Plain sailing for Menston brothers (From Ilkley Gazette)

Plain sailing for Menston brothers

10:28am Thursday 21st March 2013 in Sport

Matthew and Ben Lulham-Robinson, who train and race together at Yorkshire Dales, Otley and Yeadon sailing clubs, will take part in the RYA Youth National Championships at Easter, invol- ving 350 of the country’s best young dinghy racers and wind- surfers.

Matthew, aged 16, and Benjamin, 14, both students at Ilkley Grammar School who live in Menston, are former European Mirror Junior champions (2010) and World Mirror Junior Champions (2011) and have made the transition together from the Mirror class to the larger 420 class towards the end of last season after securing a place in the RYA 420 Youth Squad.

At their first ever event in the larger and more powerful 420 dinghy, the brothers from Ilkley finished a respectable 14th at the 420 End of Season Championships in what was their first taste of the RYA Youth Racing circuit.

But earlier this month on the Olympic waters of Weymouth and Portland the brothers upgraded their previous result to an 11th at the season’s opening qualifying event for the 420 class World Championships, so have high hopes for their next contest over the Easter break.

The regatta, this year being held at Largs Sailing Club, Scotland, from April 1-5, has over the years helped to identify and develop some of Britain’s most talented young sailors, such as multiple Olympic gold medallists Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy and Sarah Ayton.

As always the event doubles up as a selection event for the ISAF Youth Sailing World Champion- ships, which this year take places in Limmassol, Cyprus.

Last year, Great Britain picked up two gold medals and silver at the event as well as picking up the prestigious Nations Trophy for the top performing nation.

RYA Youth Racing Manager, Duncan Truswell, said: “The RYA Youth National Championships represents the first major opportunity of the new season for Youth Sailors from around the UK and beyond to compete against each other and contest for selection to iInternational teams.