Narrative
BCC 2026 Rounds One and Two – Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026 – Talybont
Dear BCCers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am mighty pleased to confirm that the scores from the first two rounds of the 2026 BCC are in. Before I get to the details. I would first like to express my sincere thanks to Dennis Trussler and SE Wales for their persistence in finding a suitable weekend (after two false poor weather denied starts at Easter and the Magic Bash weekends) and generously hosting us once again and helping get our season off to a splendid start.
The hot weather forecast for the weekend of 23 and 24 May did not deter the pilots from 15 clubs assembling at the Forest Car Park for Talybont (where there is now a phone signal!) for briefing before heading up the hill (everyone’s favourite BCC walk in).
Round One - Saturday 23 May 26
The high pressure, slack WSW’ly flow and blue skies made for challenging conditions; however, 35 of the 48 pilots impressively posted scores. Even more impressively, some pilots, including Alistair Andrews, Crickhowell Paragliding captain, after a first flight, climbed the hill again to make a second flight. Ali’s determination paid off as he went on top score for the day. And rewardingly, despite the challenging conditions, three pilots earned Pilot Development prizes. So many congratulations go to Dominic Irvine of Crickhowell Paragliding and Annabelle Cracknell-Jones of Malvern for their First Ever XCs, a marvellous milestone in any pilot’s free flying career, which the BCC is always delighted to be able to facilitate. There was also a 1st UK XC for Stephen Meineck of the Dover and Folkestone Team (who as you will see enjoyed an excellent weekend).
And so on to the team scores. With Ali Andrews leading the way, the 1,000 points went to Crickhowell Paragliding, last year’s runners up. Can they go one better this year? In second place with 940 were Condors Red with SE Wales Red, the reigning BCC Champions in third place with 912 points. Another four teams posted scores of over 500 points, so it feels like we have a great season in the making.
Round Two – Sunday 26 May 2026
The following day, 52 pilots, climbed back up Talybont to see if they could improve their Saturday scores. If anything, it was even hotter, bluer and lighter, but with a slightly more S’ly flow, the terrain of the Bannau Brycheomopg offered additional routings for pilots to fly out and return legs across the stunning landscape, before pushing towards Brecon or indeed up towards Hay Bluff. Tim Oatley, captaining the Wessex Onemade full use of this approach and top scored, landing near a splendid hostelry in the Wye Valley. There were another three Personal Development (PD) prizes, including a 1st UK XC for Hadi Arran of UK Armed Forces, and UK PBs for Tarquin Cooper of Skysurfers and Stephen Meineck of Dover and Folkestone, earning his PD prize of the weekend!
Note. If any pilot has inadvertently not claimed a PD prize or claimed the wrong PD prize (that does happen) from any of the weekend’s rounds, please let me know and I can make amendments as required.
In terms of the round scores, once again inspired by a captain’s performance, the Wessex One team bagged the 1,000 points. Not far behind In second place with 952 and 922 points respectively, were Avon Aand SE Wales Red. Crickhowell Paragliding. Once again, Once again, all the 14 teams taking part posted scores, making it a round with something for everyone.
BCC 2026 Standings
After two rounds, SE Wales, with a top three finish in each round, sit atop the leaderboard with a perfect 1,834 points. However, only 8 points behind on 1,826 points are Wessex with Crickhowell Paragliding, Avon A and Condors Red within striking distance around the 1,500 point mark.
The SportsTrackLive scenes for both rounds will be posted once the BCC to XC League website re-link is complete.
You will find the full list of scores here:
Results British Club Challenge (advance-bcc.uk)
That’s all for now. Many thanks once again to Dennis and SE Wales for hosting and coordinating the always crucial first rounds of the season.
Kind regards, Matt
BCC Coord