2023 F3F English Open
19-20 August 2023
Podium L-R Graeme Mahoney (2nd), JP (winner), Dave Rumble (3rd)
English Open
I always enjoy the English Open, and this year was one of the best that I've attended!
The sun shone, and the wind blew almost straight on the hill for most of the competition. There was a degree of thermal activity, but we managed to fly lots of rounds which helped minimise any variation the times.
JP dominates!
John Phillips won a massive 8 of the 19 rounds rounds with some excellent flying. John also put in the fastest time.
The remaining scores scores were pretty tight. Graeme Mahoney was runner-up, with Dave Rumble very close behind. William Fourie made a splendid late charge to reach fourth place, just missing out on the podium.
Phil Taylor was the popular recipient of the 'Best of the Rest' award. A mention also to Nigel Witchalls and John Treble - it was good to see them competing after a long break.
The Saker
John's win was also notable for the model he was flying. It's called the Saker and it was designed and commissioned by Ian Mason, and manufactured in China. Ian won a round with his own Saker, and would have come higher had he been able to attend the second day. The great thing about this model - apart from its performance - is its competitive price.
Final thoughts
Well done to the leaders... and my thanks to Graeme Mahoney, Nigel Witchalls and all helpers for a splendid weekend!
Results
After 19 rounds:
1 John Phillips 16377.43 1000.00 2 Graeme Mahoney 15304.00 934.45 3 Dave Rumble 15279.90 932.98 4 William Fourie 15105.21 922.31 5 Andy Burgoyne 15000.53 915.92 6 Aleix Ingles Elias 14964.49 913.72 7 Mike Shellim 14917.05 910.82 8 Mark Treble 14832.05 905.63 9 Mike Bleathman 14684.26 896.61 10 Mark Passingham 14658.57 895.04 11 Phil Taylor 14657.92 895.00 12 Mike Evans 14650.78 894.57 13 Graham Hill 14349.19 876.15 14 Nigel Whitchalls 14023.56 856.27 15 Paul Stubley 14017.79 855.92 16 Bruce Hudson 13904.60 849.00 17 Jason Bioletti 13533.72 826.36 18 Ian Mason 9480.59 578.88 19 Ian Falconer 6541.06 399.39 20 John Treble 6116.61 373.47 21 Tony Robertson 2920.75 178.33
Fastest time 38.22 seconds by John Phillips in round 6
Number of rounds won: John Phillips (8), Graeme Mahoney (3), William Fourie (3),
Mike Shellim / Graham Hill / Mike Bleathman / Dave Rumble / Ian Mason (1)