Alpari World Match Race Tour sailors set for Royal Southern Match Cup
by Peta Stuart-Hunt 15 Apr 2014 11:19 BST
12-15 June 2014
The Royal Southern Yacht Club has today released the list of competitors for their ISAF Grade 2 Royal Southern Match Cup to be held in Hamble from 12 - 15 June. With entries from three of the eight Alpari World Match Race Tour card holders headed by World No. 2 Ian Williams (GBR), this is the strongest match racing field to be seen racing in UK waters for many years.
Interesting sub-plots are emerging with three antipodeans taking on three Brits, three Europeans and three younger teams to come from the Royal Southern's qualifying event to be held on 3-4 May when the Chief Umpire will be no less than Craig Mitchell, Tour Director of the Alpari World Match Race Tour. He will no doubt be looking at the rising talent in the match racing fleet.
The full entry list is: (nation and world ranking)
- Ian Williams* GBR 2
- Keith Swinton* AUS 6
- David Gilmour* AUS 12
- Reuben Corbett NZL 15
- Arthur Herreman+ FRA 34
- Lucas Lier DEN 45
- Philip Bendon IRL 47
- Ali Hall GBR 122
- Andy Shaw + GBR 270
& three Qualifiers to be selected 3-4 May
* - Alpari WMRT card holder
+ - previous Match Cup winner
Ali Hall and Andy Shaw are both former top 50 racers coming back. Already lined up to do battle for the three Qualifier places are Connor Miller, winner of the most recent RYA Winter series weekend, and Royal Southern Academy members Tom Mallandine, winner of the second RYA weekend, Annabel Vose and her all girl crew shortly off to the World Student Match Racing Championship, and former National under 25 champion, Nic Wilkinson.
Royal Southern Yacht Club Commodore, David Mead, commented, "One of our objectives was to get some of the World's top match racers back competing in England so that our young stars could compete against them in home waters. That's now coming together nicely. We still have a couple of places available in our Match Cup Qualifier on 3-4 May, and I'm looking forward to seeing which of our young sailors will win the right to take on the World Match Race Tour card holders here in Hamble."