Nopesport

Mourne rock detail

Lagan Valley Orienteers host The Ward Junior Home International this weekend, the individual event being combined with Northern Ireland Orienteering Championships on a newly mapped part of the Mourne Mountains. The JHI Relays & NI Relay Championships will take place on Sunday at Hillborough Fort. The JHI is an annual competition between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with Ireland competing on an all-island basis.

When the Junior Homes have been previously held across the Irish Sea there have often been a few surprises. I remember Welsh teams causing an upset in the relays on a couple of occasions as well as losing a lot of money in the one-arm bandits on the ferry. This year looks to be no exception but the surprises could instead come away from the orienteering with the “O-factor” providing the evening’s entertainment.

England look very strong in the W14 class but it could be much tighter in W16 and W18 where the Scottish girls could challenge English favourites Mairead Rocke and Anne Edwards on the tough Irish hillside. W18 Anwen Darlington leads a determined Welsh team who will be fighting hard for the Judith Wingham trophy, the annual battle between Ireland and Wales.

The Scottish contingent look particularly fierce in M18 with youngest Tullie brother along with hard-training Tom Ryan, Anglo-Scot Stuart Thomson and Glasgow fresher Calum Coombs. In M16 will former World Champion Jamie Stevenson’s younger namesake push the England duo of Matt Halliday and Peter Hodkinson? Don’t count out the Welsh and Irish talent to spring some surprises.

Interestingly, unlike many competitions on the UK mainland at the NIOC the M/W21 classes have the biggest fields with 14 contesting the 7.3km W21 course & a healthy 26 in the Men’s where David Healy could post a fast early time and challenge later starters such as Veteran Steve Linton. I cannot predict an overall winner, but doubt many will challenge the run-in split of FERMO’s Rory Findlay.

One thing’s for sure Meelmore and Lukes Mountain will provide challenging orienteering with plenty of climb and transitions between pine plantation, fast running steep open moorland and pockets of technical granite rock detail. Good luck from nopesport to all JHI and NIOC competitors, let battle commence!

Start of Women's relay JHI 2006