National 12s at Henley SC
The 10th event of the 2003 Thames Area Aggregate Trophy was sailed at Henley SC on Sunday 21 September. 13 entries made it to a hotly contested start line, including 3 former Burton Week winners, all eager to add the marvellous Challenge Cup to their impressive list of achievements.
Will & Arthur Henderson put down the initial benchmark with a win, coming from behind in the first race. Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne had initially held the advantage until becoming unstuck on the penultimate beat, after a lengthy tussle with the Hendersons. Antony Gifford and Tim Goodhew led the pursuing pack only to become engulfed by the fleet and spat out the back. John & Mandy Thornton took third ahead of Steve Gent and Viv Roberts, and then John Meadowcroft & Emma Cadwallader.
Race 2 saw a reversal with Camm & Ballantyne holding of the Hendersons to take the series to a deciding race. The Thorntons took third again, ahead of Gent & Roberts and then Chris Gent and Sam Stotton.
The best breeze of the day set in for the final race, but the direction was less tricky and the course had no significant beat. Starting would be vital, and for the first time in years Henley had a general recall despite the elevated position of the race box and the short length of the line. Showing typical calmness the race officer decided not to opt for a black flag and the fleet got away at the second time of asking. Crucially, the Hendersons were buried at the start whilst the Camm & Ballantyne got away. The Thorntons took up the chase but were unable to overtake on a course that offered few opportunities to get past. The Hendersons could only work through to finish in fifth behind Gent & Stotton and Nigel & Ollie Goodhew.
So as at the recent Inland Championships, Henderson had to once again settle for second place behind Camm & Ballantyne.
1 Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne, Burghfield SC
2 Will & Arthur Henderson, Tamesis Club
3 John & Mandy Thornton, Henley SC
4 Chris Gent & Sam Stotton, Henley SC (1st Admirals Cup boat)
5 Steve Gent & Viv Roberts, Henley SC
6 Nigel & Ollie Goodhew, Burghfield SC
In the Thames Area, with two events to be sailed the competition is fierce. Make a date in your diary for Spinnaker on 4 October and Weston on 11 & 12 October for the final showdown. The Hendersons lead on 7 points with a best four of 1,2,2,2, but with Camm & Ballantyne a point behind. Camm & Ballantyne have a best four of 1,1,1,5 and should find this an easier set of results to improve upon and probably hold the upper hand. The battle for third place will likely be between the Thorntons, Bob & Maggie Murrell, Frances Gifford, and Caroline Martin.