With one race to go, all the leads were tight, though the Chilton senior prizegiving robbed the schoolgirls of a showdown. However the amazing Laura Robertson who is still in the junior school beat SPARC "Future Champion" Lizzie Ingham in the Botanical Gardens to take second place in the series. How about an award of "Future Future Champion"??
In the men, Bryn Davies had to prevent Ross Morrison from winning, otherwise first prize would be shared. Well he did, but it was a close-run thing. After two split loops from the pivot control on the sound shell lawn they headed out on the final common loop together, playing cat-and-mouse before the final desperate sprint to the line. Davies arrived first to clinch the deal, although small differences in the punching start recording actually had them the other way around. Bill Edwards (first or first equal in the last three series) was third on the night but finished just behind Andrew McCarthy in the table.
Anna Robertson had a more precarious lead and she had to stop Gillian Ingham from winning, otherwise the lead would change. Unfortunately she didn't get close to the experienced ex-elite, and Ingham, coming from behind after missing the first two events, took the open womens title. Anna's husband John was tied with Dave King in the vets class, even to the extent of their worst counting event being the same - a second. So a win by one of them would resolve the issue, but a third person winning, such as the handy Malcolm Ingham, would leave them tied. The matter was resolved by King with the fifth fastest time of the night. Robertson was way back in the middle of the field, though his good showing earlier in the series gave him the runner-up slot.
And in the boys, ten-year-old Tim Robertson could level the scores with Andrew Glover if he won, but he too was off song. Glover won the race and the title; his sister Victoria won the girls series in 2001 and brother Richard was second in 2001 and 2002. So Laura was the top Robertson on the final night, but check this out: what are the odds against all 4 members of a family achieving the same series place - second?
As well as the tightest final the eighth O-Max series set a record for participation: 52 took part with an average of 32 per night. Course-planning creativity is continuing to challenge us in areas we all know well.
| Name | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Subtot | #5 | Best 4 | #6 | Best 4 |
| Men | |||||||||
| Bryn Davies | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Ross Morrison | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Andrew McCarthy | 13 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 11 |
| Bill Edwards | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 3org | 12 | 3 | 12 |
| John Marshall | 4 | 4org | 5 | 7 | 20 | 6 | 19 | 7 | 19 |
| Mick Finn | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 10 | 23 | 5 | 21 |
| William Power | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 26 | 4org | 22 |
| Andrew Whiteford | 13 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 5 | 34 | 6 | 27 |
| Jason van Dyk | 6 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 42 | 10 | 38 | 12 | 37 |
| Peter Bakos | 13 | 12 | 8org | 11 | 44 | 8 | 39 | 11 | 38 |
| David McCarthy | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 39 | 10 | 38 | 12 | 38 |
| Paul Teesdale-Spittle | 12 | 13 | 13 | 7org | 45 | 7 | 39 | 12 | 38 |
| Richard Baxter | 5 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 46 | 10 | 42 | 12 | 40 |
| Per Forsberg | 13 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 46 | 10 | 42 | 12 | 41 |
| Jeff Price | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 44 | 10 | 41 | 12 | 41 |
| Ramon Steenson | 13 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 50 | 9 | 45 | 9 | 41 |
| Rob Batt | 13 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 47 | 10 | 43 | 12 | 42 |
| Bruce Worsley | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 10 | 42 | 12 | 42 |
| Niall McAlinden | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 54 | 10 | 50 | 8 | 44 |
| Fergal Buckley | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 54 | 10 | 50 | 10 | 46 |
| No-go Score | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 54 | 10 | 50 | 12 | 48 |
| Name | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Subtot | #5 | Best 4 | #6 | Best 4 |
| Women | |||||||||
| Gillian Ingham | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| Anna Robertson | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Susan Edwards | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 2org | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| Lynn Glover | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 13 |
| Penny Kane | 4 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 19 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 14 |
| Sarah Underwood | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 3org | 15 |
| Dorothy Kane | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 16 |
| Asa Pahlen | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 16 |
| Lucy Bocock | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 20 | 5 | 18 |
| No-go score | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 4 | 20 | 5 | 18 |
| Name | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Subtot | #5 | Best 4 | #6 | Best 4 |
| Veterans | |||||||||
| Dave King | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| John Robertson | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Malcolm Ingham | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 9 |
| Michael Wood | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 22 | 2 | 16 |
| Paul Clarke | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 6 | 20 | 4 | 17 |
| Neil Kane | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 18 |
| Gavin Scott | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 7 | 23 | 9 | 23 |
| Tony Brindle | 6 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 8 | 26 | 10 | 26 |
| David Edmonds | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 8 | 26 | 10 | 26 |
| Peter Whiteford | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 8 | 28 | 8 | 28 |
| John Bocock | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 8 | 29 | 10 | 29 |
| Dick Dinsdale | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 32 | 8 | 30 | 7 | 29 |
| No-go score | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 32 | 8 | 30 | 10 | 30 |
| Name | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Subtot | #5 | Best 4 | #6 | Best 4 |
| Schoolboys | |||||||||
| Andrew Glover | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Tim Robertson | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
| Daniel Edmonds | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 11 |
| Thomas Robinson | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 11 |
| Jack Edmonds | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 15 |
| Luke Brindle | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 17 |
| No-go score | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 19 |
| Name | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Subtot | #5 | Best 4 | #6 | Best 4 |
| Schoolgirls | |||||||||
| Lizzie Ingham | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Laura Robertson | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 7 |
| Kate Rea | 1Org | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Nicole van Oosterom | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Jess Young | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 15 |
| No-go score | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 15 |