Today started with a rainbow which all the British competitors hoped would end in a pot of Gold.
Andy was due to fly early, (which for those who know Andy is NOT an EASY task as he is not at his best after getting up at 6:30 😊) In round 4 Andy flew Cary Minor who is a great flyer from the USA but on this occasion Andy got the better of him and he was on his way to Round 5. In round 5 Andy was then to meet Timo Forss from Finland, another good flyer but once again Andy was on top form and the Pot of Gold seemed ever closer.
In round 6 Andy then had to beat Gintaras Kuckailis who had been Aurdius Rastenis’s pit man but now turned flyer as well. This turned out to be Andy’s first loss BUT as Andy still had 1 life so he was still able to progress into round 7 and a flight against Natalia Dementieva. At this point there were only 10 competitors left. 4 from the USA, 2 from Denmark, 1 from Finland, 1 from Spain and Andy from the UK. the bout with Natalia ended in a re-fly because of a Line tangle which resulted in a “Helicopter crash”. The re-fly was due to take place at the end of the round and it turned into a very close fought battle in the early stages with Natalia taking 2 early cuts and no matter how hard Andy tried he just couldn’t get his cut. During the bout however there were a couple of crashes resulting in Natalia losing points on the ground but unfortunately for Andy he ended up losing by just 9 seconds ground time
Overall a good performance and a very enjoyable competition for both Andy Shields, Johnathan Crabtree and myself.
Dave Wiseman, GBR Team Member
