Cook displays fine form

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 23

Cook displays fine form

Alex Cook had an easy win in the orienteering event at Kaituna Valley; on the eve of his departure to Australia he showed a return to the form displayed when he won the South Island championships in February. Cook’s winning time of 2hr llmin 20sec was nearly 18min ahead of Peter Wood and lain Chinnery. None of the other members of the team to visit Australia next week had good performances. The hot, fine weather provided perfect conditions, but some steep slopes and thick, bracken

made times slow. A marathon effort svas displayed by a newcomer, Duncan Burns, who took 3hr 30min to complete his first attempt at an A course.

. The B course was won by Ross Stanton in just over Ihr, and the C course by Paul Cummack in a very fast 13min 50sec. Only lOsec separated the Laurie family and Robert McNabb for second and third places in the C course.

The Kaituna Valley terrain was tough going in places with several areas of bush, tussock and bracken. Some competitors who did not read their maps carefully discovered the electric fences the hard way, but no-one suffered permanent damage. The next local event at Spencer Park on April 20 will be on markedly different terrain with flat ground, pine forests and sand dunes. Results were:—

A course: A. Cook, 2hr 11min 20scc, ..l;- P; -WOod, '2:29:00; 2; I. Chinnery, 2:31:55, 3; K. Silby, 2:35:40? 4.' ' - ■ B course: R 1 Stanton, 1:03:05, 1; Harris. 1:14:55. ..2;^.R. . Hall, 1:1950. 3: M. Brown, 1:34:30, '4. C course: P. Cummack. 13:50, 1: Laurie family, 23:20, 2; R. McNabb. 23:30, 3; Robinson family, 30:24, 4. /• ? ; '