THREE SURF TITLES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27896, 18 February 1956, Page 3

THREE SURF TITLES

SOUTH BRIGHTON LEADS The outstanding success of the South Brighton Club was the principal feature of the New Zealand surf championships at Oreti beach. Invercargill, last weeh-ena. The club won the Nel*Bon Shield, for the senior six-man rescue and resuscitation event, and the main event of the programme, with A. Lee. M. Fearon. N Roake, G. Silvester, L. Schou, and F. McKenzie. South Brighton also took the William Henry Memorial Trophy for the junior six-man rescue and resuscitation event, the team being D. Graham, N. Lanyon, K. Abrams, K. Williams. W. Boundy, and J. Fielding. The senior march-past championship, won by the chib in 1954, was regained, and it also gave very fine performances in many other events —third in the senior four-man alarm, with F. McKenzie in the belt; M. Fearon, a member of the New Zealand team in 1954, was third in the senior beltman’s championship, with D. Roake fourth; Graham was second in the junior beltman's championship. In the main, however, South Brighton's successes were those of a team. In the Nelson Shield contest, swum in the evening on an almost dead low tide, South Brighton lost only 5£ points. Other Canterbury clubs shared in what was almost a clean sweep for the province, although in most instances there was little margin over the clubs from other centres. P. Garratt (Taylor's Mistake), who won the senior

beltman’s ana surf titles, and B. Robertson (New Brighton), with similar wins in the junior events, were outstanding. Robertson has had a long and successful career as a junior and still has a year there. The junior beltman’s competition was a difficult one. The buoys we're left out at the most distant markers, requiring a very long swim on a fairly high tide. Three of the five finalists were from Canterbury—Robertson Graham, and B. Duncan (Sumner). The surf ski race invariably produces considerable excitement, and at Invercargill it was the closest possible finish. Sumner filled all three places —F. Halton, R. McNickel. and T. Pasley. Waimairi seemed certain to win the Furf canoe title, but failed in the last 50 yards, against the greater experience of the St. Clair crews »n handling “shoots.” It is now almost accepted that weather and sea conditions should play havoc with national championship programmes, and Oreti was no exception. A strong southerly gale brought up rough seas and much kelp, so that no water events were held until late on the first day. In all respects, arrangements for the chamoionships were first class, and the small committee which handled the Oreti meeting gave a lead in some ways to those conducting future championships. Two new features which might well be used again were the distribution, at regular intervals. o r newsletters dealing with championshin matters, and the gas-filled meteorological balloons used to indicate the positions of the buoys, which are often difficult to see on a lowbeach.