FRAMLINGHAM College pupil, James Bolingbroke and his fellow Mersea Youth team member, Matt Heathcote, are the new RS Feva National Inland champions.The pair were also named as winners of the 2007 season's RS Feva Fat Face Series.

FRAMLINGHAM College pupil, James Bolingbroke and his fellow Mersea Youth team member, Matt Heathcote, are the new RS Feva National Inland champions.

The pair were also named as winners of the 2007 season's RS Feva Fat Face Series.

Bolingbroke, 15 and Heathcote, 16, are proving a formidable partnership in the two-person, asymmetric RS Feva dinghy.

They won three out of five races, discarding a third place, to convincingly take the Inland title in light and testing conditions at Rutland Sailing Club.

Competition was keen in the 40 boat fleet with the national Optimist champion Alex Mothersele and national RS Feva silver medallists Tim Gratton and Chris Taylor putting up a strong challenge for the title.

In the RS Feva 2007 Fat Face Series, which took the 90 competing crews to seven venues around the country, Bolingbroke. Heathcote sailed consistently at the front of the fleet, finishing the series three points clear on 10 points with nothing less than a second place to count.

Sponsored by SeaSure, the pair are now undergoing a rigorous winter training programme, as members of the National RS Feva Squad, in the build up to their world championships in Sweden this summer.

At the same time, they are moving into the 29er class, which will see them compete in Holland and Weymouth in the class's European and National championships respectively.

Anthony Bennett, James' Housemaster at Framlingham said: “Everyone at Fram College is tremendously proud and supportive of James' achievements and we wish him well with his winter training regime, ahead of what could be his best ever season later this year.”