Sixteen enthusiastic and talented youngsters from Hickling Broad SC added their club's name to the NSBA Centenary Trophy for the first time when they pipped their nearest rivals, and hosts, NBYC by 3.

Sixteen enthusiastic and talented youngsters from Hickling Broad SC added their club's name to the NSBA Centenary Trophy for the first time when they pipped their nearest rivals, and hosts, NBYC by 3.279 points to 3.400 points at the end of a strenuous day's sailing on Saturday.

It was a fitting reward for the club who hosted the event on several occasions, including the inaugural regatta in 1994.

Seven clubs contested the event, which saw four races each for Toppers, Optimists, Fast Handicap, (mainly Lasers and 420s) and Slow Handicap (Splashes and a Mirror). Robert Self was race officer, and his skills were tested as much as those of the competitors by the light and shifty westerlies, which complicated the setting of a decent beat in many of the races.

Hickling's success was based on their strengths in the 19-strong Topper fleet. Their eight entries included their team captain Jordan Rumsby, who won three races to finish winner, with team mate Gabriel Wrenn third overall and Bryony Bennett-Lloyd fourth, while Aaron Murphy (seventh), Alex Slater (eighth), Georgia Povall (10th) and Dominic Slater (12th) all contributed. Strong support came from Jack Sheldrake in the fast handicap class, his two seconds and a third putting him second overall, while Oscar Wrenn and James Thomson coaxed their 420 to a mid-fleet position, with Tim Mellor (10th), Cub Llewellyn-Davies (12th), and Emma Slater (14th) all chipping in to help the cause.

Matthew Bate and Dale Lawson, sailing Splashes in the Slow Handicap, also did well to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

Not that their rivals let the side down. WOBYC and NBYC dominated the Slow Handicap, with Simon Barker and Ian Richardson (NBYC) finishing first and fourth, and Victoria Marfleet (WOBYC ) second, with Rollesby's Jake Sallis third.

Victoria's brother Tom won the Fast Handicaps for WOBYC, with Chris Abbot (Beccles) and Matthew Keely in line astern. NBYC dominated the Optimist, with Jack Rushton, Thomas Needham, and Oli Chapman finishing in that order, while Simon Bennet broke Hickling's domination of the Toppers with a win and two seconds, putting him second overall, and Leah Tansley chipped in with a third to keep everyone on their toes.

But at the end of the day it was a very happy Jordan Rumsby who collected the Centenary trophy, justly proud of his and his team-mates' efforts.

There was one other trophy to award, the Lady Mayhew Trophy for the competitor who “has applied great effort and has shown the spirit of sport, determination, and fun without necessarily achieving a top finishing position”. Always a challenging award to adjudicate, this year's winner was Harriet Waring, of NBYC, who pressed on with great determination throughout a tough day.

t Black Horse Broad welcomed 24 White Boats for Horning's Open Meeting over Saturday and Sunday, representing four fleets, indicative of the underlying strength of the class.

Five races, each comprising five laps of the broad, were sailed in surprisingly consistent 10-15 knot westerlies. Triangular courses included a long beat diagonally across the broad, making for a good test of handling skills, aided by clear water.

With Ian Tims and Chris Bunn both entering it was no surprise that they dominated proceedings, Tims winning four races and Bunn the other, with a couple of seconds and a third to place him runner-up.

Colin Chettleburgh took third overall, while Geoff Angell, Christian Young, and Richard Whitefoot all earned guns in various races.

Hickling's programme was fairly quiet, with dinghies dominating, Mike Claxton winning three of the four races, and Jordan Rumsby, fresh from Wroxham, getting a couple of seconds in his Topper. The first race was won by Jim Rosser in his RS400.

On Sunday, NBYC entertained Frostbites for the second leg of the 2007 team race, but proved rather less hospitable afloat, than had their hosts earlier in the year, taking both races by three points each to win overall by an eight point margin. The hosts remedied the lack of hospitality afloat by a convivial lunch enjoyed by all.

t This weekend's events are all based in the south waters, Lowestoft hosting a Squib Open on Saturday and Sunday, while Buckenham hold their Triple B race on Saturday and host their annual Leader Open on Sunday.

The following weekend sees the Yeoman National Championships on Wroxham Broad, on Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16. The Optimists go to WOBYC on the Saturday for an Open meeting, and on the Sunday Green Wyvern and Yare SC hold the Cecil Howard Memorial Trophy Race from Cantley to Coldham Hall, in preparation for the Yare Navigation Race on September 22.

Results:

Hickling Broad SC

Allcomers (10): 1 RS400 (J Rosser) 2 No Idea (J Rumsby) 3 Goldeneye (R Slatter).

Allcomers (11): 1 Laser (M Claxton) 2 RS400 3 Dipper (A Kerrison).

Allcomers (10): 1 Laser 2 Dipper 3 Temptation (C Jones).

Allcomers (5): 1 Laser 2 No Idea 3 Dipper.