Five teams gathered with appropriate social distancing at the normal Stokenchurch start for the first Collier Cup event of the year, with Peter Lisle running the transmitter. Their first challenge was excessive skywave which resulted in an approximate bearing of 120 degrees being given. Some competitors assumed that skywave meant that a fair amount of distance was involved and they took the M40 to the Beaconsfield area for the 8pm transmission. Others decided that the bearing went suspiciously close to the operators home (Flackwell Heath) and positioned themselves just east of Marlow, and one of these teams parked at the end of Winchbottom Lane in Little Marlow which was the best access route to the transmitter site. Good guess!

Justin Snow was also nearby and decided after the second transmission to park up the aforesaid Winchbottom Lane and make his way into Bloom Wood, unexpectedly arriving after a fair run-in in the vicinity of the transmitter at 8.20pm just as the operator was making his way under some rhododendron bushes having sat outside for the first few transmissions to stay more comfortable (which included staying away from the midges that had appeared under the bushes). The operator managed to complete crawling into his hide without being spotted and Justin spend a happy time for 20 minutes by which time Graham Phillips and Roger Shepherd arrived. In the end it was a close-run thing who found the transmitter first - three teams in within just 16 seconds. Geoff Foster was quick to follow and then it was a fair while (and a fair number of bites) before a call from Ray Goodearl to ‘gracefully retire’ from the contest after a series of poor bearings and reverse senses had led him astray.

Contestants gathered in Peter and Ruth’s garden afterwards and were joined by John Mullins for a convivial evening.

Peter Lisle