Jet-skier Hards hitting the heights

The Bexhill-based prospect, 19, finished a convincing third in round three of the British Jet Sports Freestyle Championship at Tattershall Country Park in Lincolnshire.

He delivered the same high-flying routine which earned him a never-to-be-forgotton triumph in the previous round at the American Adventure Theme Park in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, last month but this time he didn't quite get the judges' verdict.

Mind you, there's no shame in finishing 0.5 points adrift of last year's World Amateur Freestyle champion and World Junior Freestyle winner as mother Gill pointed out. "He skied very well and it was very close. Quite a few people had him second but he's still second in the championship overall."

And it's certainly a positive slant that one should view this result with. Not least because he beat seven other top rung riders but also because, had it not been for the good-nature and welding skills of his Queenford Jet-Ski Centre team-mates Darren Ogden (Bristol) and John Church (Oxford), he may not have even taken part.

The pair helped get Hards' ski back together late on Saturday night after he developed a major steering fault during practice earlier in the day which rendered it totally unridable. And he repayed their endeavour handsomely with the individual third place which has helped the club hold down second spot in the Club Trophy.

Hards will hope to fine-tune his moves this weekend in readiness for round four at Tyram Lakes in Doncaster on July 3-4.