A WINCHESTER youngster has sailed to glory in one of Britain’s biggest events for junior sailing talents.

Ten-year-old Jennifer Cropley scooped not one but two trophies at the RYA Eric Twiname Championships after beating 58 racers in the Optimist fleet.

As well as a trophy for overall first place, Jennifer, a pupil at St Bede Primary School, was also crowned the first Optimist girl.

She said: “It feels really cool to win two trophies at my first RYA Eric Twiname Championships.

“It was really tiring on Saturday but when you get tired you just have to concentrate really hard.

“I pretend I’ve only got five more minutes left of a race, even if it’s really half an hour, because breaking the race into little bits helps me concentrate and manage my race better.”

Some 226 sailors, aged between eight and 15 and representing the nine RYA Zone and Home Country squads, descended on Rutland Water to do battle on the water.