THERE was action all day at Evesham's Common Road club last Sunday when members competed for the Chel-may Cup.
There were three one-hour races and there were with many capsizes with John O'Brian (2), Paul Donnahey (3) and Tony Jacks who nearly reached double figures!
The first race saw a mass start head off downstream on the first of the long laps of the course.
The British Moths of Ian Haywood and John Pickford, the Merlin Rocket of Rob Berger, Enterprise of Paul and Ann Baylis and the Comet of Roger Middleton were all locked together.
Gradually, Haywood stole a small lead but, following a severe coming together with O'Brian, the advantage was lost and his boat was damaged.
This allowed Pickford to cross the finish line in front with Haywood trailing in second.
The second race saw the winner quickly away and Haywood appeared to have lost heart in his hastily repaired craft.
Middleton fought through from a long way back to get alongside the Moth in the final beat to the finish.
Berger had finally got going and was closing them both down quickly but it was Pickford who crossed the line to win by half-a-length.
The silverware now appeared to be Pickfords who he only had to sail sensibly but his own competitive nature almost proved his undoing.
On a charge upstream, he was over in his desperate attempts to get his boat upright the fleet swept past and victory was moving from his grasp.
Following a frantic finish, Middleton was first across the line, Haywood second and Pick-ford squeezed into third to take the cup by a solitary point from Middleton.
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