Compass Sport Progression Confirmed
Forth Valley Orienteers qualified with ease for their 10th consecutive Compass Sport Cup final, with a straightforward performance at Kinnoul and Deuchny, near Perth.
With all the other Scottish clubs electing to race in the Trophy competition, for small clubs, all FVO had to do was get one runner past the finish successfully to take their place in the final of the premier team competition for British clubs, and this was achieved in double-quick time, with Jen Leonard doing the needful off the first start (41:21 on the Green women's course).
Progression secured, it was time to dazzle the razzle, and FVO won four of the 12 courses on offer on the day and placed eight athletes on competitive podiums as nine of the 16 entered clubs gained a podium place for one of their athletes.
Graham Gristwood headed the Brown course (43.57) off the final start, and Dave Godfree backed this up with victory in his new Blue men class (29.55). Alison Cunningham got up by 80 seconds to take the spoils in Veteran Short Green (23.12), while Scarlett Kelly won Short Green women in 20.08. with Rebecca Hammond 3rd in 22.00.
Will Hensman was 2nd in Short Brown (44.05) beaten only by an athlete running out of class, while there was FVO double silver on the Orange courses, through Matthew Owen (20.58) and Sophie Edward (23.59).
The club even got in on the action on the social courses, as Helen Teed ran on Light Green for the first time, and was 2nd (40.48) while there was a win through Aurora Lockyer on Yellow (28.29).
This year's final will be in Cleveland in September, with most of the major players also coming through, although there was a shock in the North West heat, as 2024 bronze medallists Lakeland were eliminated at the hands of defending Trophy champions South Ribble. There will be five Scottish teams in the Trophy final, with Lothian-based ESOC and Interlopers joining northern clubs MAROC, Moravian and INVOC.