Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society (SOS)

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About the club

History

The Stragglers started orienteering during season 1966/7 from a base at the Robert Beard Youth Centre in Hornchurch Essex. An invitation to tell me more prompted this informative email from Derek Keeble.

Membership

Membership is drawn from north and east Essex (the areas furthest from London) and from south Suffolk. Membership hovers at around the level that just enables us to qualify as a Small Club to take part in the CompassSport Cup (we won it in 1990, and have almost won it several times). We have members of all ages and backgrounds - you will be made most welcome. See the Membership page for details on how you can join.

Aims and Objectives

The club's aims are to provide the best quality events on the areas available to us, to develop every member's orienteering, to introduce lots of new people to the sport, and to have fun. These objectives are described in a rather dry form in the Society's Constitution.

Each year we try to arrange -

• One or two Regional events.
• One EAGAL (East Anglian League) colour-coded (District) event.
• Four or more Essex and Suffolk Schools Orienteering League (ESSOL) events. Together with our neighbours Suffolk Orienteering Club and other local clubs, we provide an annual series of about eight local events in term time, offering courses suitable for less experienced primary and secondary students, as well as more challenging courses where the terrain allows.
• The Stragglers Relays in July. Teams of four run four yellow, three orange, and two light green courses. Beat the handicapper! Great fun! Pre-entry please.
• The Club Championships, held in the Autumn.
• New Years Day Fun Event - the Hangover Handicap. A score event with some additional rules to make life more interesting on the morning after. Great fun!
• Some introductory events in the spring and summer.
• An introductory schools end-of-year event, aimed at Years 7 and 8.
• Events with other bodies, e.g. local authority festivals of sport, scout/guide camps etc.
• Coaching sesions for our improving juniors, and anyone else who hasn't perfected their technique and fitness.
• Social evenings at multi-day competitions.
• The Annual Dinner/Social.

Mapped areas

	Baddow Ridge TL780060, Conservation woodland to the north of Danbury
	Broaks Wood TL790306, Forestry Commission access woodland near Halstead.
	Castle Park TM000255, Formal gardens, parkland, riverside and urban, Colchester.
	Chalkney Wood TL880280, woodland near Earls Colne.
	Danbury Park TL770050, parkland and woodland in Danbury.
	Fordham Hall Estate TL928286, New Woodland Trust woodland to the west of Colchester.
	Great Notley Country Park TL734214, Braintree
	Hatfield Forest TL547203, ancient royal hunting forest managed by the National Trust, near Bishops Stortford.
	High Woods TL998271, woodland and open areas to the north of Colchester.
	Hockley Woods TQ830920, access woodland near Southend.
	Hylands Park TL680048, Repton-designed parkland and woods near Chelmsford.
	Layer Wood TL907177, Mature woodland near Tiptree.
	Maldon Promenade Park TL860065, parkland along the estuary.
	Middlewick and Donyland TL010210, army training area and ranges to the southeast of Colchester, accross the B1025 from Roman Valley.
	The Naze TM265234, coastal heath near Walton.
	Roman Valley TL986217, army training area to the south of Colchester, locally known as Friday Woods.
	Tiptree Heath TM884148, Heathland and woodland near Tiptree.
	Wivenhoe Park and Woods TM030240, parkland (University of Essex campus) to east of Colchester, now extended to Wivenhoe Woods.

Permanent Courses

An introduction to permanent courses is on the Beginners Guide page.

 

Wivenhoe Park	Maps are available from the University Sports Centre, 01206-873250.
Tiptree Heath	Map packs available from Tiptree Sports Centre, Maypole Road, Tiptree, price £1.
Brandon Park (Thetford Forest)	Administered by East Anglia Orienteering. Maps are available from the Visitor Centre at Brandon Country Park, price £2. The forest is always accessible but there may be limitations om some areas at certain times of the year. There are three graded courses suitable for beginners and intermediate orienteers.
Fordham Hall Estate	Maps are available from John Collyer, and from the village shop.
Hylands Park	Maps are available free of charge from the Stables Visitor Centre shop.
High Woods	Maps are available free of charge from the Visitor Centre at the Turner Road entrance/car park. Courses - Easy/Short 1.5km, Moderate/Medium 3.1kn, moderate/Long 5km.
Maldon Promenade Park	Maps are available free of charge from the Activity Centre on the Prom, or download from the Maldon DC website.

Get directions to these Permanent Courses here.

Details of more Permanent Courses in East Anglia are here, and throughout the country here.

Club Champions

Mike Powell Davies Shield

for services to the club

2009	Julia Robertson
2008	Derek Keeble
2007	Jack Isbester
2006	Lyn West

Mark Johnson Trophy

Oustanding Junior

2007/08	James Lyne
2006	Jo West

Stragglers' Relays Winners

Thanks to Tim Pribul of CHIG for much of this information. Let me know if you can fill in any of the missing information!

Year	Venue	Club	Team
2010	Hylands Park	SUFFOC	Flying Monkeys (Bryn Wilkinson, Louise Walker, Goff Hill, Roderick Mansel)
2009	The Naze	SOS	West Barclay (Colin and Lyn West, Tracey Apperley and Richard Barker )
2008	High Woods	CHIG	This Little CHIGgy (John and Carol Pearce, Ray Weakes, Tim Pribul)
2007	Danbury Country Park	WAOC	Eclectic WAOC
2006	Broaks Wood	WAOC	Jabberlets
2005	Wivenhoe Park	HAVOC	Escargots
2004	No event	-	-
2003	Walton-on-the-Naze	WAOC	Chaos
2002	Hylands Park	WAOC	Wagglers (Simon, Helen and Nicola Gardner, David Gresham)
2001	High Woods	SOS	Western front (Jo, Colin, Lyn and David West)
2000	Broaks Wood	SOS	SoSpeedy
1999	Brandon Park	CHIG	Josh and Sam Jenner, George and Tim Pribul
1998	Chalkney Woods	WAOC	Weeds Beware (Simon, Mike, Helen and Peter Gardner)
1997	Broaks Wood	CHIG	George Wormald, Carol Pearce, Josh Jenner, Tim Pribul
1996	Marks Hall	CHIG	George Wormald, Carol Pearce, George and Tim Pribul
1995	Hatfield Forest	CHIG	Helen and Carol Pearce, George and Tim Pribul
1994	Wivenhoe Park	HAVOC	Brian (Barry Straight, Robert Baker, Tony Fletcher, Claire Daniel)
1993	Hylands Park	CHIG	Ray Weekes, Jennifer Taylor, Rowanne and Tim Pribul
1992	Broaks Wood	CHIG	Tony Maycraft, Tom Edelsten, Rowanne and Tim Pribul
1991	Hatfield Forest	HAVOC	Havocets
1990	Roman Valley	CHIG	Tony Maycraft, Carol Pearce, Philippa and Tim Pribul
1989	?
1988	Baddow Ridge	CHIG	James, Carol, Helen and John Pearce
1987	Wivenhoe Park	CHIG	James, Carol and Helen Pearce, Tim Pribul
1986	Hockley Woods	HAVOC	Raleigh Rompers (Cath Shipley, Ted Stacey, Steven and David Hayter)
1985	Hockley Woods	CHIG	James, Carol and Helen Pearce, Tim Pribul
1984	Roman Valley	CHIG	Alex Kerr, Carol and James Pearce, Tim Pribul
1983	Roman Valley	CHIG	Alex Kerr, Carol, James and John Pearce
1982	Friday Woods/Roman Valley
1981	Hatfield Forest	CHIG	Alex Kerr, Nigel Burvill, Tim Pribul	(Straight relay format)
1980	Hylands Park