An annual LOK 1 hour score event with Happy Herts at Trent Park near Cockfosters in North London.
Results (opens link to Happy Herts website).
Routegadget (plot your route)
LOK annual event with Happy Herts : Sunday 26th December 2021 – Trent Park Boxing Day Score Event. Results (opens link to HH website) / Routegadget (plot your route).
Organiser’s Comments.
This was the first Boxing Day event since the death of John Hardy who was instrumental in starting the tradition of putting on an orienteering event on Boxing Day at Trent Park. He was the planner back in 1992 and 1993 but more recently he prepared and served hot mulled wine to finishers. He is sadly missed.
After an enforced gap last year the event was back for what must have been the most water logged event ever. That might explain why no one this year got round all the controls within 60 minutes. Congratulations to Richard McCormick (M55) who amassed the most points (550 out of a possible 600 points), this year narrowly beating his son James (M21) due to the fact he was only fractionally late back. The highest scoring female was Laura Parkes of HH with 420 points, who with her dad, Kevin, were responsible for organising IT / Download.
Thanks are also due to LOK volunteers Charles Spence, Marion Shipman and Clive Hillier, all of whom drove from Surrey, to help run the Start and ensure parking order. Parking at the end of Snakes Lane is now only possible thanks to the co-operation of both the Southgate Hockey Club and Berkeley Homes. The latter is responsible for the new housing development in the centre of the park on the site of what was most recently a campus of Middlesex University.
Catherine Galvin (LOK)
Planner’s Comments.
As the Trent Park Boxing Day event is a staple fixture and format, it is difficult to come up with imaginative new combinations of controls, but the extra ’twist’ this year was provided not by the planner but by the closure of the events’ field for reseeding, which altered the options available to visit controls in the west of the area, and by the very muddy conditions. We were lucky to get a mid-morning window between two periods of heavier rain, so thanks to everyone who braved the weather forecast (103 runners from 110 pre-entries). Thanks to Simon and James Errington, Alison Saunders, Jon Chandler, Charles Spence and Marion Shipman for hanging and collecting controls, and Ronan and Julie Cleary, not only for controlling, but helping me with many of the logistics over the last few weeks.
David Saunders (HH)
Controllers’ Comments.
This event has been over a year in the planning – thanks to Covid – but we trust you all enjoyed your mudfest in what was the wettest Trent Park we have ever seen.
It is a delight to “control” David Saunders: his attention to detail is second to none and he even found a new control site (the depression 123). Simon & James Errington made our morning much easier when they volunteered to hang controls, and we just had to check the kites. The sight of a orange flag appearing out of the foggy conditions made wet feet seem worthwhile. And to all the helpers, thanks.
Thanks again to Enfield council and Berkeley Homes for permission to use the park and car park, and Bridge Security who manage the parking.
Julie and Ronan Cleary (LOK)
