Thursday 12 November 2009

Telecom New Zealand Match Racing Championships 2009 - Sutherland leads at end of Day One


Graeme Sutherland's crew at the Telecom New Zealand Match Racing Championships. Image copyright RNZYS.

Graeme Sutherland leads the Telecom New Zealand Match Racing Championships

by Barry Davies

Graeme Sutherland and crew lead day one of the Telecom New Zealand Match Racing Championships with a fantastic 7 wins out of 7 races.

Sutherland’s closest race was against the all youth crew representing the RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme helmed by William Tiller who Sutherland beat by just 7 seconds. Tiller and his youth crew finished the day on 4 wins and 3 losses.

Second overall for the day on 6 wins and only 1 loss is Reuben Corbett and his Black Sheep Racing team who recently won the prestigious Knickerbocker Cup, Grade 1 Match Racing event in New York. Corbett’s only loss of the day was to Sutherland.

Third overall on count-back is Laurie Jury and his team, who also have 6 wins but were, deducted half a point in Flight 7 for damage caused to his opponent’s boat.

For the first time ever the Championship’s have attracted three female skippers. Current New Zealand Women’s Match Racing and Fleet Racing Champion Jessica Smyth, who is also sailing with an all female crew for the series.

Stephanie Hazard and Samantha Osborne who are both part of the Yachting New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Olympic Squad vying for positions in the 2012 London Olympics are helming mixed crews. Hazard had the best overall day from the Women skippers taking 3 wins in the strong tide and breeze on the Waitemata Harbour today.

Racing begins at 10am tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Wednesday's Results
Round Robin One

Flight One
Sutherland beat Tiller by 7s
Hazard beat Smyth by 2s
Kroening beat Sakamoto by 19s
Jury beat Dickson by 13s
Junior beat Osborne by 20s

Flight Two
Kroening beat Hazard by 10s
Tiller beat Osborne by 20s
Sutherland beat Junior by 37s
Corbett beat Dickson by 10s
Sakamoto beat Smyth by 8s

Flight Three
Dickson beat Osborne by 13s
Junior beat Sakamoto by 10s
Jury beat Smyth by 22s
Corbett beat Kroening by 43s
Hazard beat Tiller by 5s

Flight Four
Corbett beat Smyth by 1m12s
Tiller beat Sakamoto by 1s
Junior beat Hazard by 26s
Jury beat Kroening by 12s
Sutherland beat Dickson by 10s

Flight Five
Kroening beat Osborne by 8s
Jury beat Hazard by 24s
Dickson beat Tiller by 23s
Sutherland beat Smyth by 23s
Corbett beat Sakamoto by 35s

Flight Six
Junior beat Dickson by 1s
Corbett beat Hazard by 28s
Osborne beat Smyth by 52s
Sutherland beat Kroening by 18s
Jury beat Sakamoto by 13s

Flight Seven
Corbett beat Osborne 16s
Sutherland beat Jury DNF
Hazard beat Dickson by 4s
Tiller beat Smyth by 41s
Kroening beat Junior by 56s

Flight Eight
Dickson beat Sakamoto by 42s
Jury beat Osborne by 55s
Sutherland beat Corbett DSQ
Junior beat Smyth 1m6s
Tiller beat Kroening by 11s

Flight Nine
Junior beat Jury by 5s
The remaining flights were abandoned and racing concluded for the day.

Points Table
Sutherland 7 wins / 0 losses / 7.0 points
Corbett 6 / 1 / 6.0
Jury 6 / 2 / 5.5 *
Junior 5 / 2 / 4.5 *
Tiller 4 / 3 / 4.0
Kroening 4 / 4 / 4.0
Hazard 3 / 4 / 3.0
Dickson 3 / 5 / 3.0
Osborne 1 / 6 / 1.0
Sakamoto 1 / 6 / 1.0
Smyth 0 / 8 / -0.5 *
*0.5 points deducted for damage

New Zealand Match Racing Championships 2009
Entry list
Reuben Corbett (RNZYS)
Laurie Jury (RNZYS)
Josh Junior (Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club)
William Tiller (RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme)
Graeme Sutherland (RNZYS)
Samantha Osborne (RNZYS)
Stephanie Hazard (RNZYS)
Wataru Sakamoto (Wakayama Sailing Club, Japan)
Jessica Smyth (RNZYS)
Mark Kroening (RNZYS)
Chris Dickson (RNZYS)

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

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