History
Harlequins Orienteering Club was founded on April 1st at the Area Youth Office, Kinver, on 1st April 1968. The name Harlequins was given to the new club because of the foundation on All Fools Day and to avoid naming the club after a place, which might prove a hostage to fortune later.
The Foundation
By the early 2000’s the origins of Harlequins OC had been lost in the mists of time for several years. Although a few of the original members were still around, some of the personal recollections contradicted each other. There was some confusion over whether HOC was independently founded or had evolved from the earlier Halesowen & District Orienteering Club, which ceased to exist soon after HOC came into being. Did HDOC become HOC? Did they amalgamate? Or did HDOC fold and the members join HOC? With the 40th anniversary looming, extensive research by the then webmaster David Williams and AdHoc editor David Nevell, amongst others, uncovered the truth.
The results of the two Davids’ research can be viewed by following the links below. The foundation webpages include scans and transcripts from documentary sources:
Foundation David Williams’ webpage dated January 2006
Foundation – The Truth David Williams’ follow-up webpage dated June 2007
The first forty years
- 01 Apr 1968 – Foundation of HOC
- 22 Sep 1968 – First open event at Kinver
- 13 Jan 1969 – Effective amalgamation/absorption of HDOC
- May 1969 – First Badge/National event at Wyre Forest
- Apr 1970 – First club newsletter
- 1981 – First night street event
- Apr 1983 – Newsletter titled AdHoc
- 1983 – First Springtime In Shropshire
- 1983 – First June Jaunter
- 1988 – First Bewdley International Mountain Marathon
- c1993 – First use of OCAD
- 1995 – HOC has a website
- 1999 – Launch of SMILE (Saturday Morning Low-Key Introductory Events)
- Nov 1999 – HOC’s first use of SI at Ribbesford Woods
- 2005 – Launch of MADO Initiative
HOC History (well, the first forty years anyway) David Nevell’s four-part history of the club, first published in the January – April 2008 editions of AdHoc. Individual clubs do not exist in a vacuum and this piece puts HOC’s evolution in context with the development of Orienteering in the UK.
Years and years
2024 was the British Sprint Relays
2023 ….
2022 saw Birmingham City Centre host a Euro City Tour event.
2021 saw the sport returning after the height of Covid19 restrictions, resulting in two Club Championships in one year. The informal picnic at Hartlebury Common in June raised the question – should we move the Championships from December?
2020 was the year we encountered lockdowns. Socially distanced orienteering was possible when Covid19 restrictions allowed, thanks to the relatively new MapRun app. We negotiated the extensive guidance to hold a “normal” score event at Castlemorton Common during one of the stretches between lockdowns.
2019 feels like a distant memory and doesn’t seem to have any distinguishing features. Results are here and I’ll check the newsletters to see what I’ve forgotten.
2018 was memorable for our 50th anniversary and “the snowy JK relays”; read all about it in its very own annual review. The review was created in response to concerns expressed at the previous AGM about the demise of AdHoc.
2009 Calendar of events featuring images from 2008‘s National Event on Brown Clee
2007 saw the HOC junior team “Revision Avoidance” triumph at the Harvester relays at Penhale. They won both the Junior trophy and the B course outright. Victory was all the sweeter for including a defeat of the mighty OD juniors. Team members were Dan Hartman, Chris Embrey, Liz White, Peter Ford and Tessa Hill (running in that order). It didn’t seem to impact too badly on their exam results either!
Some past achievements
2017
British Night Champs:
Mike Baggott 3rd M65L
Barry Houghton 3rd M70L
Alison Sloman 1st W80
JK:
Nick Abbott 3rd M45S
Russ Fauset 1st M70S
Alison Sloman 1st W80
Romualdis Stupelis 3rd MOpen Sprint
Alison Sloman 1st W80 Sprint
Barry Houghton, Russ Fauset, Brian Hughes 3rd Ultra-Vet (M/W210+) Relay
2016
British Sprint:
Alison Sloman 1st W80
British Middle:
Alison Sloman 1st W80
British Champs:
James Thompson 2nd M12B
Tim Kienewicz 2nd M21L
David Aldridge 1st M35S
Andy Hemsted 1st M65
Charlie Nelson 1st M65S
Rose Taylor 3rd W10A
Carol Farrington 3rd W55S
Alison Sloman 1st W80
Kath Atkins, Lindasy McMillan, Heather Kienewicz 1st Women's Short Relay
2014
British Champs:
Andy Hemsted 1st M65L
Alison Sloman 1st W75
Eric Brown, Brian Hughes, Andy Hemsted 1st M60 Relay
Arthur Mitchell, Sebastian Mitchell, Alexander Mitchell 4th Mini-Relay
JK:
Tessa Hill 1st W21E Sprint
Alison Sloman 2nd W75 Sprint
Beata Falk, Lovisa Falk, Tessa Hill 3rd Women's Trophy Relay
John Embrey, Andy Munro, Andy Hemsted 3rd M165+ Relay
2013
British Champs:
Chris Embrey 3rd M21S
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Derek Grainger 1st M70S
Tessa Hill 1st W21E
Penny Hemsted 3rd W70S
Alison Sloman 2nd W75
Mike Baggott, Brian Hughes, Andy Hemsted 1st M60 Relay
JK:
Tessa Hill 1st W21E sprint
Alison Sloman 2nd W75 sprint
Rob Farrington 2nd M21S
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Lynden Hartmann 2nd W55S
Alison Sloman 2nd W75
Andy Hemsted, Brian Hughes, Andy Munro 3rd Veteran Men's relay
2012
British Champs:
Alison Sloman 2nd W75
Brian Hughes 3rd M65
JK:
Andrew Munro 2nd M40 sprint
Colin Spears 3rd M75 sprint
Alison Sloman 1st W75 sprint
Kath MacMillan 1st WOpen sprint
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Brian Hughes 2nd M65L
Colin Spears 1st M75L
Alison Sloman 2nd W75
2011
British Champs:
Tessa Hill 1st W21E
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Alison Sloman 1st W75
Tom MacKenzie 1st M20L
Heather Hartmann 1st W21V
Dan Hartmann 3rd M21S
Lynden Hartmann 3rd W55S
Suzette Spears 2nd W70S
JK:
Tessa Hill 1st W21E
Kath McMillan 2nd W21L
Alison Sloman 2nd W75
Sebastian Mitchell 3rd White
Dan Hartmann (in SHUOC team) 2nd Men's Short relay
British Night Champs:
Tessa Hill 1st Women's Open
2010
European Trail O Champs:
Dennis Mews in 2nd Men's Team
British Champs:
Duncan Leeson 1st M20S
Dan Hartmann (as SHUOC) 3rd M21S
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Rosemary Hartmann 3rd W18S
Heather Hartmann 3rd W20S
Marian White 2nd W50S
Lynden Hartmann 1st W55S
Suzette Spears 1st W70S
John Pearson/Brian Hughes/Andy Hemsted 1st M60 relay team
JK:
Duncan Leeson 1st M20S
Dan Hartmann (as SHUOC) 2nd M21S
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Geoff Sara 3rd M70S
Lynden Hartmann 3rd W55S
Penny Hemsted 3rd W65S
Suzette Spears 1st W70S
Andy Hemsted/Brian Hughes/John Embrey 3rd M165+ relay team
2009
HOC 5th in their first CompassSport Cup final
World Masters:
Andy Hemsted 1st M60
JK:
Dan Hartmann 1st M20S
Heather Hartmann 1st W20S
Kath McMillan 1st W21V
Dot Keeling 3rd W60S
Alison Sloman 1st W70L
Suzette Spears 1st W70S
Rosemary Hartmann 1st Novice Trail-O (prov)
British Champs:
Ant Clerici 2nd M55S
Andy Hemsted 1st M60L
Alison Sloman 3rd W70L
Suzette Spears 2nd W70S
British Night Champs:
Alison Sloman 1st W70
Andy Hemsted 1st M60
HOC win Laurie Bradley Trophy
2008
Beata Falk voted "Junior Orienteer of the Year"
British ARDF champs:
David Williams & Robert Vickers - 3.5MHz and 144MHz winners
British Champs:
Val Dugmore & Penny Hemsted 1st & 2nd W65S
Alison Sloman 2nd W70L
JK:
Matt Evans, Peter Ford, Rob Farrington 1st, 2nd & 3rd M20S
Tom Horton 2nd M21L
David Williams 3rd M45S
Andy Hemsted 3rd M55L
Brian Hughes 3rd M60L
2008 – 40th anniversary
Logos A selection of Harlequins logos through the years.
News Archive Old news items
Photos Photo archive (old format page)