Kiwi girls too good for Aussies in match racing

The New Zealand Sailing Team crew skippered by Stephanie Hazard have underlined their London 2012 Olympic Games medal-winning prospects by winning the Australian women’s match racing championship on Hobart’s River Derwent today.

Hazard, sailing with Susannah Pyatt (bow), Nichola Trudgen (trim and pit) and Jenna Hansen (main), progressed through a double round robin to the semi-finals and then winning the final in convincing style.

“The racing was tight and eventful and the competitors kept us working hard right to the bitter end,” commented the Kiwi team, who all came from a dinghy background at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron before being brought into New Zealand’s Olympic match racing scheme this year.

After finishing a close second overall in the two round-robins to Australia’s high ranked Olivia Price and her crew from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the New Zealand women fought back through todday’s semi-finals and final to win the title.

The ten crews of young women from Australia and New Zealand had had three days of, at times, tough sailing conditions before today, when Hobart turned on perfect sunny weather with a 10-12 knot sea breeze coming up the Derwent.

The four semi-finalists responded with some brilliant tactical sailing, showing aggressive pre-start skills more like America’s Cup match racing veterans.

The four semi-finalists, in ranking order, were Olivia Price (AUS) on 16 points from the double round-robin, Stephanie Hazard (NZL) 15, Nina Curtis (AUS) 14 and Amanda Scrivenor (AUS).

Both Prize and Hazard won their semi-final clashes with the other Australian crews and in the final Hazard proved to strong for the young Sydney crew led by Price.

The regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, was staged over four days, with ten teams of four women battling it out on the River Derwent. Racing for the Australian Women’s Match Racing Championship was in Elliott 5.9s.


Semi-final Results:
Stephanie Hazard (NZ) def Nina Curtis 2 – 0
Olivia Price def Amanda Scrivenor 2 – 1

Grand Final:
Stephanie Hazard (NZ) def Olivia Price 3 – 2

Final Placings:
1 Stephanie Hazard (NZ)
2 Olivia Price
3 Nina Curtis
4 Amanda Scrivenor
5 Lucinda Whitty
6 Danielle Bowater (NZ)
7 Sophie Lahey
8 Lucy Shephard
9 Jessica Hansen
10 Lisa Blackwood

To view the complete results table, click here

By Peter Campbell (Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania)