YACHTING - Tough day for Kerikeri sailor

KERIKERI'S Andrew Murdoch hopes the second part of the Laser World Championships in Terrigal, Australia will be a little kinder than the first.
With six races under his belt and three days of competition remaining, Murdoch lies seventh in the 157-strong fleet, but he is hoping to close the gap on the leading sailors in the regatta's final stages.
"I had a really bad first day. I put it out of my mind and decided to start the second day with a clean sheet. It seems to have worked.
"I kept things simple today - I didn't panic," said Murdoch.
The test for Murdoch is to see how competitive the world's best are as he swings into his preparation for the Beijing Olympics.
Murdoch has already been confirmed as the Kiwi Olympic representative.
He had his best day of the regatta yesterday, with a second followed by two bullets. Racing on day three was tight between Murdoch, Australian world champion Tom Slingsby and Great Britain's Paul Goodison.
"We duked it out between the three of us," Murdoch said.
"We had very close racing in our group - it was a great group."
"We sailed so hard in that second race that I thought we wouldn't have anything left in the tank for the last race of the day."
The racing left the Kerikeri sailor in seventh place with 27 points.
Murdoch has been on the podium at the Laser World Championships twice in the past with a silver medal in 2007 and bronze in 2005.
Murdoch lies behind fellow Kiwis David Weaver, at third, and Michael Bullot, at 10th.
The fleet will split into gold, silver and bronze divisions for the remainder of racing.