Tasmanian wins Laser Radials at Queensland Youth Week

10:42 PM Thu 9 Jul 2009 GMT

'Tasmanian champion George Jones, winner of the Laser Radial class at Queensland Youth Week, with the Tattersalls Cup presented to him at the RYCT prizegiving last month. With him are Commodore Clive Simpson and Vice Commodore Murray Jones (his father).' Peter Campbell &copy

Champion Tasmanian dinghy sailor George Jones has won the Laser Radial division of the Queensland Youth Week on Brisbane's Waterloo Bay in an impressive lead-up to the Radial Youth Worlds in Japan in August.

Five teenage sailors from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania contested this week's regatta in Brisbane, with George Jones winning, Elliott Noye placing third, Rohan Langford sixth and Zac Pullen 10th in the 28 boat fleet that included the top three Laser Radial sailors from all Australian states and territories.

At the RYCT's trophy presentation dinner last month Jones was awarded the Tattersalls Trophy for the outstanding youth sailor of the 2008-2009 season, his successes including the Tasmanian open and youth Laser championships and first youth and second overall in the Queensland Laser titles.

Consistent sailing in this week's Queensland Youth Week saw him score two wins, two seconds and two thirds in the ten race series to finish two points ahead of Queenslander Mitchell Kennedy with fellow Tasmanian Elliott Noye a further two points back. Noye's score including one win, two seconds and two thirds. Hugh Jones finished 11th in the 4.7 rig fleet.

Jones, Noye, and Langford and another Tasmanian, Angus Barton are heading for Japan to contest the Laser Radial Youth World Championships at Karatsu from 3-10 August.

The event attracted 162 entries from a variety of classes, including Laser Radial, Laser 4.7, 29er, 420, Bic Windsurfer, Hobie 16, Optimist, Sabot and Pacer.

In the Radial fleet there were 28 entries from NSW, WA, Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand with all but one of the top placed youths in the country competing. For the sailors gearing up for the National and Youth titles in December this year , this event was a great chance to see how their training was going and how they were rated against the current crop of youth sailors.

Tasmanian Sailing Academy and Tasmanian Institute of Sport members Jones, Noye, Langford , Pullen and Jones have come away from the event with very encouraging results.