Marblehead Stan Cleal Trophy at Three Rivers Radio Yacht Club
by Roger Stollery 24 Nov 2014 18:53 GMT
23 November 2014
The 14th and final event in the 2014 GAMES series was run in atrocious conditions by a noble race team from Three Rivers Radio Yacht Club, who put up with continuous heavy rain all day. As in other years, the GAMES could have been won by three competitors and the winner of the Midgley Mug depended on the last race. Tony Guerrier, who was lying second improved on his score by gaining average points for the series by acting as PRO to take the trophy.
The finale of this series is always exciting as skippers try to improve their final placings, but the excitement was somewhat damped by the rain, the cold, the odd bit of weed and the frustratingly light breeze varying between North East and North and finally dying away to nothing. It was more a case of survival and four competitors, who had problems with damp transmitters, did not finish the event.
12 competitors from 4 clubs and travelling from as far away as Stoke-on-Trent sailed 11 races for this annual trophy. Graham Whalley, who had had recently won the Veteran's Marblehead Championships at Three Rivers could not repeat his previous win, but did win Race 2 after a really good start at the pin end. Martin Crysell started the event well with wins in Races 1 and 3, but let Roger Stollery beat him in Races 4 and 5. Hugh McAdoo, who had problems with weed in the initial races won the last race before lunch, eaten with everyone sheltering in the control tent!
Phil Holliday with his brand-new first-time-out QUARK 2 won Race 7, before allowing Darin Ballington a straight win of 3 races, chased by Hugh McAdoo and Terry Rensch, who achieved 3 second places in the latter stages of the event. Roger won the final race of the day in very very light winds.
The winner of the Stan Cleal Trophy was Roger Stollery with Hugh McAdoo with last year's winner Darin Ballington third. The final GAMES order changed with Tony taking the series and Roger and Hugh gaining two and five places respectively. Both skippers who had won the GAMES Improver and Junior prizes were not at the event and will be presented with their prizes at a future event, after which the awards will be published.
Both sets of results are on the Marblehead website www.marbleheadsailing.wordpress.com.
Results of Stan Cleal trophy:
1st Roger Stollery (Guildford) CRAZY TUBE FREE 23pts
2nd Hugh McAdoo (Guildford) PRIME NUMBER 30pts
3rd Darin Ballington (Manor Park) ROK 36pts
4th Terry Rensch (Guildford) QUARK 37pts
5th Martin Crysell (Guildford) PRIME NUMBER 44pts
6th Graham Whalley (Manor Park) STARKERS 45pts
7th Alan Viney (Guildford) PRIME NUMBER 58pts
8th Phil Holliday (Watermead) QUARK 2 61pts
9th Austin Guerrier (Three Rivers) PRIME NUMBER 61pts
10th John Shorrock (Guildford) QUARK 75pts
11th Dick Grange (Three Rivers) STARKERS 83pts
12th Keith Allen (Three Rivers) STARKERS 87pts