Jet-skier Hards suffers rare failure

Hards has riden the gravy train of success over the last year but it de-railed temporarily at Fosse Hill in Yorkshire at the weekend.

Much of the disappointment in the second national freestyle tour (professional section) event of the season was beyond his control though. Perhaps the writing was on the wall when the pole bracket that holds the steering pole onto the ski snapped when he attempted a big aerial trick called an E Jump during Saturday practice.

Although he was lent a ski of similar specification by a kind-hearted fellow competitor, he had to reign in his routine for fear of damaging equipment that wasn't his own. He managed to make the best of a bad job though and put together a solid performance only for a questionable judges' decision to relegate him to last of the five starters.

He said: "I felt I skied well and thought it may be enough for a podium place. After watching the other riders ski I still thought I had achieved a third place. When it came to the results I was a bit shocked.

"I was disappointed but I had to smile and accept the result. Even the organisers of the event said to me that they had been personally marking and they had put me third and even the other riders said a third was a fair placing for my routine but it wasn't to be."

Despite the setback Matt is far from out of the championship reckoning. His opening round victory at Northampton means that he sits third overall and just two points off the pace with four rounds to go, the next of which is on his home lake at Queenford in Oxford.

The 18-year-old takes part in the second leg of the British Championship at Derby on May 22-23.