This weekend will see several EBOR members make the trip to Bristol for the annual British Sprint Orienteering Championships.

Competing in the women's championships are Ireland internationals Aislinn Austin and sister Fionne Austin as well as York-born British team member Jenny Whitehead.

Whitehead is fresh from a trip to Vasteras, Sweden where she trained and raced in preparation for the Nordic Championships, with her new Swedish club, Vasteras Ski and Orienteering Club.

EBOR member Matt Speake has also been in Sweden with his new club, OK Tisaren, based in Hallsberg. Speake, who was ninth in the Junior (U21) World Championships last year, finished fifth in the Junior Men's Class at the Spring Cup in Denmark last weekend, orienteering's first major international of the season. He will be aiming for another good run and some senior scalps in this weekend's Men's Championships.

Running for a Scandinavian club in the major relays is seen as a necessary part of a British runner's development.

Whitehead and Speake will be running for their respective Swedish clubs in these relays this year, while Aislinn Austin will be competing for one of the world's best orienteering clubs, Halden SK, of Norway.

Austin and Whitehead will be teaming up with Heather Gardner for the domestic relays hoping to build on EBOR's third place in the British Championships last year. This year's British Championships are in Sheffield on May 18.

This Sunday will see EBOR's international runners competing in the BOKtrot 2003, which is a National and World Ranking Event. It is of vital importance to Whitehead as it is the first of two selection race weekends for the Nordic Open Championships which will be at the start of May in Sweden.

Further information about the York club is at www.eborienteers.org.uk while on Sunday May 11 there will be a sprint race open to beginners around York City centre. This race, for the third annual York City Trophy, will give residents a chance to see local, national and international orienteers in action and to have a go themselves. Reigning champions Jenny Whitehead and Oli Johnson, as well as qualified coaches, will be on hand to offer advice.

Updated: 09:25 Thursday, April 03, 2003