Tour Too Long, Says Surf Team Manager

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32266, 8 April 1970, Page 16

Tour Too Long, Says Surf Team Manager

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. The present system of a six-week tour in Australia for the New Zealand surf lifesaving team was too severe, the manager of < the recently returned national team (Mr F. G. Ryan, of Rotorua) said yesterday.

“If the six-state, six-week tour is to continue in the future, it would be better to time it so that the test falls in the middle of the visit instead of at the end. It is too tough for the life-savers to hold their form throughout

the whole six weeks,” he said. An even better solution to avoid strain on the team would be to substitute a three-state tour for the present one, Mr Ryan said. Success In Tasmania “On one tour the team could compete in three .of the states and the next team could compete in the other three,” he added. The most successful of all state contests was the open carnival in Tasmania. "The New Zealand team almost scooped the poo), win-* ning the six-man rescue and resuscitation. senior surf relay,' junior surf relay, beach relay and senior surf race. "The junior surf relay win was particularly impressive a> New Zealand had only twd juniors, swimming two legs each, against a full four-man Tasmanian team and three club teams. The New Zealand juniors, D. Knapman (Fitxroy) and P. Ryan (Mount Maunganui), still managed to finish 20 yards ahead of the Tasmanians."

Well Beaten In Test Throughout the tour, the New Zealanders had three wins and. two seconds in the senior rescue and resuscitation events and four wins and two seconds in the march past. However, the New Zealanders could not manage their best performances in the test, held in Victoria at the end of the tour, said Mr Ryan. New Zealand had lost all 10 events. al» though most races were extremely close.