A large local contingent travelled to Glen Affric for the latest Scottish Orienteering League race, with Forth Valley Orienteers enjoying considerable success, particularly from a number of juniors competing above their usual age classes.

The Glen Affric area is rarely used for orienteering because of land access issues, with the previous major event there being the 2015 World Championships. That made the return to the area a welcome opportunity for competitors to tackle some challenging terrain.

Scarlett Kelly claimed victory in the W21 class in 91.33, despite competing two classes above her current standard. The leading women were taking part in a separate World Ranking event, but Kelly took advantage of the opportunity as preparation for next month’s Junior European Cup in Switzerland. Clare Stansfield was the best-placed FVO runner in W21, finishing fifth in 143.21.

There was also success in the M18 class, where James Edward and Fraser Cheyne both stepped up to face older opposition. Edward produced an excellent run to finish second in 73.47, with Cheyne close behind in third in 80.44.

Scarlett Kelly was one of the Forth Valley Orienteers who made a big impact at the latest Scottish Orienteering League meet (Photo: Robert Lines)

placeholder image — Scarlett Kelly was one of the Forth Valley Orienteers who made a big impact at the latest Scottish Orienteering League meet (Photo: Robert Lines)

Hannah Inman also moved up to W18 and spent much of the race working at the front of the field. She eventually finished sixth overall and was second in her age class in 64.13.

Among the veterans, Will Hensman took second place in M40 in 88.13, with Roger Goddard third in 91.42, while Rob Truswell finished second in M45 in 104.42.

Steve Nicholson, who was the planner for the 2015 Glen Affric World Championships race, returned to FVO colours for the first time since that event and marked the occasion with second place in M55 in 70.30. Louise Longhurst was second in W60 in 83.41 and Martin Dean took third in M65 in 66.45.

The W55 class produced a clean sweep for FVO, with Jennifer Leonard taking first place in 80.01, followed by Cathy Tilbrook in 82.42 and Rona Molloy in 83.24.

There were further strong performances from the younger runners. Matthew Owen won the Light Green course in 27.45 and also topped the M14 results, while Sophie Edward finished second in W14 in 39.39. Ethan Baikie headed the M12 class in 68.38.

FVO members were also involved in supporting an Urban League event in a brand-new, hilly area of Inverness. Dominic Edward won the Men’s Open class in 39.45, while Will Hensman was second in the Men’s Vet category in 28.38 and Mark Johnston took third in 34.23.

Rachel Kirkland won the Women’s SuperVet class in 28.25, with Alice McDaid second in Women’s Vet in 38.33. Tilbrook added another podium finish with third place in Women’s SuperVet, while Sophie Edward was second in Junior Women in 31.23.

The results highlighted the strength and depth of the FVO group, with experienced competitors and a growing number of juniors making their mark across both traditional forest and urban orienteering.