Chernikeeff RYA National Match Racing Finals Overall

BEADSWORTH BEATS SYDENHAM TO CHERNIKEEFF MATCH RACING TITLE

Photos ©: Mark Pepper/MarinePics

It was British match racing title number five for Andy Beadsworth today. Along with Adrian Stead, Ian Tillett and Nik Pearson, Beadsworth dominated the best of three decider at the Chernikeeff RYA National Match Racing Finals, fending off his Sydney crewman, Richard Sydenham, at a blustery and bitterly cold Royal Victoria Dock in the heart of London.

Although it is no recompense for Sydney, it confirms Andy's position as Great Britain's top match racing skipper and could be a catalyst for leading future British match racing crews in international competition.

After beating Ian Budgen two races to nil in his semi final, Richard Sydenham, Hugh Styles, John Tremlett and Adam May earned the right to square up against Beadsworth in the final, who had disposed of Ian Williams in a similar fashion in the second semi final.

Despite handing a penalty to Beadsworth in the pre start, Sydenham wasn't able to stop his former helm overhauling him convincingly and handing back a penalty on the second run to walk away with the first race.

More of the same in race two and it was simply game, set and match to Beadsworth. "I'm relieved to have won, it was a very confrontational final in restricted water. We knew we had a risk of losing, especially as Richard was sailing so well but we were quietly confident we would win. Our biggest problem this week was ourselves, as we hit marks and missed the finish line," commented Beadsworth after racing.

"It was a great day of autumn sailing," added mainsheet trimmer Adrian Stead. "The wind out there today was anything from five to twenty five knots so you had to be very alert as it could change dramatically in a matter of seconds. You had to be very focussed."

For runner up Sydenham, it would have been the perfect start to a potential four-year Soling campaign to beat Beadsworth but his second place here with an untried team was still a gifted performance.

Like a number of members of the lottery funded World Class Performance squad, RYA Team GBR, he now has to wait for next month's ISAF Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, to see if the Soling class retains its Olympic status.

"We were disappointed to get beate, but very happy to have got this far considering that we hadn't sailed together or practised before this week. My crew were fantastic and the whole event was a lot of fun. I am intending to helm a Soling and do whatever match racing turns up and I might crew for Andy again if he asks me very nicely," joked Richard.

Also waiting for confirmation of the Olympic classes are Sydenham's mainsheet trimmer Hugh Styles and bowman Adam May, who were sixth in Sydney in the Tornado class and are awaiting confirmation on the Athen's line up to plan their assault on an Olympic title.

"I plan to maintain a full time sailing career with Athens the ultimate goal," explained Styles. "I am undecided as to which class as yet but the Tornado is unfinished business. In the meantime I would love to get involved in more big boat sailing and racing here with Richard has been a great experience and platform for that."

In the sudden death third/fourth play off, 1997 Champion Ian Williams, who is funded on the UK Sport World Class Performance Programme to further his match racing talent, closed the door on Ian Budgen in the start. From there it was a mere formality for Williams who could not disguise his disappointment at being an observer in the finals for the first time in four years but was graceful in defeat. "Unsurprisingly I'm disappointed. It wasn't ideal to meet Andy in the semi finals but he is the best and he deserved to win," said Ian.

Meanwhile, Ian Budgen, who was the man to beat yesterday, could only muster fourth overall. "We weren't so flash today. Yesterday we won all the matches we thought we could but in those against the experienced match racers I think luck was on our side. It was fantastic to win the Gold group but today the three people I was racing against had had a lot of match racing practise in the last few years whilst I have been campaigning a 49er as a crew, so we couldn't really expect to win," explained Ian.

Unlike previous years where Beadsworth, Sydenham and Williams have made the semis with virtually clean scorelines in the preliminary rounds, some of the young pretenders in the series this week have proved to be big obstacles rather than easy points.

Amongst others, Bill Edgerton, the RYA's National Keelboat Coach, was impressed with the controlled aggression and talent of both current youth world match racing champion Mark Campbell-James, younger brother Paul and Chernikeeff RYA Youth National Champion Andrew Cornah.

Cornah, who will go to Auckland, New Zealand next February with his sights firmly fixed on keeping the youth world title in Great Britain, came with in a whisker of a place in the quarter finals and proved he is capable of great things in the future. With Paul Campbell-James, Andrew Walsh, Dan Vickers and Michael Henning he is a member of the Sport England World Class Potential match racing squad.

"The youngsters had the skills but not the experience to go all the way so it's not long before we see another generation of talent. The standard of competition had gone up another notch this year, it wasn't a walk in the park for anyone," commented Edgerton.

The RYA hopes to announce the dates and venues for next years series at the RYA Sailboat and Windsurf show in March. They will also be available on the RYA webiste www.rya.org.uk

LONDON: Royal Victoria Dock; Chernikeeff RYA National Match Racing Finals: (after 4 days):

1. A Beadsworth, A Stead, I Tillet, N Pearson 
2. R Sydenham, H Styles, A May, J Tremlett 
3. I Williams, T Saunt, C Gowers, M Williams 
4. I Budgen, I Moore, B Hammersley, D Lenz 
5. J Llewellyn, N Wakefield, N MacGregor, C Pourthon
6. P Campbell James, M Gill, S Richmond, J Smith
7. S Shaw, O Modral, L Child, S Schofield 
8. M Campbell-James, M Nicholls, J Clifton, J Ward 

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com Chernikeeff RYA UK Match Racing Page