CLUBS & CLASSES

Marsden and McGovern defend their title at the fiercest of Tiger Trophies

Neil Marsden and Jonny McGovern roared to victory in their 420 at Rutland’s Tiger Trophy in the seventh event of the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series. Epic conditions on the Saturday allowed only two of the three scheduled races and these were among the windiest in the series’ 11-year history, with gusts up to 35 knots. Marsden and McGovern won a breezy Tiger last year and the 420 again proved the perfect weapon for survival conditions in 2020. They won the first race but were pipped in the next by national and European 505 champions Roger Gilbert and Ben McGrane. However, with a DNC already on Gilbert’s scorecard, another 505 – wife/husband duo Penny and Russ Clark – counted a 2,4 to lie second overnight behind the runaway 1,2 scoreline of the 420. Jon Emmett in his Laser Radial notched up a 5,3 to sit in third. The following day continued breezy for the two-hour Pursuit Race and again Marsden/McGovern’s 420 could not be stopped, although they were pushed hard by a rival 420 sailed by Arran Holman and former 420 world champion helmsman Steve Irish on the wire (pictured above). Few of the frontrunners in the 148-boat fleet had been able to avoid letters in their score on the attritional Saturday, and with all three races to count, this left the way clear for the Clark’s 505 to come second overall after finishing