May, Cowan lead yachting trials

Press, 26 November 1979, Page 34

May, Cowan lead yachting trials

By JOHN COFFEY Keith May and Brent Cowan slipped away to a comfortable lead in the Canterbury Sanders Cup yachting trials when they won the fourth heat at Lyttelton yesterday afternoon. The capable combination of May and Cowan had also led home the Javelin class fleet in both races on Saturday and, after discarding their fourth placing of yesterday morning, have yet to concede any points on the Olympic low-scoring system. But May and Cowan are by no means certain of being the province’s representatives at the Sanders Cup contest at Auckland in February. The last two heats are to be sailed next Saturday and May and Cowan have not yet placed themselves in an unasailable position. Still within range of May and Cowan are the experienced partnerships of ; Dave Elder and Brian Lamb and John Fisher and Derek Brandt. Elder and Lamb had been leading in the opening event when a torn spinnaker I caused their retirement, but ] their other three placings have cost them only 8.7 ■ points. Fisher and Brandt i have been the runners-up 1 three times, a loss of nine ’ points. i The front-runners in the i J.C., Starling and P class I trials are very closely bun- I ched. 1 Line honours have been ; shared by three J.C. crews, t but Hamish and Mark McGregor gained a narrow advantage by winning on

Saturday afternoon and yesterday morning. Just 0.3 of a point behind them are Neale Buckley and Micchael Bamford, while Kevin Jamie and Peter Clarke are still very much in contention to lead the Canterbury squad to the national championship at Wellington in January. Greg Corston and David Kennett share the lead in the Starling division, both counting two wins and a third so far in the trials. Kennett’s chances of improving his prospects were dimmed when he was a forced] withdrawal from the fourth I race. The very consistent Craig Rosevear has a fine chance of carrying Canterbury’s insignia at the Tanner Cup P class contest at Auckland. He has not been out of the first two placings in the four trials already sailed and has conceded only three points. Nigel Soper was second to . Rosevear yesterday afternoon and is similarly positioned on the over-all points table. The other junior helmsmen are headed by ] Mark Crossen. The major surprise of the , week-end trials was the win of Richard Wood in the third P class heat. From Westport, but a boarder at a Christchurch secondary i school, Wood had generally i been about the middle of the 1 fleet until he upset the more ! favoured contenders in : yesterday morning’s light ' conditions. Provisional results:— Javelin class ( Race 1: Simple Dream (KJ I

.May and B. Cowan) 1, Joshua (J. Fisher and D. Brandt) I 2, Golliwog (E. Snowdon) 3. Race 2: Simple Dream 1, : Koro (D. Elder and B. Lamb 2, Joshua 3. Race 3: Koro 1, Joshua 2, Gandalf (R. Norris and C. Wales) 3. Race 4: Simple Dream 1, Joshua 2, Koro 3. Leaders (best three placings): Simple Dream, 0; Koro, 8.7; Joshua, 9. J.C. class Race 1: Electros (N. Buckley and M. Bamford) 1, Big Wig (R. Morrison and R. McGregor) 2, Enigma (H. and M. McGregor) 3. Race 2: (Enigma 1, Electros 2, Cupid ! (K. Jamie and P. Clarke 3. Race 3: Enigma 1, Cupid 2, Rubicund (N. Fitzgerald and S. Mander) 3. Race 4: Cupid 1, Electros 2, Enigma 3. Leaders (best three placings): Enigma, 5.7; Electros, 6; Cupid, 8.7. Starling class Race 1: Pastime 111 (D. Kennett) 1, No. 737 (P. Mardon) 2, No. 202 (C. Gorston) 3. Race 2: No. 202 1, Pandora (H. Cullen 2, Pastime 111 3. Race 3: Pastime 111 1, No. 414 (R. Carey) 2, No. 202 3. Race 4: No. 202 1, Pandora 2, No. 737 3. Leaders (best three placings): Pastime 111, 5.7; No. 202, 5.7; No. 737. 16.7. P class Race 1: Sprite (C. Rose- ; vear) 1, Barnacle (S. Mock- < ett) 2, Echo (M. Milburn) 3. Race 2: Tyke (N. Soper) 1, Sprite 2, Conquest (M. Crossen) 3. Race 3: Myrtle the Turtle (R. Wood) 1, Sprite 2, , Tyke 3. Race 4: Sprite 1, , Tyke 2, Conquest 3. Leaders (best three placings): Sprite, ; 3; Tyke, 8.7; Conquest, 21.4.