18 March 2008 Easton Harriers - High Easter/Essex Farmers & Union - Marks Tey
High Easter is a fitting venue for the start of East Anglia's Easter double-header weekend when it hosts the Easton Harriers Point-to-Point on Saturday. The spotlight moves to Marks Tey 48 hours later and the traditional Easter Monday Essex Farmers & Union fixture.
Both meetings have attracted strong entries, in particular Marks Tey with 136 engaged in its six races, meaning that the Open Maiden, which gets proceedings under way at 2.00pm, may well have to be split on the day as there are 42 entries and a maximum field size of 16.
If a seventh race is necessary at Marks Tey, the closing 24-entry Novice Riders event, scheduled for 4.55pm, will be put back to 5.30pm.
At High Easter on Saturday it is a 1pm start and there are 118 entries for the seven races. Again, there is the possibility of a division here as there are 33 engaged in the Open Maiden and the largest number allowed to go to post is 15.
The action will once more draw to a close with a Novice Riders event, this time with 19 entries and due to go off at 4.25pm.
The two meetings have many similarities, not least identical entrance costs and the presence of pony racing before the steeplechasing starts. The admission fee is £10 per head with children free.
At High Easter the two pony races will take place at 11.45am and noon while at Marks Tey the ponies will strut their stuff at 1.00pm and 1.15pm.
High Easter is just south of the village of that name, eight miles north west of Chelmsford. From junction 8 of the M11 take the dual carriageway A120 east towards Colchester for roughly eight miles until the Dunmow South exit where you should follow signs for the A130 (direction Chelmsford).
You will soon arrive in Barnston and should turn right immediately at a mini roundabout signposted 'The Easters'. Follow this road all the way to High Easter where you turn right at a T junction. Stay on this road through the village and the course is about half a mile out the other side.
Marks Tey is five miles west of Colchester near the junction of the A12 and the A120. It needs to be approached from the A12 westbound, going beyond the Marks Tey junction and then taking the left turn signposted Easthorpe. If you are coming east on the A12, get off at the Marks Tey junction and double back to use the opposite carriageway.
