Sailing: Read shows his class in pursuit of five card trick: Simmonds secures second place for Britain

HAVING won four world titles already, America's Kenny Read yesterday served notice of his determination to attempt the five card trick in the Henri Lloyd J24 World Championship at Abersoch.

He cruised to victory in the first of the six races which decide the 1993 edition, capitalising on 15 years in one of the most popular and fiercely contested classes of cruiser/racer competition in the world.

With 62 boats from 13 countries, the task for the 17 British representatives like Ian Southworth, who retained his national title on the same water just two weeks ago and was sixth yesterday, and the former European champion, David Bedford, are difficult enough despite the absence of a clutch of top Americans. Bedford blamed some sloppy sail handling and 'losing our way up the beats' for his 17th place.

Carrying the flag in the 15-20 knot north-westerly was the former Soling sailor, Colin Simmonds, taking second and comfortable that he was on the pace. 'We just had a little speed edge on the boats around us,' he said. 'We worked our way up the fleet and then went from eighth to second on the third windward leg. The breeze was excellent and the shifts in direction were oscillating regularly.'

Less happy was Chris Larson, another American who had comfortably beaten all comers in the national championship which was, for him, a warm-up. 'We were third at the first mark but the spinnaker disintegrated as we hoisted it,' said crewman Andy Hemmings, one of Britain's representatives at the last two Olympics. They still managed to finish 29th.

The Americans, Dave Scully and Steve Fossett, in the 60ft trimaran Lakota, were still on schedule to break the record for the Teeside Two-Handed Round Britain Race despite having to make repairs on the third leg from the Hebrides to Lurwick in the Shetlands. Eight of the 52 who started from Plymouth have retired and more heavy weather is forecast.

Britain's Storm Nuttal and Sally Cuthbert won the women's double-handed gold at the World Youth Championships in Italy yesterday.

HENRI LLOYD J24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Abersoch): Race One (subject to protest): 1 K Read (US); 2 C Simmonds (GB); 3 G Bequerizes (Arg); 4 F Savini (It); 5 T Hutchinson (US); 6 I Southworth (GB).