Sailing: Wardley sisters ahead

Sailing

STUART ALEXANDER

reports from Dubai

Two British sisters were flying high in the semi-finals of the Hobie Cat 16 World Championships here yesterday. Nicola Wardley is crewing for the Australian Bob Engwirda, who is in first place after six races. Liz is in third place with the Papua New Guinea-based Australian Mark Laruffa, sandwiching the South African pair William and Lucinda Edwards.

Coming up fast, however, are the favourites. The South African Blaine Dodds, who has won his national championship nine times and been second five times at World Championships, is lying fifth out of the 112. One place behind is Brazil's Claudio Cardoso, silver medallist in Mexico last year, and in eighth place is the defending world champion, Aaron Worrall, also from Australia.

The best placed British are Matthew Eeles and Philip Hildyard who are 40th and need to perform well today in what may only be one more race before the cut to the final 56 is made for tomorrow and Friday. At 62nd are the seeded Mark and Victoria Farrow, while Stephen Park and Ruth Verrier- Jones, at 65th, may have found the blustery winds too much for their relatively light-weight combination.