The first day was warm, perhaps a bit too warm for some given the 2.10 start. The inevitable fast start was even faster than usual because the first leg was downhill (the fastest splits for control 1 were under 4 minute/km pace for the men), and packs continued to form and dissipate as the field forked at two common controls on each loop.
The chief battle for the women was that for the lead between the two favourites, Natasha Rowe and Tracy Bluett. After a closely contested race Rowe won the sprint finish, a feat she would repeat 20 hours later. Emily Viner, recently returned to orienteering after being troubled by illness last year, was up with the lead for the first half but drifted away later, allowing Nic Plunkett-Cole in for third after the first day.
The larger mens' field saw contests down through the field. Grant Bluett led the race through the first two 3-kilometre loops before withdrawing due to illness, leaving the race open for a two-way battle between fellow Bendigo orienteers Eddie Wymer and Jim Russell, Wymer narrowly winning a fiercely contested sprint. Behind them, a common control 4.5 kilometres from the end saw seven pass through within 20 seconds. This pack gradually fell apart as the hills, the heat and the distance took their toll, but Warren Key and Tom Quayle carried their race to the end, while Blair Trewin climbed from tenth to fifth over the closing stretches as the field tired.
On a much cooler second morning competition was fierce from the outset, and both battles for the lead stayed together through most of the course. Rowe and Bluett continued their fight for the lead while extending their gap over the rest of the field, punching the last control almost together before Rowe claimed the victory. Elsie Campbell overcame a two-minute deficit and a toe injury to claim third, while another highlight was the sprint for sixth between the Allison sisters.
Russell and Wymer also stayed together for much of the race, but both lost 90 seconds at a control near half-distance. This opened the way for Key, who had broken away from Quayle, to join the leading group and make it a three-way race with six controls to go. All three punched the last control together, and the frantic finish saw Key just take the points. Behind them, Quayle held on for a comfortable fourth place, while an uncertain start by Trewin set up a four-way struggle for fifth place as fiercely contested (if rather slower and more erratic) as that for the lead; unlike the race for first place, it was decided on the climb into the second last control (much to the relief of this correspondent who dreaded the prospect of a four-way sprint).
Victoria won both team events comfortably, taking the first three places in the mens' event and three of the first four in the womens'.
A feature of the event was the fine performance by several juniors. It was already common knowledge that Quayle, fourth at the 1994 Junior World Championships, was capable of mixing it with the best elites, but Robert Walter, Reuben Smith and Jo Allison all achieved new personal heights at elite level. All four are eligible for JWOC 1995, as is Tracy Bluett (who has been running elite for so long now that everyone tends to forget that she is still a junior). With the addition of New Zealand-based Cassie Trewin both the mens' and womens' relay teams could surprise in Denmark.
As in 1994, prizes of $100, $50 and $25 were awarded to the three placegetters in each division.
(Note-Points are O League points. These are provisional pending determination of the eligibility of a number of competitors. Abbreviations-ACT Australian Capital Territory, NSW New South Wales, OUT Outer States, VIC Victoria) Day 1: Nerrina-White Swan, Men 13.5 km/30 controls, Women 8.5?km/ 21 controls Day 2: Petticoat Gully, Men 10.3 km/27 controls, Women 7.0 km/22? controls. Men Day 1 Day 2 Total Points 1 Warren Key VIC 79.37 58.57 138.34 20 2 Eddie Wymer VIC 76.32 62.02 138.34 17 3 Jim Russell VIC 76.33 62.03 138.36 15 4 Tom Quayle ACT 79.39 64.21 144.00 13 5 Robert Walter ACT 84.29 63.56 148.25 12 6 Blair Trewin VIC 81.30 67.02 148.32 11 7 Jon McComb OUT 82.54 65.42 148.36 10 8 Reuben Smith OUT 82.39 65.59 148.38 9 9 Andy Hogg ACT 86.22 67.38 154.00 8 10 Jason McCrae VIC 83.28 74.53 158.21 7 11 Eric Morris NSW 96.00 70.21 166.21 6 12 David Simmons OUT 92.39 73.43 166.22 5 13 Paul Pacque OUT 92.56 76.04 169.00 4 14 Bruce Arthur OUT 98.31 83.19 181.50 3 15 Bruce Graham VIC 102.55 82.25 185.20 2 16 Anthony Darr NSW 108.25 81.56 190.21 1 17 Michael Derlacki ACT 116.45 78.10 194.55 Teams: Victoria 415.44 (Key, Wymer, Russell); ACT 446.25 (Quayle, Walter, Hogg); Outer States 463.36 (McComb, Smith, Simmons) Women 1 Natasha Rowe VIC 62.43 51.32 114.15 20 2 Tracy Bluett NSW 62.47 51.32 114.19 17 3 Elsie Campbell VIC 65.47 54.26 120.13 15 4 Emily Viner VIC 69.16 52.26 121.42 13 5 Nicola Plunkett-Cole NSW 63.42 59.29 123.11 12 6 Jo Allison ACT 70.45 57.03 127.48 11 7 Belinda Allison ACT 73.22 54.27 127.49 10 8 Susie Hogg ACT 72.55 70.49 143.09 9 9 Susannah King VIC 82.22 71.23 153.45 8 Teams: Victoria 234.28 (Rowe, Campbell); NSW 237.30 (Bluett, Plunkett-Cole); ACT 255.37 (J.Allison, B.Allison). Team standings after Round 1: Victoria 8, ACT 5, NSW 3, Outer States 2.Return to 1995 O League season page.
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