FENLAND water-ski racers Matt Fielding, Ashley Redhead and Sean McCann have made a great start in the British National Championships. All three skiers got their season off to a flying start when they clinched podium positions at the first national meeting

FENLAND water-ski racers Matt Fielding, Ashley Redhead and Sean McCann have made a great start in the British National Championships.

All three skiers got their season off to a flying start when they clinched podium positions at the first national meeting at St Laurence, Essex.

Chatteris' Fielding, 19, skiing behind the family boat Wicked, followed this tremendous start with podium finishes in the next four national race meetings.

This superb performance has put him in contention for a top-three finish in his first year in Formula Two.

Junior racer McCann, 16, also from Chatteris, recorded second places in subsequent races before a very impressive performance at the national meeting at Hunstanton, which he won ahead of a very strong field.

This string of great performances has led to McCann and his team attracting a new sponsor, Performance Conveyorbelting, from Witchford.

It has been a mixed start for March's Redhead, 22, who despite competing in his first national season, has taken second place in three out of five races.

He is currently sitting in second place in the Formula Three Championships and is aiming to hold this position to the end of the season and perhaps win one of the remaining rounds.

The next priority for the three racers will be the sixth round of the National Championships at Weston-Super-Mare on July 2, before McCann and Redhead compete in the next home club race at Hunstanton, on Saturday, July 8.

However, there is also a busy schedule of international competitions ahead and this weekend, Fielding and McCann will fly the flag for Great Britain and aim for a podium finish in the Diamond Race in Viersel, Belgium.

All three will have their sights firmly set on the European Championships, in Holland, in August before Redhead and McCann hope to travel to Australia for one of the biggest race meetings in the world.

More than 600 skiers are expected to travel 'down under' but Redhead believes that the Fenland duo have a good chance of success.

He said: "Sean and I have stepped up our training for Australia where we will be skiing side by side behind the same boat.

"Working on fitness and building an understanding between each other will be very important."

For more information on the three skiers and the sport visit the website at www.ski-racing.co.uk