Round One:    "Corndon Bleu"

      c

         O/A Results: 

Conditions:  Changeable, recent rain.

It’s always a difficult one writing about your own event. Not bad though was it! I must start by thanking the Girlz in the Pub & my right hand Man Pete who, only just put up with my fussing on top the Mynd all night!
And of course, Ta to those that turned out and were rewarded with a haul of points to start the season off with. Nice to see the lads from Brum taking home the silverware & just as good for our Josh in second. It was quite a scene at the finish control… Karl well on it over the brows just hoping the clock had stopped ticking for a few more minutes! They made it & after we sluiced down the nav’s door with much water (on the inside of course, but I will let you guess what it was covered with,) Pete & I finished of the scoring & pressed the results sort button. The contest for top honours was fierce all eve between the LPG powered Ford & the little blue Citroen which managed to come out on top once again. Well done both.

The Route: Two sections, the first starting at the PH in Little Stretton was supposed to be a simple affair with crew’s using
least A & B to take them S to Acton Scott & N past Ragleth hill, down through Hazler (yellow) with a quick (!) blast up the
Burway to our control just past the Boiling Well junction. But only three crew’s managed it correctly…
Anyway (and that is precisely where some cars arrived from,) after another session of plottin, the meat of the event transferred car’s past the glider station & N to England Shelve before tacking back down through Norbury then West to the lovely Morleswood loop. This required the triangle to be navigated longest whilst some navs mixed it up with the white triangle 300m further on! After crossing to Wales most managed to loop around Corndon Hill & Hyssington Marsh before the cracking journey back starting with the Rhadley Hill yellows. Just to test our navs, Squilver contained two boards which set them up nice for Ratlinghope, Shooting Box & the finish control just prior to Devils Mouth.
And on to the PH where we were looked after with good Beer & very good sandwiches… Use that place again someone.

Class Winners: Ellis/Ellis, Nicolaou/Millard  

Round Three:     "The 19th Hole..."


         O/A Results: 

Conditions:  Wet 'an Windy.

I sort of enjoy X Factor… in a strange sort of way! The thing is, if you have watched any of the recent episodes, Leona Lewis & Ben Mills are just going to clean up… end of. The programme might as well just finish now because those two are just super stars. Bit like last Friday night really. Take me-self for instance, generally take 6 months to sort an event & it’s usually so-so at the end, does the job sort of thing. I bumped into the Green’s a few weeks ago, needed an organising team pronto & hey, look what we got… takes my 10 points for the season end vote any time.
Anyway, Julie/Nick put it together after a minor glitch on R2 & now top the Challenge points once more. Pete & I managed a successive 2^nd place which was a little unexpected but nonetheless welcomed the points! Three out of three class wins gives Dave/Nic a good lead, I must check to see what the record is for successive class wins! Well done all, bad luck Jules/Andy retiring at the first control with electrical failure on the lovely Mk1.

The Route: A reasonably unusual rainy start (for us) greeted 12 crew’s in the depths of Condover Golf Club car park. After plotting the first two sections our route dropped due S, in fact as far down as Longville in the Dale. The plus point here meant that we sampled the Lawley & Plaish lanes before going W via the ‘orrible Cardington maze then approaching the first control near Botvyle. Clever wording meant we were always a little unsure about the “first & second” code boards in that section!
After plotting the final section 3, the driver’s then sampled a rain soaked route through Plush Hill, Womerton (fortunately straight at the notorious h/pin) & Woolstaston. But it didn’t stop here with Betchcott, the cracking decent to Stitt farm & Wescott lane following on. Nearing our final control situated just SW of Hook-a-Gate one or two eyes failed to notice the sexily positioned CB on the nasty 4r, 4L just E of Longden. But, after a little trouble for some locating the finish in Hook-a-Gate, we were treated to a welcome plate of sarnies an chips and just as importantly… the brilliant Craick.

Class Winners: Bonds/PhilM, Nicolaou/Millard

Round Four:   "Ford's Focus 2..."

        O/A Results: 

Conditions:  Rain, mud, floods and fog!

Mr & Mrs Darkin have now exceeded the 2000 point mark & stood on our “podium” 60 times in the 91 NE events they have entered. That’s impressive.
With Ellis’s Karl and Josh both navigating it was always going to be hard to make top three but we were pleased with that after a couple of daft mistakes again! Well done to Dave & our Falconers with the class win. This halting an impressive run from Nickolaou/Millard.

The Route: Starting & finishing in the lovely village of Stottesdon is always a gamble with respect to folding yer map. As was the norm, I guessed we would go West… no. Quick fettle and the soft graphite line trailed down to South & the first of just a couple of stings. The approach/departure at Neen Savage ford caught Pete & I with one or two others but hey, on H & Andy’s event, if you manage the ford crossing you are doing well!
So, a fair SW section showed us the impending conditions through Hollywaste & Coreley before Little London & the sexy little ford in sq 6170. The lane’s just kept on twisting as we approached Ryley and the cracking Rugpits (!) area. We were treated to the Hoopits gated lane (West >> East) and whilst I closed the final gate we managed to drop the scorecard in the mud. But these probs just sort of blended into the night because S3 approached… complete with pacenotes. So, having put up with rain, floods & mud we parked up nr Hints for a minute, just to watch the Bentleys kissin an a cuddlin in the Mini (that’s the car not Philippa) and also to convert to Fog notes for the Sheffields & Clee Hill section!
Happy to survive, crew’s travelled N through The Foxholes & the smart “closest to northing 83” section to travel E through Prescott Ford & home to the snappin.

Class Winners:  Clayton/Ellis's, Gardner/Falconers

Round Five:  "It started just NE of Crateford..."



         O/A Results: 

Conditions:  Greasy, muddy & damp.

“It started just NE of Crateford.”  Errr… No. It started just West of Crateford at approximately 17:00 hrs!! That is just about the time I answered my moby and a slightly in shock Mr Bunch explaining that said event was cancelled due to a slight(!) off during the code board run. So, while I was putting Plan X into action (i.e.: some how contact everyone v quickly,) moby rings once more. Well… we might just get it sorted he says… bring a phone and a tow truck. PETE, GET DOWN ‘ERE…

And most know the rest of the story. Suffice to say, with a bit of rushing about & lot of patient competitors we were all subject to a comeback & a half. That was undoubtedly one of the all time best NE rounds. Ever. Well done to the whole organising crew (lots of them!) As for Dave’s motor, well it is indeed scrap but never one to be the loser I am informed that a n other is already taking shape. Great stuff.

Nic & Dave managed 6^th o/a taking the class win as did the Darkin trio with 2^nd on this occasion. Pete & I were overjoyed with our first win this season and now find ourselves in a minor dilemma. Another pair of lights on the Trooper might just do the trick but Pete is now worried about the weight overhanging the front axle!

The Route: Astbury Hall to start with then, while an instant amendment just to confuse directed us to Billingsley, “Highley ford,” the first photo shoot and on to the section end at Netherford. S2 saw us travel due W Chorley & Prescott weir on the menu! Unfortunately the intrepid photographer (Mr Bunch) managed to take on board just a trickle of H20 after my driver decided to check out the bow wave producer specially fitted for the occasion!
The route meandered N through Wrickton before the Sidbury loop and on to Deuxhill. Having negotiated the now infamous down hill T junction left (where it all happened earlier) section ended at The Down. A brief run down the Bridgnorth by-pass to start the final section saw us meet Jane/Jon in a rather shiny MG ZZR Shiny clean V-twin-Shiny GL but with no poti working. They had suffered low oil pressure during S3 so popped home to swap motors! Having left them with a box of matches we tackled the remaining section through Farmcote, Beobridge & Broughton. (When did the Beobridge to Broughton yellow (nee-v rough white) turn into Mr Smoothbum by the way??
Back to CafeOK and the craick just got better & better... and then the Roberts’ gang strolled in!

Class Winners:  Darkin/Darkin/Darkin, Nicolaou/Millard