Last updated 19:39, Thursday, 06 November 2008

WEST Cumberland Orienteering Club’s junior team have qualified for the national finals of the Yvette Baker Trophy.

Against tough North West opposition at Torver High Common, Coniston, they won by a single point.

Last year the West Cumberland juniors came third in the national finals and were very keen to get to the finals again.

Top scoring runs worth 100 points from Charlotte Watson, Rosie Watson and Alice Rea, along with second placings worth 99 points from Ben Emerson and Katrina Hemingway, helped to secure the win.

WCOC finished with 888 points just one more than Chesire club DEE.

Hannah Skinner, who beat DEE’s ninth scorer, reducing her score by one, made the significant difference to the overall result.

The team now look forward to a trip to Sandringham next month for the national final.

The race at Torver was also the ninth Cumbrian Galoppen event. Bright sunshine and dry underfoot conditions gave great racing on the rocky, broken ground.

Three hundred orienteers from all over the north of England turned up to provide top competition.

Steve Birkinshaw took the win on the premier course, the 9km (with 330m climb) Brown, securing a four-minute winning margin.

Two hundred youngsters enjoyed the Spook-O last week on a mild, dry and very dark evening. The youngsters negotiated a course in Whinlatter forest, visiting various control sites that were dressed up in Halloween style.

The creature in the Petrified Pond certainly generated a few screams. The atmospheric Witches Coven had many hairs on the back of the neck standing on end.

The orienteering night series of evening events begins now the clocks have changed and to give dark conditions.

The early venues give the opportunity to try night navigation on relatively easy terrain.

Navigating in the dark with a torch is a very exciting challenge. Finding the control marker beside the feature after careful navigation gives a great sense of achievement.

Details of the various venues can be found on the website www.wcoc.co.uk and on the answerphone 01768 895539.

Torver results - Brown: 1, Steve Birkinshaw 55.34; 13, David Spencer 77.53; 15, Michael Pearson 81.33; 16, Graham Watson 81.53; 22, John Taylor 85.42; 31, Martin Skinner 90.45; 33, Malcolm Ruckledge 103.46.

Blue: 6, Howard Leslie 56.42; 9, Chris Emerson 57.44; 10, Tom Cowton 57.46; 13, Debbie Thompson 59.48; 20, Debbie Watson 64.22; 21, Laurence Cowton 64.34; 25, Bob Barnby 66.02; equal 29, Margaret Mackenzie 67.16; 36, David Downes 68.55; 40, Chris Pollitt 69.34; 48, Tony Duncan 73.12; 50, Nick Moore 73.38; 54, John Slater 74.59; 56, Penny Bibby 75.48; 63, Roger Jackson 81.12; 70, Jeff Cowton 83.35; 77, Mel Bradley 87.27.

Green: 5, Lewis Taylor 36.51; 7, Charlotte Watson 37.11; 8, Chris Brand-Barker 37.48; 12, Graham Hemingway 40.09; 17, Roger Thomas 46.07; 20, Susan Skinner 47.35; 22, Ged Hagan 48.29; 35, Lynne Thomas 51.59; 44, Kim Leslie 55.00; 69, Dave Fenwick 63.08; 71, John Calvert 64.01; 83, Joyce Hemingway 70.05; 86, Colin Southall 71.50; 91, Valerie Sullivan 74.06.

Light green: 2, Ben Emerson 27.30; 3, Rosie Watson 32.33; 8, Nathaniel Green 35.50; 9, John Cowper 36.07; 13, Paul Tickner 38.30; 14, Douglas Tickner 38.34; 16, Gavin Moore 40.40; 20, Chris Hemingway 43.02; 23, Hannah Bradley 43.52; 29, Glenda Moore 46.18; 40, Hannah Skinner 52.28; 45, Margaret Calvert 54.03; 53, Angela Ruckledge 59.45; 60, Jenny Jennings 77.01; 64, Margaret Angus 86.46; 68, Raymond Nelson 111.01.

Orange: 6, Hugh Guise 20.34; 8, Katrina Hemingway 20.53; 9, Sam Pagett 22.23; 10, Michael Green 22.34; 13, Paul Eaton 23.07; 21, Oliver Burns 25.58; 22, Esther Moore 26.37; 24, Heather Wornham 27.32; 32, Gwen Rea 31.12; 33, Sarah Moore 32.05; 36, Kate Skinner 35.46.

Yellow: equal 10, Adam Pagett 17.23; 18, Alice Rea 18.21; 25, Philip Jennings 21.59; 30, Mathew Whitby 22.57; 31, Jenny Bradley 23.07; 36, Thomas Burns 25.30; 41, Heather Eaton 26.37; 46, Lauren Whitby 28.54; 51, Carys Thomas 36.35.