53rd RODINGS RALLY (2009)  Report & Results

Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th November 2009

Dear Competitors

Thank you for taking part in the 53rd Rodings Rally. By Friday 13th November registrations for 78 teams had been received, with 72 turning up on the night. We were pleased that so many of you turned out given the wet and windy conditions.

Teams entering the 10 checkpoint event are required to find nine checkpoints in the forest, and return to the final checkpoint at High Beach Village Hall within 8 hours. 13 teams (out of 39) achieved this within the time limit, congratulations again to Suffoc who sailed round the course in 3 hours and 56 minutes. They were over an hour ahead of the team who bagged second place – N Downs Mountain Rescue – good to see a different name near the top of the board!

The 10 Checkpoint Group Trophy (the 3 highest placed teams from the same organisation) was won yet again this year by the Alchemists whose top 3 teams discovered a total of 27 checkpoints in 20 hours and 49 minutes.

Since 2008 the YHA Trophy has been awarded to the highest placed 10 checkpoint team from a YHA group.  This year the trophy returns to South Middlesex Local Group, whose first team located all 10 checkpoints in 6 hours 55 minutes.

The 5 checkpoint event, where teams were required to locate checkpoints 1, 3, 5 and 6, as well as the village hall, was won this year by Nick and the Oldies in 2 hours and 6 minutes. Well done & congratulations, you win the Vic Halsted 5 Checkpoint Trophy.

The 5 Checkpoint Group Trophy (for the 3 highest placed teams from the same organisation competing in the 5 checkpoint event) returns to East Barnet School.  The top 3 teams from the school - located 15 checkpoints in 13 hours and 13 minutes. Hot on their heels were 3 of 5 teams from Danbury Mission: DMs Sporty, Speedy and Down Under took 13 hours 40 minutes to locate 15 checkpoints.

The Suffolk Orienteering Club trophy for “Best Endeavour” is awarded to the team of young 7th Stoke Newington Scouts who enthusiastically found two checkpoints at their first attempt at the event, undeterred by the weather.

The Walking Stick Prize goes to Danbury Mission Down Under who managed to go round the course backwards for two checkpoints, although they did eventually return to complete the correct course.

Trophy winners will be contacted shortly to confirm delivery arrangements.

As previously mentioned we were grateful that so many of you turned up on the night, despite the weather. It was good to have some new teams, as well as those that participate year after year. We often wonder what brings you all back….one long-standing competitor emailed us after the event to tell us why.

…. we want to be in the forest at night, soaking up the atmosphere, hearing the owls call, snuffing the tang of wet leaves, and trying (and often failing) to avoid the slap of holly branches in our eyes. We revel in the coded calls around the checkpoints (occasionally, in the attempt to confuse other teams with one’s own fake calls), and in the sheer, joyous juvenility of being abroad in the deep, dark woods when sensible folks are long abed.  Of course, we also crave the competition, the excitement of chasing down other teams, the fear of being caught by them, the exhilaration of finding that tent dead on your bearing, and even the despair of wandering fruitlessly around the checkpoint area as other teams arrive and depart.

(Tom Townsend, Rayleigh Rockets. His full article may be found on the Epping Forest Outdoor Group website: www.efog.org.uk)

The solutions to the clues are enclosed with this report.

As stated on the Rodings Rally information sheet sent out with the entry form, 25p out of every each competitor’s entry fee received is donated to charity. This year we will be donating at least £60; the specific charity to which the donation is sent will be agreed at our AGM in January.

Hope you all had a good time and thanks to those of you for your comments after the event. Any feedback – good or bad – is welcome! 

RESULTS

Ten Checkpoint Event

Pos.
No.
Group Name
Team YHA Chkpoints Start End Hours Mins

1

53

Suffoc

2

N

10

10.12

2.08

3

56

2

6

NDowns Mountain Rescue

 

N

10

8.38

1.46

5

8

3

10

North Downs SAR

 

N

10

8.48

2.01

5

13

4

36

The Alchemists

1

N

10

9.40

3.54

6

14

5

33

The Ousers

 

N

10

9.28

3.52

6

24

6

57

The Alchemists

3

N

10

10.18

5.0

6

42

7

43

Suffoc

1

N

10

9.58

4.52

6

54

8

24

South Middlesex Group

1

Y

10

9.18

4.13

6

55

9

45

EDI

 

N

10

9.50

5.0

7

10

10

5

Carabids of Fire

 

N

10

8.36

3.50

7

14

11

18

Sulsar 1

 

N

10

8.58

4.31

7

33

12

27

Rayleigh Rockets

3

N

10

9.22

4.57

7

35

13

1

Uberrimae Fidel

 

N

10

9.6

4.59

7

53

14

17

Rayleigh Rockets

2

N

9

9.0

4.43

7

43

15

58

Freddy's Friends

 

N

9

10.28

6.19

7

51

16

34

South Middlesex Group

2

Y

9

9.34

5.29

7

55

17

70

Stay in the Dark

1

N

8

11.36

6.48

7

12

18

9

Dartford Scouts Hares

1

N

7

8.44

2.10

5

26

19

61

Dartford Scouts Tortoises

2

N

7

10.24

6.0

7

36

20

77

The Alchemists

5

N

7

10.40

6.33

7

53

21

39

Winging it

 

N

6

9.44

4.48

7

4

22

21

Thurrock Nomads B

2

N

6

9.4

4.20

7

16

23

73

The Lag behinds

 

N

6

10.46

6.13

7

27

24

68

Marooned Sailors

 

N

6

10.42

6.09

7

27

25

71

Cyclopaths

 

N

6

10.48

6.30

7

42

26

47

The Alchemists

2

N

6

10.2

5.45

7

43

27

13

Black Abbotts

 

N

6

8.56

4.42

7

46

28

11

Thurrock Nomads A

1

N

6

8.46

4.43

7

57

29

7

Rayleigh Rockets

1

N

5

8.40

12.28

3

48

30

42

Mid Essex Casuals

1

N

5

9.56

5.37

7

41

31

75

Silly Duffers

 

N

4

10.52

3.55

5

3

32

20

Nokia

1

N

4

9.10

5.03

7

53

33

30

Nokia

2

N

3

9.30

5.24

7

54

34

37

Rayleigh Rockets

4

N

9

9.38

5.42

8

4

35

8

Springfield Striders

 

N

9

8.42

5.13

8

31

36

19

Local Yokel

 

N

8

9.2

5.14

8

12

37

28

Felixstowe 4

 

N

8

9.24

6.09

8

45

38

80

Stab in the Dark

 

N

7

11.16

7.23

8

7

39

60

Innerajam

 

N

4

10.14

6.37

8

23

 


 

Five Checkpoint Event (Vic Halsted Trophy)

Pos.
No.
Group Name
Team YHA Chkpoints Start End Hours Mins
1 48 Nick & The Oldies   N 5 10.4 12.10 2 6
2 50 Habs Staff   N 5 10.6 1.3 2 57
3 31 Thurrock Nomads Bisectuals 3 N 5 9.26 1.3 3 37
4 51 East Barnet School 4 N 5 10.8 1.45 3 37
5 59 Kudos Social Club 3 N 5 10.20 2.02 3 42
6 41 Thurrock Nomads Half Measures 4 N 5 9.48 1.40 3 52
7 25 Danbury Mission ‘DM Sporty’ 3 N 5 9.20 1.25 4 5
8 14 Danbury Mission ‘DM Speedy’ 2 N 5 8.52 1.08 4 16
9 12 East Barnet School 1 N 5 8.50 1.07 4 17
10 22 11 Enfield Boys Brigade A 1 N 5 9.8 1.25 4 17
11 66 COPSE 3 N 5 10.38 3.13 4 35
12 3 Lost Boys II   N 5 8.32 1.13 4 41
13 46 COPSE 1 N 5 10.0 2.46 4 46
14 64 Woodland Wanderers   N 5 10.30 3.25 4 55
15 29 East Barnet School 2 N 5 9.14 2.33 5 19
16 55 Danbury Mission ‘DM Down Under’ 5 N 5 10.22 3.41 5 19
17 40 East Barnet School 3 N 5 9.46 4.12 6 26
18 74 Mark Redgrave   N 4 11.06 4.04 4 58
19 63 The Johnies   N 4 10.34 4.13 5 39
20 4 Danbury Mission ‘DM Strategy’ 1 N 4 8.34 3.0 6 26
21 44 South Middlesex Group 3 Y 3 9.52 2.02 4 10
22 69 7th Stoke Newington Scout   N 2 10.26 2.03 3 37
23 32 11 Enfield Boys Brigade B 2 N 2 9.32 2.03 4 31
24 35 Danbury Mission ‘DM Once again’ 4 N 1 9.36 3.0 5 24
25 54 Intel Inside-Mental Out   N 1 10.16 4.0 5 44

 


 

Best Groups (Ten Checkpoint Teams)

 

No. Group Name
YHA Total Chkpoints Total Hours Total Mins
48 The Alchemists N 27 20 49
50 Rayleigh Rockets N 24 19 6

Best YHA Group (highest placed single team from a YHA group)

  Group Name YHA Total Chkpoints Total Hours Total Mins
24 South Middlesex Group  (Team 1) Y 10 6 55

Best Five Checkpoint Groups (Vic Halsted Trophy)

  Group Name YHA
Total Chkpoints Total Hours Total Mins
  East Barnet School N 15 13 13
  Danbury Mission N 15 13 40
 


CLUES

CHECKPOINT 1

Why did the chicken……?

(LIT)

7690 1925

7705 1970

7650 1900

Why did the chicken cross the road? Checkpoint near to cross roads

 

 

CHECKPOINT 2

Either way you’ll have the blues

(UNLIT)

7645 1815

7675 1820

7680 1865

Checkpoint between two small blue ponds on map.

 

 

CHECKPOINT 3

An opening for a feller

(LIT)

7585 1800

7560 1830

7620 1880

Woodman’s Glade. Feller = woodcutter(man), opening = glade

 

 

CHECKPOINT 4

Dashes closely around

(UNLIT)

7490 1810

7595 1765

7435 1845

Checkpoint surrounded closely by a triangle of footpaths (dashed lines)

 

 

 

 

CHECKPOINT 5

To get this will be a high point

(UNLIT)

7685 1835

7760 1860

7820 1900

Checkpoint close to top of Staples Hill.

 

 

CHECKPOINT 6

EHSR KRNR

(UNLIT)

7840 2030

7830 2080

7915 2075

Letters used to replace grid reference nos. Only match is first ref.

 

 

 

 

CHECKPOINT 7

Either way you could be heading for a fall

(UNLIT)

7955 2050

7890 2075

8015 2110

Checkpoint between The Ditches & Gravel Pits, both potentially places to fall in.

 

 

CHECKPOINT 8

In the thick of it with Inspector Morse’s police force

(UNLIT)

7945 2125

8060 2185

8130 2210

In thicket near to Thames Valley on map (name of Morse’s police force).

 

 

 

 

CHECKPOINT 9

Disorganised, retakes call.

(UNLIT)

7860 1950

7780 1920

7785 1965

Kates cellar. Retakes call is anagram (disorganized) of Kates cellar 

 

Checkpoints 1,3,5,6 were on both the 5 & 10 cp events. Some teams had difficulty with checkpoint 1. Checkpoint 4 also caused problems, probably because although according to the map the area should be scrub/thicket, it has recently been partially cleared and new footpaths have appeared.

 

Number of teams reaching checkpoints were as follows:

 

Checkpoint No

1

2*

3

4*

5

6

7*

8*

9*

No of teams

65

41

62

31

61

45

21

18

16

 

* These checkpoints were on the 10CP route only and so had fewer teams reaching them

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