Paterson and Ross poised for Sanders Cup win

Press, 9 February 1979, Page 20

Paterson and Ross poised for Sanders Cup win

By

JOHN COFFEY

It would seem that only the cruellest of maritime misfortunes could prevent Mark Paterson and Murray Ross (Auckland) from winning the fifty-fifth Sanders Cup yachting contest when the final two heats are held at Lyttelton today.

Paterson and Ross gained line honours in both taces yesterday to wrest a comfortable advantage on the corrected points table, but their victories were achieved in quite contrasting fashions. Indeed, the placing of Paterson and Ross was the only common denominator on a day when even the wind performed capriciously before permanently switching from the east to the south, thus causing a 45min delay of the afternoon event.

The commanding manner in ’ which the Auckland crew had left their rivals floundering almost smin in their wake in the morning — when the postponed first heat was resailed — suggested that Paterison and Ross would completely dominate the remainder of the series. But, far from cruising to ! the line, Paterson and Ross were hard pressed over the final leg in the fifth race a few hours later, their at one time luxurious lead being whittled down to a mere 1 second by Garth Cheyne and .Murray Gibbons (Wellington). Paterson and Ross have conceded 18 points on the Olympic low-scoring system land, at first glance, they

would appear again to be under pressure from Cheyne and Gibbons, whose aggregate is 19.7. But when the Auckland combination drops its earlier withdrawal its total shrivels to three points, compared with the 11.7 of Cheyne and Gibbons. There were no obvious problems of adjustment experienced by Paterson and Ross yesterday when they replaced the mast broken on Wednesday with one which had been brought to Lyttelton by the Hawkes Bay representatives and defending title-holders, Doug Mcßeath and David Zorn. By the top mark in the resailed race, Paterson and Ross were already 25s to the good of Mcßeath and Zorn and another Imin 20s ahead of Cheyne and Gibbons.

They gradually stretched the margin to Imin 25s over their pursuers before the completion of the triangle and opened it to mammoth proportions on the second beat.

Nearly 4min separated Paterson and Ross from Cheyne and Gibbons as they turned for home, and that was again extended, to a few moments under smin, before the finish. Most interest had been switched to the enthusiastic battle being waged for the minor positions.

Cheyne and Gibbons had passed Mcßeath and Zorn on the second beat, and the Canterbury crew, Pete Milliken and Brent Cowan, shook

off Malcolm Clark and Russell Tillman (Manawatu) and temporarily nipped through under thr guard of Mcßeath and Zorn. But Mcßeath and Zorn regained their runnerup role in the closing stages over Cheyne and Gibbons as Milliken and Cowan fell to fourth. It was Milliken and Cowan who led the chase after the Auckland representatives for most of the afternoon event. While Paterson and Ross threatened to accelerate away once again, Milliken and Cowan were continually harassed by Cheyne and Gibbons, the Wellington yachtsmen finally succeeding on the last leg. Once they had left the Canterbury boat behind, Cheyne and Gibbons thrust after Paterson and Ross. The extent of their challenge can be gauged from the tantalisingly slender margin by which they failed.

Resail of race one.—Auckland (M. Paterson and M. Rossi, 1:40.59, 1: Hawke's Bay ID. MeBeach and D. Zorn), 1:45.43, 2; Wellington iG. Cheyne and M. Gibbons), 1:45.58. 3: Canterbury (P. Milliken and B. Cowan) 4; Manawatu (M. Clark and R. Tillman) 5: Southland IP. and K. Heads) 6; Otago (A. Todd and .1. Monson) 7; South Auckland (R. Armstrong and R. Holdershawl 8. Race five.—Auckland, 1:24.34, 1; Wellington, 1:24.35. 2; Canterbury, 1:26.17, 3; Hawke’s Bay 4- Southland 5; Otago 6; Manawatu 7; South Auckland 8. Point s I best four performances in parenthesis).—Auckland, 18 <3>, 1; Wellington, 19.7 (11.7), 2; Hawke’s Bay, 24.7 (16.7), 3; Canterbury, 32.4 (22.4), 4; Otago, 53.4 (38.4), 5; South Auckland, 61.4 (47.4), 6; Manawatu. 62 (47), 7; Southland, 64.7 (49.7), 8.