3:22 PM Mon 5 Oct 2009 GMT
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'Ian Williams pushes Mathieu Richard over the start line early during the final of the Gold Cup.'
Gold Cup/Charles Anderson
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Team Pindar's reigning Double ISAF World Match Racing Tour Champion, Ian Williams, heads to Bermuda this week for the penultimate event of the 2009 season, in need of a strong finish to keep his title hopes alive.
The Argo Group Gold Cup is the oldest Match Racing event in the world involving one design yachts and will take place at Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda from October 6-11. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club will play host to 24 teams, including the top eight skippers on the World Tour, who will each be striving to lift the historic 102 year-old King Edward VII Gold Cup and a share of the $100,000 prize fund.
Williams, who will also be sponsored by Argo Group for the event, won his first ever tour competition in Bermuda in 2006. He will line up alongside three other former winners, including defending champion Johnnie Berntsson (Berntsson Sailing Team), Mathieu Richard (French Match Racing Team), and Peter Gilmour (Yanmar Racing). All eyes however, will be on the two front runners, current leader Torvar Mirsky (Mirsky Racing Team) and Adam Minoprio (ETNZ/BlackMatch), who lies just two points behind. Britain's three time Olympic Gold Medallist, Ben Ainslie, will also be among the world class sailors competing for the prestigious title.
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Bermuda Gold Cup Photo: Charles Anderson - copyright - Gold Cup/Charles Anderson
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Williams, who is in fifth place on 70-points (18 points behind Mirsky) commented, 'We will be giving it our absolute all this week. To stand any chance of retaining the title, we have to close the gap on Torvar and Adam. Mathematically, it's all still possible but we're running out of events. It's shaping up to be a very exciting finale and a lot rests on what happens this week. Racing in Hamilton Harbour is always special - it's great to be back.'
Racing begins on Tuesday 6 October, with the unique format of three groups of eight competing in the round robin phase. Ian Williams is in Group 1 with Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Damien Iehl (FRA), Keith Swinton (AUS), Eric Monin (SUI), Reuben Corbett (NZL), Robbie Allum (GBR) and Ian Evans (USA). The top two teams from each group, plus the top two from a 'repecharge' round robin will then progress to the quarter finals on Friday, followed by the semi-finals on Saturday. The final and petit-final will take place on Sunday October 11, which coincides with Bermuda's second annual Festival of Sail.
The final event of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour will take place at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu Malaysia from 1-6 December. The Championship will be decided by the skippers' top five finishes in 2009 plus their result from the Monsoon Cup, which will award 1.5 times the usual points to the top eight finishers.
www.teampindar.com
www.bermudagoldcup.com
by Kate Brewer
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Manly, QLD
