Vose on top

420 Junior European Champion's crew wins round two of the RYA Winter Match Racing Series

Annabel Vose and her crew of Ed Fitzgerald and Sam Brearey came out on top following a windy second event of the RYA Winter Match Racing Series last weekend.

Lymington’s Vose, the reigning 420 Junior European Champion, mastered the shifty conditions at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy to overcome Mark Lees’s crew 2-1 in the best-of-three final and claim weekend honours.

The RYA Winter Match Racing Series takes place in the former Olympic class Elliot 6m boats and combines part-training, part-competition with RYA coaches and a full umpire team on hand at each event.

Eight teams contested this second weekend of the 2012/13 series, with Lees, sailing with Tom Forrester-Coles and Piers Strong, and Vose’s Royal Southern Academy Team showing their early form to claim the top two spots respectively following the preliminary round-robin stage.

Lees was unbeaten in his seven robin-robin matches, held in excess of 25 knots on Saturday’s opening day, with Vose missing out only at the hands of Lees and Phil Sparks before claiming her semi-final berth.

Matt Rainback, sailing with Marcel Herrera and Dominic Silman, also progressed to the semi-final stage with the Yeabsley trio of Toby, Mark and Duncan making up the final four.

Lees cruised through to the final, with a straightforward 2-0 win over the Yeabsley’s, but Vose’s team had a slightly tougher time earning their spot, going 1-0 up before Rainback fought back in the second match to force the decider.

With the decisive point going Vose’s way, there was some consolation for Rainback’s team who claimed overall third with a 2-0 win over Team Yeabsley in the Petit Final.

Vose got off to a strong start in the final, taking the first win before Lees managed to draw level, but he couldn’t manage to sustain the momentum with Vose winning the third match in the best-of-three final to claim weekend victory.

The third event in the RYA Winter Match Racing Series will take place from 23-24 February and is open to schools teams only. Click here for the Notice of Race and entry forms.

The highest placed skipper of each qualifier event will be invited to attend the RYA Winter Match Racing Final weekend on 20-21 April 2013.

Overall results – RYA Winter Match Racing #2 (12-13 January 2013)
1. Annabel Vose, Ed Fitzgerald, Sam Brearey
2. Mark Lees, Tom Forrester-Coles, Piers Strong
3. Matt Rainback, Marcel Herrera, Dominic Silman
4. Tony Yeabsley, Mark Yeabsley, Duncan Yeabsley
5. Phil Sparks, Cameron Douglas, Fred Brow
6. Amelia Boadle, Camilla Lofts, Emily Parker, Mags Normand
7. Kelvin Matthews, Andy Sinclair, Hannah Peters
8. Harry Houlding, Will Broughton, Will Semken