Tom Jennings of Notts County SC from Mansfield won the RYA Honda East Midlands powerboat championships at the weekend. The event was held at Notts County. Tom won in difficult conditions beating the club winners from clubs throughout the East Midlands. Tom goes on to the finals in Southampton, aiming to become the National champion.

The Honda RYA (Royal Yachting Association) RIB Championship is a national youth powerboat competition, providing an aim and expert coaching for youngsters aged 8 to 16 to learn control of powerboats at RYA Centres. The Centres hold their own championship and have a place in both the Junior (8-12) and Youth (13-16) regional championship, the winner of the regionals goes forward to the finals in September.

The winning youth wins a boat for the club, courtesy of Honda, Avon & Indespension. Tension therefore runs high at the finals. The course demands good control of RIB (Rigid Hull Inflatables - like the RNLI inshore boats) both at speed, picking up and object and reversing. It is all done against the clock with the best time out of two runs winning.

The RYA East Midlands final saw representatives from clubs Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire competing the gusty conditions creating difficult conditions for the competitors. The juniors went off first and Edward Baldock of Girton recorded the fastest time on his second run. After a short break the youths took to the water and Tom Jennings of Notts County recorded the fastest time by seven seconds, a healthy margin. Both winners go to represent the region at Southampton in the finals.

Results Youth: 1st Thomas Jennings (Notts County) 1:16.79 2nd Glen Waterhouse (Carsington) 1:23.05
Junior: 1st Edward Baldock (Girton) 1:34.45 2nd Matthew Williams (Ogston) 1:47.04