FRENSHAM Sailing Club’s Cadet Open is an important event in the club’s calendar and also for its record in local sport.

Frensham has a worldwide reputation for being a ‘nursery of champions’. Its youth training programme has produced World, European and National champions, as well as Olympic helms.

The latest is Andrea Brewster who has been selected to sail for Ireland at the Rio Olympics. Others include former Olympic helm Cathy Foster and multi champion Nick Craig who is one of Farnham’s greatest sportsmen.

All began their sporting careers sailing Cadet dinghies at Frensham. The Cadet is a 60-year-old design, but it is still the ideal two-person dinghy for youngsters aged between eight and 16.

The boat has everything in miniature that can be seen in larger adult designs.

There were 26 entries for this year’s Cadet Open, many having travelled long distances, including a team from Cheshire Wirral & West Kirby SC.

Two generations of Frensham’s own Bullmore family were taking part; one crew in a boat built by Steve Bullmore, a Frensham club veteran.

The skies were clear, but a cold north-easterly breeze provided good competitive racing.

The standard was once again high and there was some feisty close-quarter action and a few capsizes.

Four races were sailed, two in the morning and two after lunch.

The competition soon developed into a battle between three Frensham crews who put their local knowledge of the water to good use.

Club commodore Colin Dutton presided at the prize-giving and thanked race officer Bruce Hill for setting suitably challenging courses. He also praised class captain Steph Videlo and her team for all their work with the club’s youth and for this open meeting.

Special prizes went to the furthest travelled crew, James and George Colquitt from West Kirby, and Frensham’s under-14 crew of Finbarr Wormwell and Oscar Ferenczy.

Results: 1st, True Colours (Issie & Emily Speirs, Frensham); 2nd, and special prize for all-girl crew, What’s it Called (Anna Morgan & Jemima Hill, Frensham); 3rd, Aelous (Megan Ferguson & Yasmin Sfaxi, Frensham); 4th (1st visitor), Two Can (Jamie Harris & Toni Wilkinson, Bristol/ Waldringfield); 5th, Lethal Menace (Finbarr Wormwell & Oscar Ferenczy, Frensham).