Great Britain and Australia enjoy friendly rivalry in many sports and the Moth is no exception.

Your web editor thinks this deserves recognition and has donated the "Moth Ashes" trophy to the UK Class Association to be awarded to the winning 'team' between GB and Australia at the World Championships.

The championship is of course an individual event with no team element (indeed team racing is illegal). So this is an informal award.

The ashes being burned - pics Toby Heppell

So the first 2007 Moth Ashes were won by Australia with 204 points to GB's 224. Les Thorpe, fifth placed Australian is keeping the trophy until the next world championship in Weymouth when he will be presnting it to the UK team!

The Moth Ashes rules are as follows:

- The first five boats from both countries will comprise the 'team'
- The score used will be identical to the final regatta score after any discards
- If less than five boats compete from either country, the 'teams' will be made up of the number of boats from the least represented country
- The winning country may take the trophy home and get it engraved and must return it to the next Worlds
- The fifth team member from the winning team will hold the trophy for the year
- The ashes will be made from the carbon bits discarded during repairs at the 2007 Worlds. At the end of the week, we will burn all the carbon donations, put them in the urn and epoxy it shut.