Reuben Corbett and his Black Sheep Racing crew have won the New Zealand Match Racing Championship 2025, closing out the final in straight wins over American skipper Gavin Brady after three days of hard racing on the Waitematā.
Corbett went through both round robins unbeaten, finishing the opening stage 7–0 and the second stage 7–0 again for a perfect 14–0 record before the knockouts. His crew of Guy Pilkington, George Angus, and Oliver Lloyd looked settled from the first flight and carried that composure into every match. They handled the pre-starts cleanly, protected their lanes, and extended most leads downwind.
Brady pushed hard all weekend and finished the round robins in second overall with a strong 11–3 scoreline. His crew, which included Rye Brady, Megan Thomson, Phoebe Buckland, and Florence Sharpe, looked sharp through most of the schedule and forced several tight calls. They beat both Fong and Wooldridge in the semi final round robin but could not match Corbett’s pace or control when the title was on the line.
The petit final delivered one of the weekend’s more compelling matchups, with Ethan Fong taking third overall after two clean wins over Robbie Wooldridge. Fong’s crew sailed a confident series, recovering well after losses earlier in the second round robin. Wooldridge, who had been outstanding on day one and finished the first round robin in second, could not repeat that form when it mattered most.
Behind the top group, Noah Malpot finished fifth after a steady climb through the second round robin. He improved from a 2–5 start to finish 6–8 across the two stages. Charley Cates placed sixth, taking key wins over Bates and Jeffery in the later flights. Xavier Bates finished seventh after a difficult second round robin, and Leo Jeffery completed the final order in eighth with one win.
Corbett’s victory continues his strong record in the Elliott 7 fleet and confirms Black Sheep Racing as the leading match racing outfit in the country. With several youth sailors making deep runs this year, and with Brady’s international crew adding genuine pressure at the top, the 2025 championship delivered one of the most competitive fields the event has seen in recent seasons.
