After getting wet putting station B in position, the ride to the start partly dried out Chris's boots and jeans. When time came to start signals were heard from BOTH transmitters ( SURPRISINGLY ), just to confuse the very few who bothered to turn up. (two potential competitors were either injured or ill, only two others bothered to send apologies the rest were noted for absence, after all the Parkers and Torbay Tigers had a long drive to the start, longer than many who didn’t bother)

Station A G8APB/P, was run by Dave Chippendale G1ECC and was located 15km from the start in rhodies to the southern edge of the famous Bosley Cloud, and was found by 3 teams within time.

Station B G0BSU/P Roger Thawley using his own callsign, was located in a large park area (at least it was on the newer maps, industry and a steel works on the older ones) near Burslem in the Potteries. No greenery was shown on the map, but there was certainly lots of brambles and steep slopes around the site. Roger was tucked in under an Alder bush near the football pitch on a flat bit of ground away from the steep banks. Several people walked passed his site and headed for the wooded banks without seeing his white feet sticking out (His boots and socks got soaked in the morning putting out extra wire and a dummy aerial across the ground to a gorse bush so he had stripped off the dry them out.)

After the event a goodly meal was had by all at the Royal Oak pub in Rushden Spencer, one of Chris and Anns favourite local pubs. Stories and reminiscences were swapped and a few pints sunk before everyone set off for home. Chris’s car was worse for wear having run about the day before, and Monday was spent replacing the graunchy front disk pads on his Forester.

John Jocys would have qualified but he's off to Cornwall the weekend of the final.

Chris Plummer