Bad luck dogged Kindred at Ohope beach

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32872, 22 March 1972, Page 14

Bad luck dogged Kindred at Ohope beach

Although Canterbury lost the Norrie Trophy, the symbol of inter-district surf lifesaving superiority, its team members still performed extremely well in the annual carnival at Ohope beach, near Whakatane.

Canterbury had 49 points, compared with Wellington’s 65, but with a little more luck it could have been much closer. A. B. Kindred, who was judged last in the senior beltman’s race, was actually first, but the boat judge at the buoys did not see him touch. His tithe, however, shows that he was first comfortably.

The Canterbury six-man rescue and resuscitation team retained its title by a narrow margin from the Wellington team with a points deduction which was better than that which won Taylor’s Mistake the Nelson Shield in the national club championships two days later. The junior surf teams’ race was won by the Canterbury pair of M. L. Lewis and M. A. Harding, who were fourth and fifth respectively in the event.

Canterbury lost the senior surf teams’ race on a countback. Its last man home was only inches behind the last man of the winning team. D. Neate, with a third in the surf ski race and a second in the hoUowboard, gave the Canterbury total a boost. Although plagued by injuries, the women’s ream performed very well in finishing second to Wellington. Canterbury gained 44 points, only eight behind the winning team. The Canterbury women’s captain, Miss R. Pearson won the beach sprint and the women’s team won the beach relay comfortably. Miss S. Anderson, who was second in the women’s belt race, did remarkably well, for she had an injured knee. Other wins were gained by the women’s rescue and resuscitation team and the men’s and women’s teams in the march past. In the national club championships Kindred was again dogged by bad luck. He was disqualified from

the beltman’s event after being entered in the wrong heat, while Miss Pearson, after winning her heat in the corresponding women’s event, was also disqualified for not touching the buoy. Canterbury competitors found there were many variations in judging compared with what they were accustomed to in Christchurch. The South Brighton women’s team won the six-a-side rescue and resuscitation championship, but was disqualified in the four-a-side contest because the patient had assisted the beltman while being brought ashore. The New Brighton women’s team kept this title in Canterbury, however, and its team was second in the surf teams’ race. Kindred, the defending title-holder, was third in the individual senior surf race but he was only inches behind the winner, P. Laing (St Clair), and the runner-up, M. J. Borrie (St Clair). The race was the

closest for many years. Taylor’s Mistake retained the premier Nelson Shield for the senior six-man rescue and resuscitation, but probably more through good luck than good management. Taylor’s points deduction of 6.96 was relatively high for this event. The team’s winning total last year was 428. A Canterbury selector, Mr I. Kilroy, said Taylor’s Mistake made errors in its drill, but it was fortunate that the other finalists also made silly mistakes. In the four-man event Taylor’s Mistake was third. In the women’s four-a-side event the Waimairi team had the best qualifying total of 2.8, but it did not maintain its excellent form in the final and finished fifth. The Waimairi senior surf canoe crew maintained the form it has shown in carnivals in Christchurch this year and comfortably won the national title, but the club’s junior crew was beaten by the Muriwai club (Auckland).