Surf Championships

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31304, 25 February 1967, Page 11

Surf Championships

'ALTHOUGH placings in A men’s swimming events may be beyond the compass of Canterbury competitors, the team and craft events should yield many points to the seven Christchurch metropolitan clubs when the finals of the New Zealand life-saving championships are held at Warrington Beach, Dunedin, today and tomorrow. It is usual for the main interest to centre on the senior surf race and belt race championships, and on present form it is unlikely that the perennial belt winner, K. Harker (Red Beach) or the surf race and national pool swimming champion, D. F. Gerrard (St. Clair), will be beaten. Surf racing, especially, can be governed by several factors,

form and ability being the greater or lesser of them. But should the surf be moderate, Canterbury’s only representatives to reach the national trials (G. Le Cren and J. A. Lee) will be hard pressed to beat the test men. Lee, a grand trier, has seen better days, and Le Cren, although he was one of the eight finalists from 45 entrants in last year’s belt championship, is restricted in his training by his profession. I. Gunthorp (North Beach) has proved himself Canterbury’s leading surf racer several times over, but A. Harrow is not far behind him. Neither is yet in top national class. It is in the team events that Canterbury clubs should do well. The rivalry between Taylor’s Mistake

and South Brighton in sixman competition—they have had two wins each—has brought them both within reach of Waikanae’s score that won the Nelson Shield last year. In the women’s events, too, Canterbury clubs should make their presence felt South Brighton women have not been beaten in the last seven national rescue and resuscitation championships

Much interest will be taken in the South Brighton four-man alarm team and whether its remarkable points deduction (1.40) at the last Canterbury championship was the result of superb drilling or the scrutiny of just one judge, instead of the usual three. A repetition would almost certainly win the title.

Walmalrl and North Beach should earn points in the board and ski races for they possess probably more active champions and former champions in these events than any other clubs in New Zealand. Particular attention will be paid to D. Dalton (North Beach) who is expected to tackle both ski and both board events—a large assignment North Beach, with the experienced Western Australia representative, G. Soulas, as its new sweep, will issue a strong challenge in the senior boat race. The club paid £BOO for the boat, which is built on the latest Australian design, and the crew, which has two changes from last year, has been training in it for the last four months.