The upsets continue on the third day of the Match Cup Australia, as Ian Williams, who has won the world championship a record six times, is eliminated by local skipper Matt Jerwood. Williams and his GAC Pindar Team were never really in the game, with Matt Jerwood’s Redline Racing leading all three races from start to finish.
“We’re pretty stoked to have won that, it was great,” commented Jerwood through an ear to ear grin. He is full of praise for his team, and quick with self deprecation.
“My team is fantastic, Patrick, Niall and Alex, they are so up to speed with what needs to be done on the boat, we just got in front on the starts, then just sailed away,” was his run down of the races. Then he added “I don’t do a lot on the boat, I just sit there and don’t fall off, but it is quite mentally tiring”.
Others to go through to the quarter-finals in three straight races were Frenchman Yann Guichard and his Spindrift Racing, and Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin Islands, defeating Sam Gilmour and Pieter-Jan Postma respectively.
The tightest match of the day was between Denmark’s Jonas Warrer and Kiwi Chris Steele, which went to a fifth and deciding race, Warrer had gone 2 – 0 up, but Steele clawed his way back to level the score. In the decider it was all over on the starting line, with Steele sailing away unopposed.
Home town skipper David Gilmour beat east coast rival Evan Walker from Sydney’s Cruising Yacht Club of Australia 3 – 2 in a series of tight races.
Match Cup Australia, the first event on the 2017 World Match Racing Tour, is being hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, and sailed on the Swan River. The event continues with further eliminations tomorrow, with the final on Saturday.
Match Cup Australia
Results Day 3: SUPER 16
Pair 1
Taylor Canfield (ISV), US One 3-0 Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), Sailing Team NL
Pair 2
Pair 6
Pair 7
Matt Jerwood (AUS), Redline Racing 3-0 Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar
Pair 8
