The inaugural Australian Schools Match Racing Championship has begun on Hobart’s River Derwent, with two school teams winning four matches and four schools finishing with three wins at the end of day one.
Tasmania’s Hutchins School crew skippered by Sam Abel and Queensland’s Matthew Flinders College crew skippered by James Hodgson have each won four matches to head the leader board.
Abel, who won the Tasmanian championship two weekend ago, sailed five races, winning from fellow Hobart sailor Hugo Hamilton (Friends), Elizabeth Hodgman (Canberra Girls Grammar) and fellow Tasmanians Angus Price (Guildford Young College) and Will Sargent (Friends) but losing to NSW sailor John Cooley (Scots College).
Hodgson sailed four matches and won them all, beating Tasmanians Sam King (Hutchins), Will Wallis (Friends) and Lily Zeeman (Fahan) and NSW sailor Hugo Stoner (Scots College).
Cooley (Scots) went on to win three matches, as did Sam King (Hutchins) and Will Wallis (Friends) and Angus Price (GYC). Hugo Hamilton (Friends), William Sargent (Friends) and Hugo Stoner (Scots).
The two all-girl crews, Elizabeth Hodgman (Canberra Girls Grammar) and Lily Zeeman (Fahan) met in Flight 9, with victory going to the Canberra crew.
Two of the 11 crews today sailed six matches, six have completed five and three four matches, with racing in the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s fleet of Elliott 7 sports boats.
After nine flights, 27 out of 55 round-robin races were completed today with competition continuing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
– Peter Campbell
