
Dave Gittus
4/5 Jun Hafodgwenllian
Welsh Weekend
9
630
Rob & Jenny Pearson
29 Jan Bishop’s Wood
Midland
Score Champs
2
150
Ian Gibson
27 May Croes-y-Forwyn
Welsh Weekend
12
1072
Dave Gittus
Club
4
132
Peter Bayliss
Midland
Championship
19
1686
Rob & Jenny Pearson
22 Apr Haughmond Hill
Club
5
277
Peter Jones
6 May Bury Ditches
Club
4
189
Robert Morgan
9 Dec Cockshutt Piece
Club
3
72
Geoff Hamby
3 Feb Haughmond Hill
Club
4
249
Vaughan New
16 Mar The Wrekin
Badge
9
679
Peter Bayliss
2 Nov Long Mynd
Badge
9
591
Peter Stephenson
Date
Venue
!
Planner
1975
2 Feb Madeley Court
15 Aug The Ercall
23 Nov Sowdley Wood
1976
11 Jan The Ercall
4 Apr Bishop’s Wood
1977
24 Apr Donnington Wood
1978
1979
28 Jan Donnington Wood
4 Mar The Wrekin
1980
43
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Type of Event
No. of
Courses
No. of
Competitors
Club
5
304
Phil Walker
JK Training
1
†
Peter Bayliss
19 Apr Bishop’s Wood
JK Relays
11
2043
Dave Gittus,
11 Oct Boreatton Park
Club
4
183
Glyn Jones
Club
5
268
Peter Bayliss
5 Dec South Telford
Night
†
†
Dave Gittus
31 Jan Lizard Hill
Club
5
412
Jean Mackenzie
21 Mar Bishop’s Wood
Badge
10
731
Derek Turner
6 Jun Long Mynd
Badge
10
322
Tom Heaton
17 Oct Boreatton Park
Club
5
193
Godfrey Hall
27 Nov Bishop’s Wood
Midland
Night Champs
†
128
Dave Gittus
5 Mar South Telford
Night
6
†
Dave Gittus
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
12
920
Peter Jones
Club
6
260
Judith Powell
TSB Trophy
(Score)
1
130
Peter Bayliss
14 Feb Telford Town Park
Night
4
30
Peter Bayliss
10 Jun The Wrekin
Club
6
289
Keith & Phil
Hancox
21 Oct Bishop’s Wood
Badge
13
652
Chris Smith
20 Nov Telford Town Park
Night
†
†
Peter Bayliss
TSB Trophy
(Score)
1
176
Ken Posnett
Club
4
222
Alan Morris
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
13
991
Colin Powell
Date
Venue
!
Planner
1981
18 Jan Donnington Wood
17 Apr Lizard Hill
22 Nov The Ercall
1982
1983
8 May Linley
25 Sep Long Mynd
1984
1 Jan Telford Town Park
1985
1 Jan Telford Town Park
10 Mar Lizard Hill
27 May The Stiperstones
44
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Venue
Type of Event
No. of
Courses
No. of
Competitors
3 Nov Bishop’s Wood
Colour-Coded
5
309
Phil Hancox
TSB Trophy
(Score)
1
137
Peter Jones
West Midlands
Relays
6
207
Dave Gittus
18 May Linley
Badge
16
529
Frank North
16 Nov The Stiperstones
Colour-Coded
6
116
Phil Hancox
6 Dec Brown Moss
Night
4
17
Colin Powell
Stapeley &
25 May Rorrington and
Corndon Hill
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
19
1339
Peter Jones
1 Nov Bishop’s Wood
Colour-Coded
7
290
Derek Turner
12 Mar Cockshutt Piece
Night
3
24
Derek Turner
22 May Haughmond Hill
Badge
13
492
Phil Hancox &
Brian Morris
6 Nov Long Mynd
Colour-Coded
6
293
Roy Dawson
14 Jan Nedge Hill
Night
4
48
Dave Gittus
Colour-Coded
7
347
Peter Bayliss
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
18
1324
Andy Louden
Badge
13
435
Derek Kennedy
TSB Trophy
(Score)
1
110
Ken Posnett
25 Feb Lizard Hill
Colour-Coded
8
236
Ifor Powell
Honeypot &
7 May Caughley
Colour-Coded
8
213
Peter Bayliss
24 Nov Wrockwardine Wood
Night
4
35
Derek Turner
25 Nov Wrockwardine Wood
Colour-Coded
8
234
Ian Gregory
Date
!
Planner
1986
1 Jan Telford Town Park
27 Apr Lizard Hill
1987
1988
1989
Honeypot &
5 Mar Caughley
Sowdley Wood &
29 May Black Hill
Stapeley &
12 Nov Rorrington
1990
1 Jan Telford Town Park
45
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Type of Event
No. of
Courses
No. of
Competitors
Score
1
80
John Broadhead
Badge
17
638
Ian Morris
Colour-Coded
7
259
Peter Bayliss
30
1951
Ifor & Judith Powell
Night
4
50
Derek Turner
Colour-Coded
7
312
Alan Morris
5 Apr The Wrekin
National
28
1795
Dave Gittus &
Peter Jones
21 Jun Long Mynd
West Midlands
Relays
5
225
Phil Hancox
20 Sep Telford Town Park
Colour-Coded
7
137
Mike Callow
Colour-Coded
7
332
Derek Turner
20 Jan The Wrekin
Badge
18
560
John Broadhead
28 Feb Lizard Hill
Colour-Coded
8
276
Peter Hunt &
Ken Posnett
Night
4
19
Derek Turner
Night
4
48
Dave Gittus
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
19
1063
Peter Jones
22 Jan The Ercall
Night
4
37
Ifor Powell
13 Mar The Wrekin
Colour-Coded
6
339
Richard Pay
Nesscliff Camp
23 Oct (South)
Colour-Coded
7
186
Peter Bayliss
Night
4
28
Phil Hancox
11 Feb Bishop’s Wood
Midland
Night Champs
7
110
Ifor Powell
26 Feb Lizard Hill
Colour-Coded
8
208
Marcus Eassom
Date
Venue
!
Planner
1991
1 Jan Wrockwardine Wood
13 Jan Bishop’s Wood
3 Mar Lizard Hill
26 May Breidden Hills
23 Nov Bishop’s Wood
1 Dec Haughmond Hill
National (SinS)
1992
6 Dec Bishop’s Wood
1993
13 Mar Telford Town Park
14 Jan Nedge Hill
29 May Linley
1994
1995
Granville
28 Jan Country Park
46
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Type of Event
No. of
Courses
No. of
Competitors
Springtime in
Shropshire Badge
20
1174
Peter Jones &
Charles Leventon
Nesscliff Camp
24 Sep (South)
West Midlands
Relays
8
151
Tony Callow
Nesscliff Camp
5 Nov (North)
Colour-Coded
7
164
Peter Bayliss
Granville
25 Nov Country Park
Night
4
21
Clive Richardson
11 Feb The Wrekin
Badge
18
498
Mike Callow &
Brian Morris
Badge
14
447
Peter Bayliss
Date
Venue
28 May Stapeley & Corndon
!
Planner
1996
1 Dec Nesscliffe Hill
Notes:
* Inaugural Wrekin Orienteers event using the Madeley Court map produced by Dave Gittus, then of
Harlequins Orienteering Club.
† Information unavailable.
This is a comprehensive listing of major events held by the club but does not include Come and Try It events, training
events or closed club championship events.
47
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 4
Club Champions
Year
Venue
Mens Open
Ladies Open
Intermediate
Junior Open
1975
Trentham Park
Tim Goffe
Phil Gittus
1976
Bishop’s Wood
Dave Gittus
Chris Jones
1977
Lizard Hill
Tim Goffe
1978
Brocton Fields
Rob Pearson
1979
Shoal Hill
Tim Goffe
1980
Swynnerton
Tim Goffe
1981
Boreatton Park
John Pearson
1982
The Ercall
1983
Sarah Goffe
James Ellis
Robert Morgan
Beryl Bayliss
Phil Gittus
Stuart Turner
Alun Powell
Jean Mackenzie
Ifor Powell
Alun Powell
Peter Jones
Jean Mackenzie
Duncan Bayliss
Sophie Powell
Bishop’s Wood
Dave Gittus
Judith Powell
Ifor Powell
Neil Hancox
1984
Weston Heath
Colin Powell
Judith Powell
Judith Powell
Sophie Powell
1985
Shugborough
Roy Dawson
Judith Powell
Judith Powell
Ian Dawes
1986
Shugborough
Eric Galloway
Helena Galloway
Helena Galloway
Ian Dawes
1987
The Stiperstones
Ifor Powell
Eileen Frith
Brendan Anglim
Ian Dawes
1988
Titterstone Clee
Roy Dawson
Eileen Frith
Ian Dawes
Kelvin Dawson
1989
Alton Towers
Ifor Powell
Eileen Frith
Ian Dawes
Steffan North
1990
Shoal Hill
Ifor Powell
Ian Dawes
James Broadhead
1991
Breidden Hills
Alun Powell
Judith Powell
Steffan North
Nicholas Lewis
1992
Haughmond Hill
Ian Morris
Caryl Roscoe
Colin Powell
Catherine Abbott
1993
Brindley Heath
Ifor Powell
Debbie Clough
†
James Broadhead
1994
Granville
Country Park
Andy Clough
Debbie Clough
†
James Broadhead
1995
Clent Hills
Richard Pay
Debbie Clough
†
Tom Lewis
1996
Wrockwardine
Wood
Lawrie Jones
Jill Leventon
*
Julia Leventon
David Broadhead
Notes:
* Not Awarded.
† This category was split into Male and Female sections for these three years.
Due to the complex nature of the Club Championships over the years, this tabulated version only covers the main
categories. For fuller details see the main section of this book.
48
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Club League
1987
Brian Morris
1990
Judith Powell
1988
Roy Dawson
1991
Judith Powell
1988
Brian Morris
Cross Country Championships
Year
1979
Date
Venue
May Madeley Court
Telford Town Park
Open
Handicap
Over 35
Rob Pearson
Stuart Turner
Ken Broad
Paul Turner
Colin Powell
Ken Broad
Ladies
Junior
1980
6 May
1981
23 Jun Telford Town Park
Stuart Turner
Ifor Powell
Ken Broad
1982
4 May
Stuart Turner
Richard Rust
Derek Turner
1983
21 Jun Telford Town Park
Vaughan New
Ifor Powell
Derek Turner
1984
19 Jun Haughmond Hill
Brian Morris
Colin Powell
Brian Morris
1985
17 Sep
Bishop’s Wood
Roy Dawson
Roy Dawson
Roy Dawson
Kate Gold
Ian Dawes
1986
13 May
The Wrekin
Phil Hancox
Colin Powell
Brian Morris
Brenda Dawes
Kelvin Dawson
†
Mick Anglim
Avvai Singam
Neil Hancox
Ian Morris
Ian Morris
Brian Morris
Brenda Dawes
Ian Dawes
Lilleshall Hall
1987
9 Jun The Wrekin
1988
14 Jun The Wrekin
Vaughan New
Sophie Powell
Ian Dawes
1989
5 Sep
The Wrekin
Ian Morris
Ian Morris
Brian Morris
1990
4 Sep
The Wrekin
Ian Morris
Mike Callow
Roy Dawson
Brenda Dawes
Nicholas Lewis
5 Jul The Wrekin
Ian Morris
Tony Callow
Roy Dawson
Nikki Sanders
Stuart Emonson
1991
1992
8 Sep
The Wrekin
‡
‡
1993
15 Jun The Wrekin
Ian Morris
†
Brian Morris
1994
14 Jun The Wrekin
‡
‡
Peter Jones
1995
*
1996
*
‡
Ian Dawes
‡
Maria Murphy
‡
‡
‡
‡
Notes:
* Competition not held
† No handicapping
‡ Results unavailable
In 1983 and 1984 the new category was a combined Ladies and Junior Handicap. After 1985 these categories were no
longer a Handicap. For the sake of continuity in the above table, the results have been shown separately.
49
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 5
CompassSport Cup
Year
1982-83
1983-84
1984-85
1986
1987
Date
Round
Opponents
Result
7 Oct
1
POTOC
W 43-41
†
2
DEE
L 34-50
25 Sep
1
OD
W 49-34
Long Mynd
20 Oct
2
POTOC
W 44-40
Wyrley Common
12 Feb
3
SYO
L 30-54
Hawksmoor
2 Mar
1
Cambrian
W 81-43
Swynnerton
11 May
2
NGOC
L 60-62
Malvern Hills
22 Feb
1
WCH
W 65-61
Hawkbatch
11 May
2
HOC
L 62-64
Shining Cliff
1
(Bye)
15 May
2
NOC
L 53-73
Wakerley Great Wood
22 Jan
1
OD
W 67-59
Eymore Wood
9 Apr
2
MDOC
L 60-66
Weston Heath
1990
28 Jan
1
SBOC
W 71-52
Eymore Wood
22 Apr
2
SARUM
W 64-55
Cefn Bryn
9 Sep
3
MDOC
L 59-67
Sherbrook
1991
27 Jan
1
POTOC
W 67-56
Grendon & Baddesley
21 Apr
2
WCH
L 63-64
Croes-y-Forwyn
1992
12 Jan
1
POTOC
W 74-49
Sutton Park
8 Mar
2
OD
L 44-82
Hawkbatch
1
(Bye)
2
DVO
L 39-68
Kinver Edge
Brindley Heath
†
Did Not Enter
1988
1989
Venue
1993
28 Mar
Notes:
† Information unavailable
Until 1988 the Compass Sport Cup was a single competition involving BOF registered orienteering clubs regardless
of their size. This meant that clubs with a small membership were unable to compete with larger clubs and rarely got
beyond the Regional stage of the draw. In 1988 a new competition was introduced for clubs with a membership of 60
or less to encourage smaller clubs to compete in the cup. In 1994 the qualifications were changed and Wrekin were
able to enter the competition for small clubs.
50
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
CompassSport Cup Small Clubs Competition
Year
Date
1994
Opponents
1
(Bye)
6 Mar
2
WYE
12 Jun
3
12 Jun
16 Oct
1995
1996
Round
Result
Venue
W 30½-24½
Hawkbatch
ERYRI
W 27-25
Brown Clee
SF
SBOC
W w/o
Brown Clee
F
FVO
70
CHIG
44
PFO
44
WRE
42
Allean Forest
1
(Bye)
8 Jan
2
ODR
W 35-21
Croes-y-Forwyn
21 May
3
WYE
W 33-23
Lickey Hills
7 Oct
4
CROC
W 36-17
Grace Dieu
7 Oct
SF
SMOC
W 30-30*
Grace Dieu
7 Oct
F
ESOC
L 27-33
Grace Dieu
17 Mar
1
SWOC
W 36-23
Burghope Wood
30 Jun
2
ERYRI
L 28-32
Big Covert & Bryn Alyn
Notes:
* Won by virtue of providing most course winners.
The 1994 Final was a four-way tie with Wrekin finishing in 4th place.
The 1995 Final incorporated three separate rounds, although the 4th Round tie should not have been part of the Final.
Special dispensation was granted to both Wrekin and Croydon OC to play the match as part of the Final due to the late
appearance of the results from the tie with WYE and the lack of suitable events for the tie to be held at.
51
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 6
West Midlands Galoppen
Year
1
2
3
5
6
HOC 3100
POTOC 2653
SOLOS 1697
HOC 3169 POTOC 3097
WCH 3008
SOLOS 1477
1980
OD 3294
WCH 3281
1981
WRE 3417
OD 3261
1982
OD 3550
WRE 3481
WCH 3255
HOC 3218
POTOC 3139
SOLOS 1896
1983
OD 3358
WRE 3328
WCH 3281
HOC 3211
POTOC 3171
SOLOS 1896
1984
OD 3263 POTOC 3239
WCH 3187
WRE 2959
HOC 2926
1985
OD 3275
WCH 3142 POTOC 2919
HOC 2899
1986
WRE 3263
WRE 3193
4
7
Competition Not Held
1987
WCH 1745
WRE 1687
HOC 1654
OD 1632
POTOC 1338
1988
WCH 4763
WRE 4663
OD 4661
HOC 4362
POTOC 2751
1989
WCH 4866
WRE 4749
OD 4735
HOC 4700
POTOC 3747
1990
WCH 7133
OD 7038
WRE 6967
HOC 6851
POTOC 4297
1991
OD 7348
WCH 7288
WRE 6970
HOC 6959
POTOC 5964
1992
OD 7242
WCH 7238
HOC 6989
WRE 6917
POTOC 5498
1993
OD 7175
WCH 7015
HOC 6800
WRE 6733
POTOC 5099
1994
WCH 7216
HOC 7187
WRE 7118
1995
OD 7303
HOC 7211
WRE 7195
1996
WCH 7167
WRE 7095
OD 7034
OD 7009 COBOC 4719
WCH 6767
WYE 4768
WYE 4654 POTOC 4589
WYE 5689 COBOC 5239 POTOC 3402
HOC 6998 COBOC 5094
WYE 4307 POTOC 2982
Notes:
A West Midlands Galoppen competition was first mooted in the mid-Seventies and an experimental
competition spread over 3 events took place in 1976 with the following result: 1st WCH, 2nd HOC, 3rd WRE, 4th
OD, 5th POTOC, 6th SOLOS, 7th BUOC and 8th ASTU.
In 1980 the competition was inaugurated and a team trophy, ‘The Ultrasport Trophy’ was donated by Ken
Broad. Melvyn Farmer of Octavian Droobers organised the competition until 1985 when John Mansfield, then of
SOLOS now of COBOC, took over the reins. There are individual competitions for all the age groups, but the results
are too numerous to document here.
52
The History of Wrekin Orienteers
Appendix 7
Current Mapped Areas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Apley Castle Park
Bishop's Wood
Breidden Hills
Brown Moss
Corndon & Stapeley
Granville Country Park
Haughmond Hill
Honeypot & Caughley
Lilleshall Hall
Linley
Long Mynd
Longford
Lizard Hill
Lyth Hill
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
53
Madeley Court
Madeley Park
Nedge Hill & Randlay Wood
Nesscliff Camp (North)
Nesscliff Camp (South)
Nesscliffe Hill & The Cliffe
Phoenix
Southall
Sowdley Wood & Black Hill
The Stiperstones
Telford Town Park
Wombridge
The Wrekin
Wrockwardine Wood