Winter Series 2002-2003
Round 1 - 20th October 2002

Report by TX operator, Chris Plummer:

The SMRCC Winter Series DFs have started again with a change to navigators and competitors alike. Chris Plummer’s turn to hide came round again on the 20th. October (good job it was decided not to run it the week before, it was very wet then), anyway Chris being evil as usual he decided to test the frugality of SMRCC DFers to see if they had newish maps, as the site chosen wasn’t on the older ones, even the main road wasn’t there then. A small wooded area with requisite stream was chosen at the back of the Tesco / M&S complex at Handforth, with Chris hiding his car in the car park for M&S. (Good job he got there early as Sundays is very busy and parking at a premium). With the assistance of Roger (famous in last years Stafford event) Chris chose a nice thick holly bush on the bank of the stream and put up about a quarter wave of wire, tests of the TX in the shack had proved it willing to behave, but after tuning it up well before time, it went on the blink at the start and wouldn’t transmit the CW as required, so a call was made to the start to inform them that Chris would hike miles back to the (in fact 200 yards away) and fetch the spare TX being back on by the 10:42 transmission. This as it turned out wasn’t the only problem, Chris P had posted the envelopes to Chris Heys and checked that they had arrived, but Chris H chose that day to have a bad night and lay in past the start time, so no-one knew the frequency or had a start envelope or approximate bearing. Chris P gave a bearing and distance by mobile phone with the usual accuracy of +/- 4km of the TX (in fact it passed within 100m just to fool them). All four competitors then left the start on a dull but fine morning (plus the tardy Heys from home).

When Chris P checked with the hunters after the second transmission, he was astonished to find JJ virtually on top of the site, but complaining of a weak signal… JH said it was blasting his ears off at Woodford airfield. So Chris expected a rush quite soon, but it was not to be. Chris settled down by a large tree some 20 yards from the holly bush on the other side of the stream and waited, and waited…

Come 11:00 AM Chris heard shouts and hollers from the north end of the wood next to the road access to an industrial estate, evidently Dave Peacock had found the zebra striped white wire that Roger had put up as a decoy over some boondocks and up a culvert. JH had parked at the Old Hall to the south and run past Chris homing in on Dave’s hollering. With the TX on they then both crossed the stream and circled round behind the TX hide until Dave saw Chris P and raced back across the stream, only to be told he hadn’t found the site yet. JH wouldn’t believe him and staggered across the stream up to Chris as well. By this time Dave had found more dummy wire, out of a pipe on one side of the stream and up another pipe on the other side, but this didn’t fool Dave as standing in the stream bed he saw Roger in the hide under the holly. JH seeing the delighted Dave Peacock leaping about shouting ‘Ive Won’ soon discovered the hide as well (John needed a staggering stick to get in though, even though he had his wellies on). At that time the water was only a couple of inches deep with a firm stony bottom and clear water!!!

Time passed with Chris chatting to the finishers, when Dave Chippendale ran up only to be told he also had got the wrong place, fairly soon followed by John Jocys again not chuffed to find he hadn’t finished yet. Chris spoke to Roger to put the TX on again (being only 20 yards away, not that that was realised by DC & JJ) and both DC and JJ ran off in different directions… away from the site… Upon realising their error and with various shouts from DP & JH they eventually both got in.

At this time we were told that Chris Heys had dragged himself out of bed and was around in the area. He eventually came in fifth for one point. This gave the organisers delight as he tried hard not to get his feet wet and thus had to push through the densest part of the holly bush. All having finished, the aerials and dummies were removed and the party retired to the Ship at Style, where the Theakstons Old Peculiar went down a treat. At this time Donna revealed herself in a slim-line glory having lost two stones in weight.

The rain having held off most of the morning, got real worked up in the afternoon and evening with gales and all, just as well we finished early.

Dave Peacock and John Heath	All Competitors (apart from sleepy head)
Donna's stunning new look: "DFing helped me lose 2 stone!"