Oceania Orienteering Championships - Long Distance

Australian and Finnish orienteers won at the Oceania Long Distance Orienteering Championships  at Craigieburn, and a narrow victory for New Zealand in the second orienteering Test Match ensured a Series win for the Pinestars.

In a tough and epic Long Distance Oceania Championships course on Wednesday January 7, the Australians made a desperate bid to take the upper hand in the Australia - New Zealand Test Match Series.

Led by Australian champion Simon Uppill with an inspired victory in the Oceania Orienteering Long Distance Championships, the Mens team snatched their first victory in the Test Match series against New Zealand by the narrow margin of 2 points; Australia  27- New Zealand 25.
 
Uppill powered around the 12 kilometre course set in the forested mountainsides of Craigieburn in a time of 99 minutes and 4 seconds, besting Finnish international Miika Hernelahti by 6 minutes.

New Zealander Darren Ashmore in 6th place kept New Zealand in the running but the efforts of Ben Rattray (Aust) in 4th put the Australian Bushrangers briefly in front for the first time during the Oceania Orienteering Championships in 2009.

But it was all New Zealand's way in the Women's Test Match as the New Zealand Pinestars took the minor placings behind the winning Finn, Mari Vanaanen, giving them the Women's Test Match by 19 points to 13, and pulling New Zealand ahead  of Australia by another four points in the Test Match Series.

Oceania Sprint Orienteering Champion and top ranked New Zealand woman Lizzie Ingham showed her strength over the longer 7.7 kilometre course to take silver, closely followed by youngster Rita Homes, who placed an outstanding third in her first international Series.

Former 19-time National Champion Tania Robinson grabbed fourth place to  ensure that New Zealand had an easy victory in the Womens Test Match; Vanessa Round was the best Australian in 7th place.

The comprehensive victory by the women ensured that Australia edged ahead by four points to a virtually unbeatable lead in the overall Test Match point standings with an overall lead of 108 points to 78.

Australia will be competing for pride in the last Test Match on Friday at the Oceania Orienteering Middle Distance Championships in Duntroon, as the only chance of victory for them lies with most of the New Zealand Pinestars failing to finish; an unlikely scenario. 

Simon Uppill with gold and silver at the Oceania Championships is in the best form of his life and looking for a second gold medal.

"I reckon any of the New Zealanders can win the Middle Distance" he said. "The terrain at Craigieburn was more suited to Europeans, while the Duntroon area will give the Kiwis a slight advantage." 

Oceania Orienteering Championships Long Distance Provisional results.
M21Elite
1  Simon Uppill, Aus/Bushrangers 1:39:04;
2  Miika Hernelahti, 75 Finland  1:45:22;
3  Eric Morris, Aus 1:45:46;
4  Ben Rattray, Aus/Bushrangers 1:49:44;
5  Brent Edwards, NZ 1:52:14;
6  Darren Ashmore, TNZ/Pinestars 1:53:32;
7  Michael Adams,  NZ/Pinestars1:53:39;
8  Todd Oates, NZ/Pinestars 1:58:54;
9  Rob Preston,  Aus 2:03:50;
10 Bryan Keely,  Aus/Bushrangers 2:04:30.

W21Elite
1 Mari Vaananen, Finland 1:28:33;
2 Lizzie Ingham, NZ/Pinestars 1:32:17;
3 Rita Homes, NZ/Pinestars  1:37:18;
4 Tania Robinson, NZ/Pinestars  1:39:14;
5 Lara Prince, NZ 1:41:05;
6 Line Soderlund, Denmark 1:41:22;
7 Rebecca Smith, NZ 1:41:37;
8 Amber Morrison, NZ 1:45:12;
9 Laurina Neumann, Aus/Bushrangers 1:45:45;
10 Vanessa Round, Aus/Bushrangers 1:47:40.

Australia - New Zealand Elite Test Match results
Test Match 1: New Zealand Pinestars 64:Australia Bushrangers 38; 
Test Match 2: New Zealand Pinestars 44:Australia Bushrangers 40;
Overall standings: New Zealand Pinestars 108:Australia Bushrangers 78.