Fireball World Champion wins End of Season Champs

by Tim Saunders on 6 Nov 2008 The Fireball fleet enjoyed excellent racing at Draycote Water SC on the 1 and 2 November at their End of Season Championship with 38 Fireball teams taking part including visitors from Ireland and Switzerland.

Three back to back races were held on Saturday and Sunday in a strong northerly breeze. Current World Champion Matt Mee sailing with fellow Hollingworth Lake SC clubmate Stuart Bithell dominated the proceedings with five straight first places.

Racing on Saturday was held in building northerly breeze. Mee/Bithell took the first race followed by Tom Foskett/Tim Needham 2nd and Kevin Hope/Russell Thorne third.

Mee/Bithell led from start to finish in the second race, although Foskett/Needham also broke away from the fleet and pushed the leaders all the way round. Phillip Popple/Gavin Tilson sailed well to take third.

By Race 3 the breeze had increased to 20 knots + with some vicious gust and squalls pushing up to the 30 knot margin. This resulted in a depleted fleet for the final race of the day which was convincingly won by Mee/Bithell with Foskett/Tim (the lever) Needham taking their third 2nd place of the day. This young pairing proved consistently fast in the breezy and shifty conditions.

As always on Saturday evening the food was excellent and plentiful, which was excellent as their were some very hungry crews!

Sundays racing was sailed in marginally lighter conditions but again big gusts frequently moving down the racecourse. Mee/Bithell took race 4 with Foskett/Needham picking up where they left off to take another second, followed again by Hope/Thorne.

Race 5 saw Mee/Bithell take the win and the meeting with a race to spare, however they didn’t have this race all their own way. After establishing a comfortable early lead, Hope/Thorne picked up a couple of good shifts on the penultimate beat to pass Mee/Bithell and lead round the final windward mark.

Mee/Bithell put the hammer down on the final run to regain the lead by the leeward mark which they maintained to the finish. Hope/Thorne came in second with Foskett/Needham finishing in third securing them second place overall.

With the top two boats absent for the final race, Hope/Thorne took a well deserved win and third overall after an early battle with Andy Pearce/Gary Henwood-Fox who took second. Vince Horey/Rob Gardner came third despite Rob’s complaints about ‘frozen’ feet.

Many thanks to Draycote Water SC for holding an excellent weekends racing with efficient race management and the usual warm hospitality. The Draycote Water Fireball Super Series kicks off on the 16 November running ever other week until mid March visitors are welcome.

Fireball UK Inlands - Final overall

1st 12 14994 Matt Mee Stuart Bithell HLSC 1 1 1 1 1 DNC 5
2nd 9 14980 Tom Foskett Tim Needham Staunton Harold 2 2 2 2 3 DNS 11
3rd 16 14950 Kevin Hope Russell Thorne Notts County 3 8 3 3 2 1 12
4th 35 14920 Vince Horey Robert Gardiner King George 8 7 8 4 4 3 26
5th 4 14977 Philip Popple Gavin Tillson Shoreham 27 3 4 5 5 9 26
6th 15 14226 Martyn Lewis Richard Byne DWSC 4 6 5 9 6 DNC 30
7th 17 14870 Peter Wood Mike Pratt DWSC 10 4 11 6 7 7 34
8th 38 15004 Peter Gray Simon Forbes Staunton Harold 11 10 6 12 16 6 45
9th 3 14873 Andy Pearce G Henwood-Fox TSC 7 14 14 18 9 2 46
10th 5 14899 Matt Findlay Richard Anderton Weston 5 13 10 10 8 DNC 46
11th 28 14941 Derian Scott Andy Scott Chew Valley Lake 19 18 7 7 13 4 49
12th 26 14967 Tom Castle Anthony York Northampton 15 11 13 15 11 12 62
13th 25 14628 Simon Lomas-Clarke John Piatt Weston 18 20 DNS 13 12 5 68
14th 10 14876 Chris H Walker Daniel T Walker Staunton Harold 16 27 15 20 15 14 80
15th 8 14909 Ian Priest Mike Stoddart South Cerney/Fishers Green 24 16 17 23 17 11 84
16th 13 14963 Mo Turner Samantha Bunn DWSC 20 25 DNC 16 18 10 89
17th 33 14805 Mark Maskell Simon Maskell Brightlingsea 14 19 DNC 11 10 DNC 93
18th 20 14991 Richard Estaugh Andy Davis Chase 9 5 DNC 8 DNC DNC 100
19th 18 14954 Becky Priest Tim Saunders Staunton Harold 6 9 9 DNC DNC DNC 102
20th 11 14973 Terry Forbes Rob Watson Staunton Harold 26 21 DNC 24 24 13 108
21st 14 14818 Peter Badham John Rohde DWSC 12 12 12 DNF DNS DNS 114
22nd 39 14948 Al Fry Big Mac-Shane King George 25 22 DNC 14 14 DNC 114
23rd 19 14976 Ross Kearney Colin Rainback Northampton 23 24 DNC DNF 21 8 115
24th 27 14716 Paul Anthony Quentin Hayes DWSC 32 30 18 27 25 15 115
25th 24 14064 Bob Morris Paul Roe DWSC 28 26 DNF 25 22 16 117
26th 23 14843 Colin Snowdon Karen Hiles DWSC 30 28 DNC 22 20 17 117
27th 21 15002 Simon Kelsall Tom Williamson Staunton Harold 21 23 DNS 17 19 DNC 119
28th 36 14955 Jez White Keith Bundy DWSC DNC 29 16 21 23 DNC 128
29th 22 14820 Simon Mcgrotty Hugh Butler Skurries 17 17 DNF 19 DNC DNC 131
30th 34 14778 Mike Deane Paul Disney DWSC 13 15 DNC DNC DNC DNC 145
31st 37 14326 Richard Glen Graham Collett DWSC 33 31 19 DNC 27 DNC 149
32nd 6 13951 Peter Slack Hania Ogrodzinski Staunton Harold DNF DNC DNF 26 26 DNF 169
33rd 7 15008 Adrian Huber Brigitte Mauchle YCRO 22 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 178
34th 32 14705 John Tenney Alex Fillmore DWSC 29 DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 185
35th 30 14940 Miles Thomas Kit Edwards Bala 31 DNF DNC DNC DNC DNC 187
36th 29 14454 Graham Gittins Teresa Tonks Chelmarsh DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 195
36th 1 14322 Ian MacWhinnie Richard Renby DWSC DNF DNF DNC DNC DNC DNC 195
36th 2 14564 Jonathan Cooper Cheryl Jessop Ardleigh DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC DNC 195