A reminder and...

Summary of the 07/08 season.... 

Round Two:     "A Mere Journey..."

Class Winners:  Gardner/Falconer,  Bentley/Bentley,  Bonds/PhilM

I just realised. At it’s Northern most point crew’s could just about breath on Ellesmere!! But not so strange I suppose when one counts the amount of ”Mere’s” in that vicinity. A very brave idea on only the George’s second organised event. Once again, the journey from Brum proved useful to the Gardner/Falconer crew while Bentley’s managed to accept the silverware one more time.
Such a shame that, mainly due to hols & stuff the entry suffered rather but that’s how it goes sometimes. Very rare for an NE event I must admit.
Very well done both anyway, a Mere journey indeed…

The Route: Two sections, the first (after a rather cryptic clue set,) began @ Preston Gubbals (!) after a run out from the start venue near Battlefield. Great to have a new set of lane’s & we sampled many whilst travelling NNW through Myddle, Petton &  a cracking slot left in English Frankton en-route to the Colemere mini maze. West past another 30 Mere’s and crossing the Shropshire Union canal prior to sect finish @ Welsh Frankton! The yellow’s continued to impress, although dry their character was none the less quite unusual. S2 then, and South over the canal twice more before arriving at such hamlet’s as Grimpo & Wykey! A tricky little section around Nesscliffe saw most miss the nasty CB lurking… well not sure really cuz we missed it as well!
A quick blast South again through Great & Little Ness brought our comp eve to a finish just above Montford Bridge. Last check for the score card while my man escorted us to Hook-a-Gate & a well deserved pint of Mild & chip butty.

Conditions:  Dry.

Round Six:    "Hermes Path..."

Class Winners:  Gardner/Falconer,  Taylor/Taylor, Darkin/Darkin/Darkin

When Nicky D contacted me & asked if we were meeting opposite the Ashes Pub on the Stourbridge road, I realised that this could just be a good ploy to send them awry, whilst gaining one or two extra points!
But no, not a nice thing so I mentioned it was the “other” Six Ashes & the Darks duly thrashed us all… except for just the one crew! Cracking result Karl/Josh & well done all.

This was the ladz from the Brum’s first attempt at organising an NE round & it all went quite well really. Smashin.

The Route:   Just 500m E of Neen Savage ford is a small gravel car park. And the weather was indeed Savage! A nice easy plot saw crew’s depart in a mainly NW direction heading for Oreton & the interesting lane’s toward Aston Botterell before diverging West right over to Cold Weston. A neat section without boards was always going to keep nav’s guessing before, phew, just prior to Ditton Priors the CB’s flowed again. Hillside loop & the North taking in Monkhopton & Lightwood. It was here that, due to us having a little time in the bag I jumped out to take a snap of a following NE comp’s. But the vehicle following the V12 SpaceMobiles Landy turned out to be a rather bemused but miserable policeman on his way to work complete with uniform!! Not amused was he!
The last lap took us through Underton & The Lye before the Cross Houses finish. Plenty of time so the craick & chips down at The Danery PH was just the job on an interesting eve…
Conditions:  Muddy & Rather damp.

Round Seven:      "Over the Hill..."   

Class Winners:  Middle/Campbell/Humphreys,  Taylor/Taylor,  Darkin/Darkin/Darkin

Always an unusual start venue that, surrounded by unused Portaloo’s…! But that was the only messy(!) bit on what was to be, a thoroughly decent event. The ladz from the Welshpool stuff looked rather happy with the class win as did the Taylor duo yet again. Very heartening to have yet another new crew out with us. Just the job I must admit.
Pete, I think, was reasonably pleased with the win. This really does put us in the frame for a historic win, NE wise anyway!

The Route:   After a nerve-wracking (where’s the catch, Oh well perhaps there isn’t one) plotting session, twelve crew’s set off SW immediately on it up & over the West face of the Brown Clee before the delights of Cleemarsh & Hopton Clangeford. Then, approaching Clee Hill from the East we had already realised that the motor was not to return to base without a fair share of a brown coating attached, it was just turning out a bit mucky!
Surprisingly, we now travelled W again toward Ludlow & then a lovely section East through Caynham, & the brilliant Hoopits yellow. Pete promised not to drop the scorecard ‘int mud this time as we had done on our last foray down that way…
On to Nash then NE taking in Cadbury & Coreley. We parked up just prior to the infamous downhill “straight on up the White” at the downhill sq left found in sq 6374. The Evans/Jones/Smith Focus duly missed the left & yes… took the white instead. The camera does this to people you realise. Up over Hollywaste N of Cleobury saw crew’s take heed of an amendment which stated not to drive through the very swollen Neen Savage ford. Instead skirt Cleobury & pick up your route on the opposite side of said ford. This is where the first possible fail of the eve lurked. Sited on the triangle out of view (unless you travelled around said triangle to pick up your route at an earlier point!!) Very good.
Well done to all, good food & once again this season, great craick.
   Conditions:  Muddy & Mucky.

Round Eight:     "The Mellow yellow, White not Quite..."

    

Class Winners:  Rees/Humphreys,  Bentley/Bentley,  Darkin/Darkin/Darkin

The car park was the size of a Footie pitch on Highgate common but this did not stop us blocking the entrance all parked up facing the exit in line & ready to rumble! With more to lose than win, one or two crew’s looked pensive (not moi of course!!) & after good old Karl had checked on his orgs in the field we plotted what was a sensible route & sorted ourselves ready for the eve ahead. Once again, the lad’s from the Welsh pools arrived on time in full. What a great effort once again.

So, after a full mileage event, the Rees/Humphreys crew took the Nov spoils & kept an eye on the o/a Nov awards. Bentley’s Philippa & simon did no harm at all by winning the Semi class & the o/a Semi expert class in the process. Darkin trio may well of cemented the expert class by taking 2^nd o/a on the night but for Pete & I a win gave us the marvellous bonus of having zero pressure on the final round. Well done orgs & well done all.

The Route:  An intricate route allowed us to first travel SW toward Coxgreen & Coton, all std but demanding lane’s for the “local’s” but not allowing us to take our mind of the job! SE up above Fenn Green to circle back Compton & a Westerley run over the Sheepwalks, Gilberts Cross & down through the Millions toward Aswood. Great lane’s all.
A link section to the card collection point (outside Mr. Dick Lee’s new abode) then allowed us to indulge in a quick thrash across to Halfpenny Green airport & Section two. West through Beobridge (and the thankfully restored yellow in sq 8091) 5 Ways & Upper Farmcote. Cleverly we now looped S of Claverley (sorry!) through Draycott to take in Smestow & the final 2km toward Himley. That done our biggest prob was to park up at the “Stump” in Sedgley! After a rather hectic eve, seems like Sedgley had ventured out to meet us, Karl produced the results having utilised his house as a control just down the road!      Well done.

Conditions:  Dry & Frosty.

Round Nine:      "For Whom the Bell tolls..."

Class Winners:  Gardner/Falconer,  Taylor/Taylor,  Ellis/Jarman.

The final then. And a worthy one I might add. The event, full entry + reserves (!)  was the last gasp for some, either an NE Class to sew up or a little pre-nav practise for the following night’s Moonbeam. Paul, Dave & his ever willing crew laid on a rather interesting one for us, the on event photography (complete with printed pic each at the finish) was, once again, a great gesture.
So the trips from Brum paid dividends for the ever enthusiastic Gardner/Falconer crew. They now become NE Semi-Experts. Bentley/Bentley really kept it together this season & have to put up with the Expert Class I’m afraid! Darkin/Darkin stay in the Expert class just this once (!) with a measured performance throughout. For Pete & I, well it sort of flowed from Round One this time, weird that this is the very first season I have not organised an event since NE began by coincidence.

The Route:  From Penkridge it started, nice sensible plot, four sections & the promise of a few untried lanes to boot!
Little bit of the westerly through Lapley & then really, quite a way North to Church Eaton & SF1 S2 began at the Apeton ford complete with photo shoot & pick up point.  North again, across the A518 & West to Ranton via quite a few (as reported by the odd crew) not as map bends with interesting characteristics. West across to Lawnhead & the section finish which allowed S3 to throw the small but difficult Knightley maze straight at us. Real sexy lane’s followed in this rather tight but short S3 taking in Hatchwell’s Covert before an instant S4 dropping due S through Moreton, the Burlington 1.5km flat straight & Lizardmill Farm ford to finish. Lovely food & Craic @ the Bell at Tong. Everyone seemed content… then the rain loomed.

 

Conditions:  Dry but mucky.