Pitsford Pirates and Carsington Comets ready for Team15 Midlands title showdown 

Windsurfers prepare for grand final

Pitsford Pirates and Carsington Comets are steeling themselves for a must-win showdown as they bid to seal their place at the 2010 RYA Team15 Champions Cup national grand final with victory at the deciding round of the Team15 Midlands Inter-Club Challenge series.  

The Pirates will hope they can upset home advantage as the fourth and final round of the 2010 regional series arrives at Carsington Water on Saturday (4 September), where they will go head-to-head with defending regional champions Carsington Comets to win the right to be the Midlands’ Champions Cup representatives.  

So far Pitsford Pirates, who are based at Northampton Watersports Centre, have picked up two 2010 event wins to the Derbyshire-based Comets’ one.  

Winner takes all

But it will be a winner-takes-all-situation at Carsington Water because should the Comets win the event and Pitsford finish second or worse the Derbyshire team would win through to the Champions Cup on account of having won the last round.  

The 2010 RYA Champions Cup takes place at Pitsford Water, Northampton on 9-10 October where the winners of each of the 10 regional Inter-Club Challenge series’ will do battle for the national Team15 Champions Cup.  

Jon Sweet, Pitsford Pirates’ Team15 co-ordinator, believes making it to the final would be just reward for all the hard work the club have put in this year.  

He said: “I’m really happy with where we are as the goal at the start of the season was simply to get more kids into the Pirates team, we hadn’t even considered winning the region!  Last year only six Pirates were going to Team15 events but at two of the three events so far this year we have fielded a full team of 15. Everyone has impressed with their improvement, attitude and commitment.”  

“It would also be a great reward for the volunteers who has been working so hard to grow the team, offer coaching and have given up loads of their time, both on training nights and for events, to do make this possible.”  

"Looking for our big guns"

Ben Hodsgon, Carsington Comets Team15 co-ordinator added: “It has been good to have such close competition this year but our guys would be seriously chuffed to clinch the regional title again and everyone is really excited about the prospect of having the chance to go to the Champions Cup again. We will be looking for our big guns, including Tom Munro and Gabriel Andrejewski, to continue the great form they have shown throughout the series but everyone will have a big part to play.”  

Join Team15

Team15 was set up to make windsurfing more accessible and appealing to youngsters aged 15 and under. There are more than 80 Team15 clubs nationwide, which meet every week to allow kids to learn new skills and develop their racing talents under the guidance of specialist RYA coaches.  

Around 17 Pitsford Pirates and 15 Carsington Comets youngsters have been involved in the Midlands’ Inter-Club Challenge series this year while another eight or so Pirate rookies and half a dozen Comets have been training alongside their more experienced club mates ready to step up to Challenge action next year.  

While the battle for supremacy continues to unfold at the top of the fleet, this year’s Midlands Challenge Series has also seen event debuts for new Team15 outfits Edgbaston Eagles, Redditch Renegades, Tallington Tornadoes and Draycote Warriors.  

Team15 is supported by industry leaders Tushingham/Starboard, Windsurf magazine, Boards magazine, Neil Pryde and Boardwise.   To get involved with Team15 and to locate your nearest club visit www.team15.org.uk or contact the RYA on 0845 345 0400. Kit can be borrowed from the clubs and the cost of sessions is kept low.