Selwood to lead Moth team

Press, 14 November 1977, Page 23

Selwood to lead Moth team

By JOHN COFFEY The accomplished Waimakariri skipper. Melv Seiwood, will, as I expected, spearhead the New Zealand challenge when the world International Moth class yachting championship is sailed at Brisbane in January. Seiwood clinched his fourth consecutive New Zealand title when he won the fourth and fifth heats at Lyttelton on Saturday and would not have been required even to start in the final race yesterday. However, it was perhaps ap-

proprlate at the conclusion of such a weather-affected series that the last heat should have to be cancelled because of the certainty that the strong south-westerly conditions would have caused further damage to the fleet.

The fine record returned by Seiwood—a second in the opening event behind Kevin Whitehead (Napier) and four straight victories—enabled him to finish with a perfect score. He was untroubled to master the easterly winds which buffeted his rivals on the previous days, proving a model of consistency and skill.

Terry Doherty (Wellington), who was never out of the top six, was the runner-up with 28.7 points. Next in order, and also included in the squad to travel to Brisbane, were David Cook (Wellington. 32.7). Whitehead (35). Andy Holland (Canterbury, 40.7), Ross Baverstock (Wellington. 44.7), Peter Meo (Wellington. 47.4), Robert Capon (Canterbury, 49), Tony Blanchard (Canterbury. 49.4). The New Zealand contingent though, wfil be reduced to seven competitors. Cook and Meo advised officials yesterday that they would not be available for the world contest. The team is subject to approval by the New Zealand Yachting Federation.

Whitehead in particular. Holland and Blanchard were the victims of circumstances. AH three had to withdraw’ from one of the heats and Whitehead’s problems were compounded by his missing the third race because of university examinations. Whitehead's other placings were a first and two seconds. suggesting that he will be Seiwood's first lieutenant at Brisbane.

Those helmsmen who have a preference for lighter airs had no opportunity to perform to their best ability in the national championship. But Seiwood has shown in the past that he is a man for all seasons and such conditions would have been no great disadvantage to him. There were a number of commendable recoveries during the series, notably by the Wellington representatives. Cook, Baverstock. and Meo. Cook started badlv, with a nineteenth and a tenth, before settling into a permanent place among the leaders, and Baverstock and Meo were

also more prominent as the week-end advanced. The experienced Waimakariri pair, Holland and Blanchard, also came from well back to claim positions in the New Zealand team. Holland eventually won his battle against gear breakages, and Blanchard was In the lower half of the fleet only when he suffered mishaps to his craft.

Seiwood had 3min to spare over Doherty in the fourth heat on Saturday morning, the easterly having temporarily dropped to a little under 15 knots. It could have been a Waimakariri quinella had Holland not made an extra tack just short of the finishing line, Doherty slipping past him to take second place by 12sec.

The race effectively put paid to the prospects of Whitehead making a bid for over-all victory after his promising displays on Thursday and Friday. A centre-case seam opened on his boat while on the first beat and he limped back to shore with a flooded hull. Baverstock, meanwhile, recovered from an early capsize to climb back to ninth.

On Saturday afternoon, Selwood surged past Holland soon after rounding the wing mark and was never again headed, beating Whitehead to the gun by almost 3mln. Cook pushed Holland back to fourth. Doherty leading in the others. Meo was the winner of both the junior championship and the open handicap sections, the respective runners-up being Jim Duncan (Tokoroa) and Cook. The designers’ trophy was claimed by Baverstock. and Waimakariri won the teams’ pennant.

Results:— Race 4. —M. E. Seiwood ■ (Canterbury), Ihr 40min 43sec. 1; T. Doherty (Wellington). 1:43.43, 2; A. M. Holland (Canterbury), 1:43.55. 3; D. Cook (Wellington), 1:44.55, 4; P. Meo (Wellington), 1:46.2, 5; T. Blanchard (Canterbury). 1:48.27, 6; M. Balch (Otago), 1:48.31. 7: T. Waterhouse (Otago), 1:49.49, 8. Race 5.-—Seiwood. 1:26.9. 1; K. Whitehead (Napier), 1:28.58, 2; Cook, 1:29.53, 3; Holland, 1:30.37, 4; Doherty. 1:31.8. 5; R. Baverstock (Wellington). 1:43.3, 6; Blanchard, 1:34.5. 7; Meo, 1:35.5, 8.

Cricket. — The England batsman, Geoff Boycott, who scored two centuries against Australia in the Ashes series this year, has been unanimously re-elected Yorkshire county captain for the eighth season running.