Sunday 6th October 1991
Twelve teams took part in Warminster Carnival Committee’s first ever Navigational Scatter event.
Organised by Danny Howell, who was ably assisted by John Dean, the Scatter took place in Cranborne Chase, on the Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire borders.
The starting and finishing point was the Langton Arms at Tarrant Monkton, where contestants spent over an hour deciphering the cryptic and mathematical clues to 20 mystery locations.
Then, setting off with maps and guide books, one of the first ports of call was the Model Village at Wimborne Minster, before moving on to such notable landmarks as Horton Tower, Badbury Rings, and the ruins of Knowlton Church. Other places visited included the Museum Hotel at Farnham; and Ashmore (the highest village on Cranborne Chase) with its famous pond.
The contestants also saw the monument at the entrance to Blandford Camp, commemorating the men of the Collingwood Battalion who were killed at Gallipoli. Another monument featured in the Scatter was at Tarrant Rushton, to the men of 298 and 644 Squadrons RAF C Squadron Glider Pilot Regiment.
Of more unusual note was the plaque at Remedy Gate, recording how King George VI sat under a tree there and ‘touched for the King’s Evil.’
Another surprising inscription, seen in Sixpenny Handley churchyard, revealed how the villagers used to poach deer and hide the newly killed venison in an empty tomb until it was safe to return and divide the meat between themselves.
One of the last locations to be visited was the village of Spetisbury, on the A350, where the churchyard features a tetrahedron to the Reverend Thomas Racket. An inscription records how this clergyman ‘was involved with the promotion and cultivation of the various useful arts.’ So much so, that he was accused of fiddling and his name gave rise to the saying about ‘things being a bit of a racket.’
After six hours, the weary contestants of the Scatter returned to Tarrant Monkton with their completed clue sheets. Danny Howell explained the clues, gave the answers, and announced the winners. The final scores were very close.
The winning team were the Diet Tribe, namely Mike Shorey, Ruth Sharpe, David Sharpe, and little Amy, who scored 96 points out of a possible 100. They received wine, a board game, notelets, chocolate biscuits, and recipe and puzzle books.
Second and third teams, the Tailenders (Dick, Jill and Paul Goodenough) and Car 54 (Doreen Holmes, Chris and Jane Owens, and Allen Williams), tied with 92 points, and places were decided by a points tie-breaker question. This gave the Tailenders second place and Car 54 received third honours. They shared wine, notelets, chocolate biscuits, plus recipe and puzzle books as their prizes.
En route, teams also had to collect a sealed envelope from a mystery location (which turned out to be a house in Castle Street, Cranborne). Inside one of the envelopes was the code to a lock on a treasure chest at the Langton Arms.
The Jesters & Co. team, captained by Andrew Davis, chose the correct envelope and won the selection of chocolate and sweets inside the chest.
The booby prize, a book of the world’s greatest blunders, was awarded to David and Sandra Major, who arrived at the finishing point half an hour late and were disqualified. Perhaps their chosen team name, Two Idiots, was rather prophetic on their part!
In spite of the odd shower of rain, everyone enjoyed themselves and the day was rounded off with a ten prize raffle.
The Scatter Event raised £55 for Warminster Carnival funds, and a vote of thanks was given by Carnival Committee Chairman Dick Goodenough.