Pugneys Pirates remain on top form
Pugneys Pirates 3-North Lincs Invaders 1
Pugneys Pirates, the junior windsurfing team from Wakefield, remained on top form last weekend, when round three of the RYA North Zone Team15 Inter-Club Windsurfing Championship sailed into action at North Lincs and Humberside Sailing Club.
The Pugneys team are gaining confidence after every round and the Pirates easily took honours in three out of the four classes.
The Pirates didn’t have it all their own way however, and youngsters from the North Lincs Invaders – home team of the North Lincs and Humberside Sailing Club – took places one, two and three in the 3.5m class, which was a great result as many of the Invaders only began windsurfing at the beginning of this season.
But all credit to the Pirates from Pugneys Country Park, Wakefield. 13 year old Thomas Sambrook won 6 out of a possible 9 races to come first in the 4.5m class, while brother and sister duo Fiona (13 yrs) and Oliver Anderson (15yrs) came first in the 5.8m and 6.8m classes respectively.
The young windsurfers, all of whom are 15 years of age or under, sail for their local team and the team with the best score at the end of the summer wins the RYA North Zone Team15 Inter-Club Championship and gets to compete against all the other RYA Zone winners in the National Final, the Team15 Champions Cup.
Pugneys Pirates were last year’s Zone Champions and their march on the 2012 title now seems unstoppable. The final event in the 2012 RYA North Zone Team15 competition is at Pugneys Country Park, Wakefield on 16th September and the Pugneys home crowd will be cheering them on!
Supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard and Neil Pryde, T15 was set up by the RYA to help make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters at a grass roots level.
Fun and informal training sessions take place at T15 clubs all over the country for kids up to the age of 15, which are run weekly by specialist RYA coaches.
The T15 inter-club championship takes place regionally over the summer adding a competitive edge and race training for those keen to hone their skills. Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low. To get involved with Team15 and locate your nearest local club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA 0845 345 0400.