Enterprise Match Racing at Etherow Country Park Sailing Club
by Tony Woods 30 Nov 2010 17:34 GMT
27 November 2010
Etherow Country Park Sailing Club hosted the Enterprise 'World' Match Racing Championships on Saturday 27th November. The event was guaranteed a new champion as Andrew Davey the previous Champion had a sledging accident the day before the event. Landing astride a fencing post meant that he could only hike out with a John Wayne stance that wouldn’t be found in any text book. On arrival at the club the visitors were greeted with a frozen lake and the event looked in danger. However thanks to the tenacity of the members the ice was broken up and an area large enough for racing was cleared.
The draw took place to assign the country’s the competitors would be representing for the day. Six boats were loaned to the competitors which meant that a day of continuous racing could take place in a league format. Races were always competitive with the result often in doubt until the final seconds.
By mid afternoon the quarter final places were all sorted bar one, and a fleet race took place for the final spot, won by Alison Payne and Kev Law. The surprise drop out was John Berry who had Match Raced AC boats in New Zealand. He found the Etherow conditions slightly different to Auckland and was knocked out by Richard Hemmingway.
The racing soon became fiercer in the quarter final stages, and the penalty count increased because of it. The umpires Tony Woods, Sam Woods and Paul Brotherton were kept busy with a few interpretations of the rules being questioned. Those doing the arguing have already been volunteered to do the umpiring next year. Good luck Craig!
The majority of the competitors could now pack up and get warm before watching the semi final stage. The first semi final saw Ed Thomas take on Tim and Jackie Finch from Chester (and Egypt). Tim and Jackie won the start and worked on a reasonable lead before hitting a dead patch. Ed caught Tim on starboard and claimed a penalty for tacking in his water. Eventually the umpire’s decision went with Ed, which with hindsight may have been a bit harsh. The penalty was enough to give Ed the match and a place in the final. In the other semi final Steve Blackburn and Alex won a hard fought battle from ‘the girls’ Karen Morris and Lisa Woods.
Due to the temperature dropping below freezing and the wind dropping it was decided not to have a third place sail off and move straight in to the final. The first attempt at a start was abandoned after Steve got confused about the start line and course although the same race area had been used for 20 matches! The abandonment only took place with the blessing of Ed who showed real sportsmanship in allowing a fresh start. His good deed was rewarded with him winning the start and moving into a large lead which was never threatened by Steve at any point. Ed crossed the line to a winning gun and a round of applause. Ed Thomas and Matt were crowned the new Enterprise 'World' Match Racing Champions.