WHO at MetrO League 2022

Venues and Dates

Metro League Final - Galston

The Metro League season finally came to a close with Garingal hosting us at Galston. And with the torrential rain we had received over previous days, this was always going to be a muddy affair! Fortunately reasonable weather prevailed during the event itself, with the sun even poking through a couple of times. Leeches were a hazard, with one WHO club member counting an amazing 16 leeches upon his return. 

As far as WHO was concerned, all eyes were on our Div 5 team who were competing for finals glory with rivals Bennelong. In the end we were competitive but couldn’t quite get there, going down 27-22. Thanks to Martin Mansfield (our highest scorer for the day with 7 points), Ian Miller, Maria Stankova, Janet Morris, and Nerise McQuillan for their huge effort on the day. And thanks also to all the others who contributed to Div 5 making the final this season: Matilda Saunders (our standout Div 5 runner for the season with 35 points in total), Ted Mulherin, Karen Langan and Jacinta Braidwood. Everyone contributed - great result team!

There was some other big WHO news: James McQuillan won the individual medal for Div 1, an outstanding achievement and a reflection of his consistently good performances across the season. The Div 1 field is as tough as they get, so this is a huge accomplishment - congrats James! 

James was also our leading contributor to Div 1’s success against SHOO-IKO-Bennelong on Sunday, where we picked up a 27-18 win. James picked up 9 points with a time of 50.59, supported by good performances from Selwyn Sweeney, Seth Sweeney, and Gary Farebrother. 

We were up against Garingal in Div 2, and unfortunately went down 27-18, with Dan Smith our leading scorer with 7 points for a time of 61.52, ably supported by Paul Sweeney and Matt Hackett (great to see you at Metro League again Matt). Dan Smith was also our leading point scorer in Div 2 for the season with 31 points.  

We didn’t come close to Uringa-Central Coast in Div 3, who beat us 34-18. Lachlan Coady, who has settled into Div 3 nicely this season, was our fastest picking up 6 points with a time of 56.58. Again, good support from Savanna Sweeney, Saffron Sweeney, and yours truly. Lachlan Coady was our leading point scorer in Div 3 for the season with 35 points - not bad for his season debut in Div 3!

No luck in Div 4 either, where we went down 38-11 to SHOO-IKO. We were only able to field 2 runners so it wasn’t really a surprise - thanks Karen Langan for highly competitive 7 points 55.53 and a useful 4 points from Barry Hanlon. Jay Seeho was our leading point scorer in Div 4 for the whole season with 22 points. 

It was a similar story in Div 6 where again we only fielded 2 runners against Garingal, who beat us 24-16. Shay Sweeney still managed to bag the 10 points though with a super fast time of 38.17, well supported by Levi Coady. Shay was also our leading point scorer in Div 6 for the season with a massive 45 points - well done Shay!

Thanks to everyone who joined in Metro League this season - it was great fun, and next season should be even bigger. If you haven’t tried Metro League next year, give it a try next year! 

Round 5 - Smiths Creek

It was a lovely day for orienteering at Smiths Creek on 18 September with some quite complex courses set by SHOO. Unfortunately, the after a bumper turnout the previous round, we had a low turnout from WHO this time, so we were under-represented in most divisions. We still saw some great performances though. Here’s the run down on how we went across each division: 

Div 1 - well, we only had one team member in Div 1 for this round, and while James McQuillan is pretty good (picking up 8 points for his time of 63.30) it wasn’t enough to come close to a full Bennelong-SHOO-IKO team which picked up 32 points. 

Div 2 - Well believe it or not, despite the fact we were down to two people in our Div 2 team, we still managed to beat our Garingal opposition 18-9, mainly because they were only able to field one competitor! Great work from both Dan Smith (10 points, 55.57) and an injured Lee Coady (8 points, 62.19).

Div 3 - One of our closer head-to-heads for the day, we were just edged out by SHOO-IKO 29-25. Special call out to Lachlan Coady (state schools rep) who picked up the 10 points with a time of 48.57, and Jay Seeho who picked up 8 points for 54.23. 

Div 4 - we won’t mention this one - unfortunately we had to forfeit Div 4 given a lack of personnel. 

Div 5 - A resounding victory for WHO! We picked up 34 points against SHOO-IKO’s 20. Led by a great performance from Matilda Saunders who picked up the 10 points with a time of 51.41, and great support from fellow team members Nerise McQuillan, Maria Stankova, Ian Miller, and Janet Morris. Well done team! This means WHO will be up against Bennelong in the final on Oct 9. We’ll all be cheering you on!

Div 6 - Thanks to Levi Coady for carrying the flag for our Div 6 team, picking up 6 points for a time of 59.25. Not enough unfortunately to topple Garingal’s 34. 

Which leads us to the Metro League final hosted by Garingal at Galston on October 9. Let’s get a big WHO turnout, and in particular let’s be there to cheer on our Div 5 team! 

Round 4 - Wianamatta

What a great day out at Wianamatta! Thanks to all those who helped make the day run smoothly and especially to the organising team, Maria, Dan, and Steve. ‘Roads to Nowhere’ is a great map, generally flat but deceptively tricky if you lose orientation. 

So how did we fare in our various head-to-heads across the divisions? 

Div 1 had a bye this round, but a shout out to Andy Hill who clocked in at 43.55, the 3rd fastest time overall. Great to see Andy back in town and at Metro League. Although we are pretty much ruled out of Div 1 finals contention, with Big Foot and Garingal having pretty much sewn up the top 2, there is plenty of competition left over the next two rounds. 

Div 2 benefited from a little reshuffling because of the Div 1 bye, with Selwyn Sweeney lending his talent by coming in with the fastest time overall for Div 2 at 34.17. In fact our top three performers were all Sweeneys, with Seth and Paul picking up 9 and 7 points respectively. This helped us field a full team for Div 2 and chalk up a decisive win over Knox 35-19. In the ladder we are ranked equal 3rd, but it is still mathematically possible for us to be in finals contention if a few other results go our way. 

We also had a successful round in Div 3, beating Bennelong 34-21. Again, it is our young team members leading the way, with Savanna Sweeney picking up 10 points for a time of 37.09, and Lachlan Coady close behind with 9 points for 38.12. Great team effort! We are ranked equal 2nd overall in Div 3, but it is pretty close so we need to pull out all stops to make the final. 

The tables were turned in Div 4, where we couldn’t quite get on top of Bennelong who beat us 32-23, despite some solid performances. Jay Seeho was our fastest turning in an almost flawless 35.09 for 9 points. We are ranked 2nd in Div 4, so we are in a strong position to make the final if we can keep up our good performances. 

Div 5 was up against a particularly strong Bennelong team who beat us 34-20. Matilda Saunders put in a very strong time of 38.56 which in any other head-to-head would probably have earned 10 points. Despite this, we remain ranked equal 2nd in Div 5 so we have a chance to make the final. 

We were back in the winners circle in Div 6, where we conclusively defeated SHOO-IKO 34-20. Yet again, it is our youngest runners leading the way with Shay Sweeney picking up 10 points for a super fast time of 29.18, and Justine de Remy de Courcelles clocking in at 36.44 for 9 points. A special mention to Thomas Spencer who, on only his second Metro League outing, picked up 8 points for a time of 46.38. The future really does look bright. 

Thanks again everyone for carrying the WHO flag at our own Metro League event. Look forward to seeing everyone again at Smiths Creek on 18 September hosted by SHOO.

Round 3 - Lake Parramatta

It was another great day of Metro League at Lake Parramatta, a location well known to many WHO club members. Bennelong hosted us and presented some interesting courses, with enough tricky controls off the main tracks to make the run around the lake suitably challenging. There was a fair bit of mud to contend with on some of the tracks thanks to the recent rain. It was another good turnout from WHO, although we were a little light on in Division 2. More importantly, we had some WHO club members join us for Metro League for the first time - great to see you Silvia Teoh and Thomas Spencer, hopefully you’ll be back again for more!

We were up against Big Foot in Division 1, which was always going to be a tough round given their dominance at this level. WHO managed a respectable 24 points, but not quite enough to beat Big Foot’s 31. James McQuillan was again our fastest picking up 8 points for a time of 55.23. The Sweeney brothers again put in a strong performance, with Selwyn managing 59.10 and Seth 64.00. At the mid point in the season, we are in the middle of the pack in Div 1. 

Division 2 was low on numbers this round, but Paul Sweeney and Dan Smith carried the flag to bring home a solid 7 and 6 points respectively. Our total of 13 wasn’t enough to get us close to a swift Big Foot outfit who dominated with 32 points. 

We were up against Garingal in Div 3, but despite having some solid performances we went down 23-32. Savanna Sweeney was the standout picking up the 10 points for the round with a super fast time of 48.38. A special mention as well for Silvia Teoh who, in her very first Metro League outing, managed a highly competitive time of 63.12. 

Pleasingly, as we move to the lower divisions WHO starts to see more success. Div 4 was a victory for WHO, beating Garingal decisively 32-20. This puts WHO at the top of the Div 4 table. Belinda Kinneally, having been out of Metro League action for a while, took out the 10 points with a time of 46.53. She was ably supported by solid performances from the rest of the team, with Karen Langan’s time of 53.07 earning her 8 points. 

WHO had to take on KNOX in Div 5, and just managed to edge them out 27-25. It was a great welcome back to Metro League for Nerise McQuillan, who took out the 10 points with a time of 60.47. Ian Miller is also getting back into Metro action with his first outing for the season and also put in a solid result with 9 points for a time of 69.17. Great work from the whole team! 

Finally, WHO managed to pick up a win in Div 6 against Garingal, beating them 26-23. Justine de Remy de Courcelles has proven to be our Div 6 standout, again being our fastest with 9 points for a time of 57.26. Shay Sweeney was not far behind, with 8 points for a time of 59.44. And a special mention goes to Thomas Spencer who made his very first Metro League outing - great to see you Thomas and hope you can join us again next time! 

Next Metro League is Round 4 at Wianamatta on August 28 - hosted by WHO! Mark that one in your calendar. Lots of helpers will be needed, and remember - everyone helping still gets a run. See you then!

Josh

Round 2 - St Ives Showground

The weather was kind to us at St Ives Showground on 26 July, where we were hosted by Big Foot for Round 2 of Metro League. For what was a relatively small area, the courses were quite technical and challenging. In Div 4, WHO had a bye this round, which meant a number of runners were running in different divisions from what they would run normally, quite a number running ‘up’ a division. But our runners were up to the challenge, with WHO posting wins across four out of five divisions making it one of our most successful outings in a long time. In particular, it was our younger team members who really carried the day for WHO, showing what a promising future our club has. 

Success greeted Div 1 against Uringa-Central Coast with a 29-20 victory. James McQuillan picked up 10 points for his time of 45.02, and Selwyn Sweeney was not far behind with 9 points for 51.32. 

In our first Div 2 victory in a very long time, we just edged out Garingal 29-26. Seth Sweeney was the fastest picking up 10 points for a fast time of 40.02, with regular Div 3 runner Emmanuelle Convert picking up 8 points for a time of 48.16. A great team result with good performances all round. 

Our Div 3 team achieved a decisive victory over Uringa-Central Coast 32-17. Lachlan Coady, who was running up a division, blitzed his run with a time of 44.42 for 10 points, clearly staking his claim for a permanent promotion. Saffron and Savanna Sweeney picked up 7 and 6 points respectively, with Savanna also running up a division. Very promising all round. 

WHO’s Div 5 team also tasted success with a 32-23 victory over Uringa-Central Coast. Again, it was one of our young standout performers, Matilda Saunders, who led the way for WHO picking up 10 points with a super fast time of 31.28. Karen Langan was close behind with 9 points for a time of 33.18. A special mention also goes to Martin Mansfield who interrupted his run to help an injured competitor - this is the spirit of orienteering in action. 

And although we couldn’t quite pip SHOO-IKO in Div 6 it was certainly very close only going down 28-26. And it was our own Justine de Remy de Courcelles who bagged the 10 points with a time of 32.32, closely followed by Shay Sweeney picking up 9 for a time of 34.50. 

A great day out with our young runners leading the way for WHO. What a great set up for Round 3 hosted by Bennelong at Lake Parramatta on July 31. This is well and truly WHO territory, so it would be great to get a good turnout. See you on the 31st! 

Josh

Metro League 2022

With the Summer Series behind us, it's time to gear up for Metro League, Sydney’s premiere winter orienteering comp. Metro League is unique in that it is a team comp - each club fields teams across six divisions across 6 rounds, and different teams go head-to-head in each round. Last year, WHO fielded teams in Divisions 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Division 1 features the hardest/longest courses while Division 6 has moderate courses suitable for beginners and children. 

Metro League dates are set for May 1, May 22, Jun 26, Jul 31, Aug 28, and Sep 18, although at this stage it looks like the first round on May 1 will be rescheduled. All venues are in the Sydney area, in fact its a great way to see some fantastic little pockets of bushland around Sydney. Its also a great transition into bush orienteering if you have mainly been running Summer Series. 

We are now looking to gauge interest from club members in this season’s Metro League so that we can estimate team numbers. Please contact your Club Captain Josh Braidwood  to register your interest or if you have any questions about how Metro League works. 

There is something for everyone at Metro League. It's also a great way to meet your fellow WHO club members. If you’re new to orienteering, there are suitable courses for you - we’d love to have you join us. 

See you at Metro League!

Josh Braidwood 
Club Captain

Round 1 - Grays Point

Our 2022 Metro League season kicked off at Grays Point on May 22. We were down on numbers a little for the season opener, including an unfortunate last minute pull out from the Club Captain himself (due to an unfortunate kitchen injury the night before). But those who were able to get there had a great run on a map that hasn’t been used for Metro League in many years. 

In Div 1 we went down to the ever-formidable Big Foot team 31-23, with James McQuillan bringing up the fastest time of 52.32 and picking up 9 points for the round. And in what may become one of the season’s biggest rivalries, brothers Seth and Selwyn Sweeney finished within a minute of each other! 

In Div 2 we went down 31-21 to Bennelong, mainly because we were only able to field 3 runners. But an outstanding run from Lee Coady showed we are in contention with a time of 46.38 earning him the 10 points in the match up. 

Div 3 suffered from low numbers this round, with Saffron and Emmanuelle carrying the flag for WHO picking up 6 and 7 points respectively, but not quite enough to chase down Big Foot who won the match up 32-13. 

Div 4 was our big success story for the day, with WHO racking up a 33-22 win over Garingal. It was our round stars who made it happen with an outstanding run from Savanna Sweeney who picked up 10 points for a fast time of 42.0, followed by Lachlan Coady who finished the course in 49.57 for 9 points. 

Div 5 was a close match up, just missing out  to Big Foot 21-24. Again our young members led the charge with Matilda Saunders putting in an amazing time of 38.36 for 9 points. 

In Div 6 we went down 18-34 too Garingal, mainly because we were low in numbers. Shay Sweeney was the stand out with a time of 38.15 picking up 8 points. 

Next round is 26 June at St Ives - looking forward to a big WHO turnout - see you there!

Josh Braidwood

Club Captain