TEAM manager Ailsa McDougall is setting the standard at the Home International and World Cup surf kayak championship events in Ile d’Oleron, off the western coast of France.

McDougall’s first and second places in the long kayak and short kayak heats are helping to put pressure on leaders England, as are excellent results from Tim Rowe – who upset the England camp when he beat highly-rated Gary Adcock in the long kayak – and Stuart McGlinchey, who found heat victory in the same event over England’s top seed Pete Blenkinsop.

In the World Cup event, McDougall easily won her way to the semi-finals in small, yet ride-able waves, where she will now face England’s seeded surfer Tamsin Green, Brazil’s Roberta Bosari and Kristina Ferrer from the Basque country.

She said: ‘With only the men’s, masters, and junior short kayak heats remaining Jersey have everything to play for. The competition came to a halt in the late afternoon yesterday when the tide was too high to make judge-able waves in the dropping surf, but the forecast is better for tomorrow so the last heats of both events will be run then and Saturday morning if necessary.’

• Picture: Jersey’s Ailsa McDougall in action in the surf kayak Home Internationals