WEST KIRBY HOME IN ON VICTORY
West Kirby Warriors hosted the second event of the RYA’s Team15 (T15) interclub series on Saturday 28th June at Hollingworth. T15 is the nationwide network of windsurfing clubs for youngsters of up to age 15.
Team Astbury matched the hosts by fielding a full strength side, bringing the maximum number of young surfers, 15, to
Ideal weather of medium, steady winds greeted the five teams, producing fast and furious racing, as the youngsters hooked on to their rigs and planed away.
Biggest class was the 3.5 meter boards with thirteen competitors. Oliver Bradley Baker, at age 8 the second youngest in the class, showed that youth was no barrier to success, taking four out of the six races to win his class for the West Kirby Warriors.
His team mate Tom Coldham did even better in the 4.5m class, winning all six races to take that class. The pattern of Warriors dominating proceedings on their home waters continued with emphatic wins in the 5.5m and 6.8m classes, taken by Oliver Bradley Baker and Charlie Lloyd with five wins each.
Joash Knight delivered the coup de grace to the visiting teams, with six wins to take the 6.8m Techno class. The Warriors had won all five classes, to take their second event this year and show they will be the ones to beat this year.
Team Astbury, who were National champions last year, showed their potential with second places in three of the classes, through Jack Connolly in 4.5metres, Richard Wardle in 6.8metres, and Jack Bailey in 6.8m Technos. On their home waters at the next event these young windsurfers will be determined to go one better.
For Manley MereKatz, Rebecca Thompson took second place in the popular 3.5m class, and a number of youngsters who had only just started windsurfing competed well in this class, for instance Ben Stone (Warriors) and Georgina Leigh Jones (Astbury), who had both started windsurfing only four weeks ago.
Third event in the series will be at Astbury on 19th July.
