Ainslie in insatiable mood

All the hard work which Cornwall's Ben Ainslie had put into relentless winter training and feeding a seemingly insatiable appetite for competition came good here on Saturday when he won the Laser European Championship.

He had pushed the boat every yard of every leg of every race, and then the 19-year-old had scarcely time to draw breath before packing up, and driving himself back across the Channel for this morning's flight to further training in Savannah and the Olympic Games.

He leaves behind a big field still reeling from a near-flawless performance which harvested four firsts, two seconds, a third, a fourth and a fifth place. He had also been deprived of two further wins when races were abandoned. "I'm really pleased," was about all Ainslie had time to say.

Also working hard was Tim Robinson and his Racing Post team of Jonathan Pudney and Bruce Grant in the second Aquatonic Skiff Grand Prix at Eastbourne's Sovereign Club.

After light winds on Saturday there was a cracking 12 to 15 knot south- westerly and bright sunshine for the spectators on the pier yesterday as Robinson scored five wins and a fifth place in the six-race series, capitalising on winter racing in Sydney. Chasing him home was another British Olympian, Adrian Stead, with Lawrie Smith third.