Triumph for the South East

RYA Eric Twiname Championships come to a close on Rutland Water

The South East Zone are the 2009 RYA Eric Twiname Championships champions as their sailors reigned triumphant at Rutland Water this weekend.

Although breeze of 15+ knots guaranteed a cracking first day of racing yesterday, the wind wasn’t quite so willing to play ball today and with no further racing possible the overnight leaders in the dinghy and windsurfing classes were crowned 2009 RYA Eric Twiname champions.

Some 226 sailors in 211 boats representing the nine RYA Zone and Home Countries took to the water to try to wrestle the coveted Eric Twiname Shield from the grasp of 2008 event winners the North Zone.

And with four races completed for all classes, it was the South East Zone who emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins claiming the overall Championship title from the second-placed South Zone on the tie-break.

The South East Zone also won the Eric Twiname Windsurfer Trophy, awarded to the Zone with top overall windsurfing score, while the South got their hands on the Eric Twiname Dinghy Trophy, awarded to Zone with top overall dinghy score.

Two wins and two seconds for South Zone duo Mary Henderson, 13, and 12-year-old crew Jack Hardie saw them claim overall Cadet class triumph while Henderson also won top girl helm. The South landed the prize for the top Cadet Zone.

Mary said: “I really enjoy these Championships, this was my third but my first time as a helm and I learned a lot. The ETs feel more relaxed than some events and because the fleets tend to be smaller it makes the racing really fun. I came off the water on Saturday really feeling like we had achieved something.”

A double bullet for 13-year-old Northern Ireland sailor James O’Hare handed him the overall Topper crown as 15-year-old Charlotte Fenn wrapped up the girls’ title for the South East and the South East Zone was named the top Topper Zone.

Meanwhile, at 10, South Zone sailor Jennifer Cropley was the youngest dinghy winner of the weekend as she picked up two race wins from four to land the overall and top girl Optimist prizes. The top Oppie Zone was the South.

Jennifer said: “It feels really cool to win two trophies at my first ETs! It was really tiring on Saturday but when you get tired you just have to concentrate really hard. I pretend I’ve only got five more minutes left of a race, even if it’s really half an hour, because breaking the race into little bits helps me concentrate and manage my race better.”

In the windsurfing classes there was double celebration for the Labourne family as both 10-year-old Sarah – the youngest trophy winner of the weekend – and her 12-year-old big sister Emma – the 2008 RYA Eric Twiname Techno 4.5 champion - secured Techno 4.5 and 6.8 victories respectively for the North Zone.

Sarah was named top 4.5 girl as the West’s James Bloor, 11, topped the pile overall while Emma made sure of her second successive RYA Eric Twiname title with both overall and girls’ 6.8 glory.

Sarah said: “This was my first Championships and I hoped I might be able to follow in Emma’s footsteps but all I could do was try to do my best. It was some challenging racing but I am very happy!”

The 11-year-old Henry Bloodworth from the South East and the South Zone’s Tom Squires,15, both picked up two bullets and two seconds apiece to comprehensively wrap up their respective Techno 5.5 and 7.8 titles. Chloe Bennett, also 15, claimed 7.8 victory for the North Zone finishing two points behind Squires.

The top 4.5 Zone prize went to the West, the 5.5 prize to the South East, the 6.8 prize to the North and the South East was crowned top 7.8 Zone.

Duncan Truswell, RYA Youth Racing Manager, said: “The standard of racing on Saturday was the highest I have seen at this event for some years. In some shifty, gusty winds, sometimes over 20 knots, all the sailors did really well to hang in there and keep focussed for the full four races and it was great to see the level of skill being displayed. This is testament to the work the sailors have put in with their coaches over the winter and the fact that the RYA Eric Twiname Championships is held in such high regard by everyone. I’ve been really impressed this weekend.”

John Derbyshire, RYA Racing Manager / Performance Director added: “The RYA Eric Twiname Championships are a fundamental rung in the development ladder for the young sailors, some of whom will have started at the absolute grassroots through the RYA’s OnBoard and Team15 programmes and for those who we hope will eventually go on to represent Britain as seniors at the World’s biggest Olympic Classes regattas.”

Meanwhile, with the event also doubling up as the first part of the selection process for the 2009 Laser 4.7 and Mirror National Junior squads, RYA Team GBR Laser 4.7 Worlds representative Lorenzo Chiavarini, 15, was in scintillating form dominating the indicator with two wins and two seconds while Liverpool’s Amy Mercer, 14, finished top girl.

In the Mirrors, Tom Lovesey and Millie Pugh enjoyed the narrowest of victories, taking first ahead of Alex Lloyd & Jack Moore on countback, Lovesey/Pugh having discarded a second to Lloyd / Moore’s third. Sisters Meia and Elin Harnett won the top girls’ accolade.

2009 RYA Eric Twiname Championships Results:

Overall winners of the Eric Twiname Shield:
1) South East
2) South
3) North

Dinghies:
Optimist class:
1) Jennifer Cropley (Warsash / Burghfield SC)
2) Daniel Whiteley (Port Dinorwic SC)
3) Connie Hicklin (South Staffs)
Winning Zone: South

Topper class:
1) James O’Hare (Carlingford Lough SC)
2) Oliver Machell (Papercourt SC)
3) Jamie Noyes (East Lothian YC)
Winning Zone: South East

Cadet class:
1) Mary Henderson / Jack Hardie (Salcombe YC / Frensham Pond SC)
2) Joseph Butterworth / Joseph Chadwick (Fishers Green SC)
3) Holly Francis / Isabel Hillard (Parkstone YC)
Winning Zone: South

Dinghy overall winning Zone:
1) South
2) South East
3) North

Windsurfers:
Bic Techno 4.5
1) James Bloor (Astbury)
2) Sarah Labourne (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3) Cameron Coghill (Nottinghamshire County SC)
Winning Zone: West

Bic Techno 5.5
1) Henry Bloodworth (Queen Mary SC)
2) Ruben Lansley (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3) Guy Dixon (Oxford SC)
Winning Zone: South East

Bic Techno 6.8
1) Emma Labourne (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
2) Max Bushell (North Lincolnshire & Humberside SC)
3) Zak Page (Croft Farm)
Winning Zone: North

Bic Techno 7.8
1) Tom Squires (Oxford SC)
2) Chloe Bennett (N/A)
3) Thomas Addison (Hythe & Saltwood SC)
Winning Zone: South East

Windsurfing overall winning Zone:
1) South East
2) North
3) South West

Laser 4.7 indicator results:
1) Lorenzo Chiavarini (Royal Northern & Clyde YC)
2) Andy Dawson (Leigh & Lowton SC)
3) Harvey Davies (Restronguet SC)

Mirror indicator results:
1) Tom Lovesey / Mille Pugh (NA / Poole YC)
2) Alex Lloyd / Jack Moore (NA / Blithfield SC)
3) Meia Harnett / Elin Harnett (Whitstable YC)