OK
Nuts Trophy – History & Honours Board
History
The OK Nuts Trophy is
SLOW's annual premier orienteering race, usually held in late November or early
December. The event was first held in 1977 at the Devil’s Punchbowl –
thirty years on, the 2007 event returned to the original venue. The 2008 event will be a Middle Distance
regional event for the first time, held on a brand new area to orienteering,
Glovers Wood.
The race has been held
most often on Hankley Common (8 times).
The second most popular location has been Esher Commons (7 times)
There have been some
illustrious winners of the OK Nuts trophies in the past, including orienteers
who went on to become British Champions and represent Great Britain, such as
Chris Hirst, the first winner in 1977.
There were a few years
when the trophies were not awarded as the race was not held for various
reasons. In 2000 the first attempt to hold the race was washed out due to heavy
rain and the second attempt was cancelled due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth
disease. The 1997 race was postponed to early 1998, hence two entries for that
year.
Trophies
The OK Nuts Trophy is in
memory of Mike Wells-Cole, a former British Champion and a member of
Nutfielders OK (now merged with SLOW), who died in 1976. The trophy is
awarded to the winner of the senior men's course.
The OK Nuts Women's
Trophy is awarded to the winner of the senior women's course. In 2005,
the trophy was named in honour of Heather Monro, a long-standing SLOW member
who won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships at the end of an
illustrious orienteering career. Heather had won the trophy herself for
the first time the previous year.
The OK Nuts Junior
Trophy is in memory of Margaret Loveless, another long-standing member of SLOW,
who died in 1993. This is awarded to the best overall junior, which is a
subjective decision based on the best performance by an M/W18 or younger.
The trophy is a beautiful model of different types of gate made by club member
Mike Murray.
Recent events
In 2003 the format of
the event changed with a loop race (a one-person relay with a mass start) that
produced a thrilling finish with the first three runners all coming in within
seconds of each other. This was won by Ed Catmur, who retained the Trophy
he first won the previous year. To date he is the only SLOW member to win
the men's OK Nuts Trophy.
In 2004, the loop race format was
retained, and the OK Nuts Trophy was won by British Squad member Matt Crane
(Walton Chasers). The Women’s trophy was won by British Squad and SLOW
member Heather Monro. The British O squad were competing in the South-East in
preparation for a British round of the World Cup races in May 2005.
Heather went on to come 6th in the sprint World Cup race in Battersea Park and
then win a bronze medal in the sprint at the World Championship in Japan
(becoming only the third ever British world champs individual medalist).
Matt won silver at the final World Cup race in Italy. Graham Gristwood,
our champion in 2001 and Junior Champion in 2002, also represented Great
Britain at the World Championship in Japan in 2005.
The 2006 event returned to the
standard Regional Event format, and was held on Winterfold & Pitch Hill, on
the same map as the World Cup Classic race held on the area the year
before. In 2007, the 30th anniversary of
the OK Nuts Trophy, the event returned to the venue of the first race at the
Devil’s Punchbowl.
In 2008, the event was a Middle Distance Regional
Event for the first time, and was held on a brand new area to orienteering (the
first OK Nuts Trophy to offer a new area for many many years) – Glovers Wood,
near Gatwick Airport.
In 2009 the race will be
returning to Hankley Common.
Past winners
|
YEAR |
VENUE |
OK NUTS TROPHY |
HEATHER MONRO TROPHY (Women's) |
MARGARET LOVELESS TROPHY
(Juniors) |
|
1977 |
Devil's
Punchbowl |
Chris
Hirst (CUOC) |
- |
- |
|
1978 |
Hankley
Common |
Iain
Rochford (BOK) |
- |
- |
|
1979 |
no
race |
- |
- |
- |
|
1980 |
Lavington
Common |
Martin
Bagness (RUOK) |
- |
- |
|
1981 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
David
Nevell (OUOC) |
- |
- |
|
1982 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
Tim
Watkins (SN) |
- |
- |
|
1983 |
Esher
Commons |
Tim
Watkins (SN) |
- |
- |
|
1984 |
Hankley
Common |
Martin
Bagness (AIRE) |
- |
- |
|
1985 |
Devil’s
Punchbowl |
Chris
Hirst (BAOC) |
- |
- |
|
1986 |
Leith
Hill |
Harry
Dowdell (LOK) |
- |
- |
|
1987 |
Esher
Commons |
Chris
Hirst (SN) |
- |
- |
|
1988 |
Hankley
Common |
Iain
Rochford (SELOC) |
- |
- |
|
1989 |
Hankley
Common |
Mark
Chapman (LOK) |
- |
- |
|
1990 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
Simon
Beck (SN) |
- |
- |
|
1991 |
Hankley
Common |
Mark
Chapman (LOK) |
- |
- |
|
1992 |
Esher
Commons |
Mark
Chapman (LOK) |
- |
- |
|
1993 |
Esher
Commons |
Nik
Pugh (GO) |
- |
A.
Horton (MV) |
|
1994 |
Wimbledon/Richmond |
Mark Chapman
(LOK) |
- |
Peter
Normand (HH) |
|
1995 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
Nigel
Bunn (TVOC) |
- |
M.
Richardson (TVOC) |
|
1996 |
Hankley
Common |
Nik
Pugh (GO) |
- |
Mark
Wilkins (SAX) |
|
1998 (1) |
Esher
Commons |
David
Rollins (BAOC) |
Sarah Rollins
(BAOC) |
Mark
Wilkins (SAX) |
|
1998 (2) |
Devil’s
Punchbowl |
Tom
Hart (BKO) |
Jackie
Hallett (BOK) |
Timothy
Street (HH) |
|
1999 |
Esher
Commons |
Alan
Velecky (SO) |
Sarah
Rollins (BAOC) |
Timothy
Street (HH) |
|
2000 |
no
race |
- |
- |
- |
|
2001 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
Graham
Gristwood (MV) |
Sally
Gilliver (MDOC) |
Mark
Salmon (TVOC) |
|
2002 |
Hankley
Common |
Ed
Catmur (SLOW/OUOC) |
Helen
Pierce (CHIG) |
Graham
Gristwood (MV) |
|
2003 |
Puttenham
Common |
Ed
Catmur (SLOW/OUOC) |
Katerina
Heczkova (CROC) |
Bryony
Crickmore (SO) |
|
2004 |
Hankley
Common |
Matt
Crane (WCH) |
Heather
Monro (SLOW) |
Jonathan
Crickmore (SO) |
|
2005 |
Esher
Commons |
Ian
Nixon (AIRE) |
Sarah
Rollins (BAOC) |
Nicholas
Jarvis (SO) |
|
2006 |
Winterfold
& Pitch Hill |
Tuomas
Tala (TVOC) |
Sarah
Rollins (BAOC) |
Jonathan
Crickmore (SO) |
|
2007 |
Devil’s
Punchbowl |
Greger
Tysk (Leksands OK) |
Elin
Dahlstedt Tysk (Lek. OK) |
Edward
Lines (SO) |
|
2008 |
Glovers
Wood |
Nick
Barrable (SYO) |
Julia
Blomquist (BAOC) |
Lucy
Thraves (SO) |