Sailing: Six of the best for Beadsworth

SPECIAL practice paid off for Britain's Andy Beadsworth in Helsinki yesterday. The reigning match-racing champion scored six straight wins on the first day of the regional qualifier for this year's IYRU Nations Cup, writes Stuart Alexander.

Only Helsinki is using three- man H-Boats for the qualifier instead of the more familiar J24s, which will feature in the final in the Netherlands in September. Nevertheless, Beadsworth was top of his group with Herman- Horn Johannsenn of Norway second with a 5-1 record, and Anders Myralf, of Denmark, third with 4-2.

The top seven from the two men's groups go through to a further double round-robin, semi-finals and final. Liz Walker skippers for Britain in the separate women's group.

In Guernsey, Keith Miller had two wins in the 46ft Crackerjack of the second day of the Rolex Swan European Championship to add to the second he scored yesterday, behind Glyn Meredith's Maid of Unst.