Last month saw some 170 pupils from 27 primary schools come together at Longcroft School in Beverley for the final of this year’s East Riding Schools Orienteering Championships . The event was the culmination of a joint project between the two School Sport Partnerships that cover all the East Riding schools and the local orienteering club HALO (Humberside and Lincolnshire Orienteers).
Over 700 pupils from 57 schools, many of whom had little or no experience of orienteering, took part in the twelve heats that had been held at various venues throughout the East Riding in the past two months. The top pupils from each of the heats were invited to take part in the final and could run either as individuals or as pairs. There were two courses, one for year 6 pupils and the other for year 5 and below
The year 6 winner, with an incredible solo performance 3 minutes ahead of her nearest rivals, was Yasmin Field from Minster School in Beverley who went round the 2.2k long course in 14m.12s . Next came Jack Hatfield and Fraser Crawford from Brough Primary School in 17m.01s, closely followed by Connor Bingham and Ashley Kelly representing Martongate Primary School in Bridlington in 17m.26s .
The fastest year 5 and below runners were Madeleine Rhynehart and Thomas Nicholson from South Cave Primary School with a fantastic time of 12m.23s for the 1.7k long course. Hot on their heels were Lewis MacInnes and Jake Vermeulen from Cowick Primary School who finished in 12m.59s and the 3rd fastest on the day was Izobel Cusse from Hessle All Saints Junior with 15m.27s.
The winning schools were Hornsea County Primary (year 6) and Hessle All Saints Junior (year 5). The full results are available on the HALO website www.halo-orienteering.org.uk . Many congratulations to the medal winners, who also received vouchers entitling them to free entry to any HALO event in the next 12 months, and to all the other competitors, each of whom received a certificate and a goody bag thanks to the generosity of Tesco, Nestle, British Orienteering and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Sports Development Team.
Partnership Development Manager for the Bridlington School Sport Partnership, Angel Sanderson commented “It is fantastic to see so many pupils here today having made the step up from their local competitions. We are all working towards achieving a 5 hour offer of PE & Sport per week at our schools and to have such large numbers at what is a normally a minority sport just goes to show how the team efforts are proving successful”.
Amanda Jack, Competition Manager for the East Riding, reiterated this “Having developed an effective school to club link with HALO we are keen to not only build on the success of this event but ensure opportunities are available to all who are interested”.
After seeing all the talent on show, John Butler, the Chairman of HALO invited anyone who was interested in doing more orienteering to come along to the Beverley Club Night which takes place from 6 to 7.30 pm every Monday during term time at Longcroft School. Suitable for all ages and abilities – no experience is necessary – qualified coaches are on hand. Further information can be found at www.halo-orienteering.org.uk or from the organiser John Butler, telephone no. 01482 870312, email john@halo-orienteering.org.uk