DOMINION SURF TITLES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22306, 21 January 1938, Page 6

DOMINION SURF TITLES

MEETING TO OPEN

TOMORROW

CHAMPIONSHIPS AT NEW

BRIGHTON

SELECTION OF TEAM FOK

AUSTRALIAN TOUR

The pick of New Zealand's surfmen will be seen in action to-morrow and on Sunday when the Dominion surf life-saving championships will be hela at New Brighton. The meeting, the first to be held in Christchurch under the control of the Canterbury Surf Life-Saving Association, promises to produce the keenest rivalry in the history of the championships, for the form shown will be a guide in the selection of the New Zealand team to visit Australia next month for the New South Wales State championships and the centenary inter-Dominion surf championship carnival. The Canterbury Association has realised that the meeting offers it an unequalled opportunity to foster public interest, and it has taken unusual trouble to make the meeting as attractive and as spectacular as possible. For years it has carried on, with only meagre public support, its work of making the beaches safe for bathers. This lack of support, it is felt, is not a result of unwillingness to give, but of an inadequate knowledge of what protection is offered to the public by surf club members. The meeting over the week-end should do much to stimulate public support. Twenty-one events are set down for the two days, and they should produce a brilliant exhibition of fitness and skill. Taranaki is the only province represented as a province, all the other entries being by individual clubs. Eleven clubs will be represented, many by more than one team, and some by as many as four teams. The clubs to be represented are Lyall Bay, Maramii and Worser Bay (Wellington). St. Clair (Otago), Takapuna and Waitemata (Auckland). Oreti (Southland). New Brighton. Taylor's Mistake. Sumner, and North Beach (Canterbury). Selection of Team on Monday Most of these clubs have nominated men for selection in the New Zealand team to compete in Australia. Altogether there have been 29 nominations and competition will be keen for the 10 places. The selectors are Messrs P. D. Edwards and V. Allen, of Wellington, and H. S. Feast, of Christchurch.

They will name the team on Monday, and it will travel to Australia with Mr Feast as manager to compete in the New South Wales State championships on February 19 and in the centenary inter-Dominion meeting a week later. The nominees will be seen in action in all the senior events, the first of which will be the four-man alarm championship. There will be four heats and 15 teams will compete, among them being the holder of the championship, Maranui. Not since 1927 has this title come to Canterbury, -which will be strongly represented this year by six teams. New Brighton A is drawn against Sumner A and North Beach in one heat, and Taylor's Mistake has a strong opponent in Maranui A in another heat. This is the only event in the morning. The final will be conI tested on Sunday. The heats of the New Zealand beltman's championship, won for the last two years by A. T. Dalton (North Beach), will be decided to-morrow afternoon, after the assembly of teams and the taking of the competitors' oath. In this event there are 25 entrants, among them being prominent contenders for inclusion in the New Zealand team, such as R. Pelham, C E. Claridge, J. C. Blakeley, D. H. Symes. C. R. Buchanan. F. Pennington. A. T. F. Stokes. J. T. Clark. A. T. Dalton. D. L. Burton, N. Galbraith, C W. Elliott, and W. M. Warren.

Six teams have entered for the junior rescue and resuscitation championship, the heats of which will follow the beltman's championship. New Brighton

and Taylor's Mistake arc the only Canterbury teams, the other entrants being Maranui (last year's winner), Lyall Bay, St. Clair, and Oreti, a club new to Dominion championships. Major Event of Meeting; The competition for the Nelson Shield, considered the major event of the meeting, will be contested by 11 teams. It is the senior rescue and resuscitation event, won by North Island clubs with only one exception since 1923. Maranui, last year's winner and the most frequent holder of the shield, has entered an extremely strong first team, and Lyall Bay, Maranui's keenest rival since the competition was inaugurated, has such experienced men as Blakeley, Pelham. and F. Mollier. New Brighton, the Canterbury champion for the seven-men event, has redoubtable opponents in its heat, the other teams being Maranui A, Lyall Bay. and North Beach, St. Clair and Taylor's Mistake have good chances of reaching the final, the local team being drawn against Waitemata. Taranaki No. 2, and Maranui B, and the Dunedin team against Sumner and New Brighton B. The most interesting of the remaining events on the first day are the junior and senior individual surf race championships. Pelham. last year's winner of the senior event, is again competing, and there are 35 other entrants, prominent among them being L. Newell (North Beach), the New Zealand still-water distance champion, Blakeley, a former holder of the surf title, Stokes. Symes, Dalton, Claridge, and H. Goldsmith, one of the youngest nominees for the Australian tour. Sunday's Programme On Sunday most of the programme will be the finals of the New Zealand beltman's championship, the Nelson and the junior rescue championship. In addition, the march-past championShield, the four-men championship, ship will be held and the senior and junior teams relay championship. The judges will be:—Nelson ShieldMessrs N. Berge (Taranaki). P. D Edwards (Wellington), and R. G Howell (Taranaki). William Henry Memorial: Messrs Howell, S. Hiegim (Auckland), and W. H. Gerrie (Wellington). Four-man alarm: Messrs Gerrie. Higgins, and Berge. March past: Messrs Higgins, Berge, and Edwards. ARRANGEMENTS FOR N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION MEETS A meeting of the Canterbury Surf Association to complete arrangements for the New Zealand surf championships to be held at New Brighton on Saturday and Sunday was held in the New Brighton Surf Club's pavilion last evening. Mr H. S. Feast presided. Mr Feast stated that the Hon. W. Parry (Minister for Internal Affairs) li«d been invited to open the carnival, but because of his departure for Australia, he could not attend. The Hon. D. G. Sullivan had been invited to present tlie prizes. Mr Feast referred to the valuable assistance given the association by the Mayor of New Brighton (Mr E. L. Smith), and on his motion it was decided to., ask Mr Smith to open the carnival. Other speakers appointed were the president of the New Zealand Association (Mr P. F. Coira) and Mr H. S. Feast, president of the Canterbury association. The following officials were appointed:—Referee, Mr A. I. Cottrell; referee's steward, Mr C. J. Kite; marshal and starter, Mr D. V. Wilson; chief timekeeper. Mr C. A. Cooper; computing stewards, Messrs R. P. Round and L. W. Clarkson; assistantmarshal, Mr M. C. Sidford: gear supervisor, Mr L. Sutherland: honorary timekeepers, Messrs E. Velvin, D. Ryland, C. H. McPhail, H. Throp, S. B. Mason, J. Ironside, L. C. Matson, D. Fyfe, and B. Wilkes; chief timekeeper's steward, Mr K. Herriott; secretary's steward, Mr D. W. Benson; press stewards. Messrs I. Gunderson and C. C. Kemp; assistant-treasurer, Mr P. J. Smith; buoy judges. Messrs J. G. Gowan and A. C. C. Robilliard; arena stewards, Messrs L. R. Moore and W. E. P. Butler; call stewards, Messrs J. Bailey, D. Stewart. W. Woods, and L. Bacon; cap. steward, Mr J. Norrie; check starter, Mr C. C. Couldwell; announcer. Mr V. G. Spiller; radio commentator, Mr P. B. Levy; management committee, Messrs H. S- Feast (chairman), G. D. Griffiths (secretary), A. S. Patterson (treasurer), D. V. Wilson (publicity), L. R. Moore (arena), E. Velvin (entertainment), C. C. Couldwell (beach events), and C. A. Cooper (gear); honorary judges, Nelson Shield, Messrs N. Beige (Taranaki), P. D. Edwards (Wellington), R. G. Howell (Taranaki). William Henry memorial: Messrs R. G. Howell (Taranaki), S. Higgins (Auckland), W. H. Gerrie (Wellington), Four Man event alarm: Messrs W. H. Gerrie (Wellington), S. Higgins (Auckland), N. Beige (Taranaki). March past: Messrs S. Higgins (Auckland), N. Beige (Taranaki), and P. D. Edwards (Wellington), rt was decided to invite all owners o£ canoes and other crafts to attend and take part in the races. Other novelty events arranged for were pillow fights and beach flag races. Mr D. V. Wilson advised that the semi-final in the beltman's championship would take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, and the final at noon. Those times were omitted from the official pro -ramme. Messrs C. C. Couldwell, H. S. Feast, L. Sutherland, and Norman Batchelor were nominated for the national board of judges. A letter was received from the New Zealand Association urging the importance of all clubs seeing to it that their beaches were adequately patrolled during the week-end. MiFeast urged the meeting to see the importance of patrolling the respective beaches. The New Brighton Club had arranged for the permanent patrol to be on duty, also members of the team.