A CONTINGENT of 45 Sarum Orienteers joined 300 others at Cold Ash Woods, near Hermitage, for the regional qualifying heat of the National Compass Sport Cup and Trophy competition.

Sarum were up against Guildford (GO), Basingstoke and District (BADO) and North Wiltshire (NOW) orienteering clubs in the Trophy competition for small clubs.

This year, the seniors and veterans ran well, compensating for Sarum not being able to field full teams in the junior classes, taking the club through to the national final to be held in Devon in October.

With the best 13 scores to count, Sarum beat rivals Guildford, BADO and NWO.

For Sarum, William White scored a maximum 100 points in the top brown course (10.4km, climb 250m, 28 controls), with Tom Butt claiming 98 points despite having a major shoe malfunction that meant he ran much of the course with no soles.

Chris Huthwaite (100 points) and Daniel Gallagher (99) took top honours on the short brown course (9.0km, climb 210m, 23 controls) with GB International Lucy Butt (100) and sister Alice (99) making a clean sweep of the top places on the women’s blue course (7.4km, climb 190m, 18 controls).

Other key Sarum results came on the men’s blue from Mark White (98) and Charles Bromley Gardner (95), Women’s Green (Jackie Butt, 99; Lisa White, 98), Men’s Green (Paul Lane, 100), Vets Short Green (Ian Peirce,100; Brian Hart, 99).

In the Compass Sport Cup competition for large clubs, with 25 best scores counting, Southern Navigators (2427 points) beat Thames Valley OC (2406) and event organisers Berkshire OC (BKO; 2387).

Sarum Orienteers’ next event is the Ancient Wiltshire Weekend, combining urban orienteering in Amesbury April 29 with North Wilts OC’s event in Savernake Forest on April 30.