Walker surprise for Victorians

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 36

Walker surprise for Victorians

By

RAY CAIRNS

“Anyone who beats Geoff Walker on Sunday in either the ski or the iron man will have to be really exceptional or catch the luckiest wave at Taylors Mistake.” This • was the assessment of Canterbury’s outstanding surf-lifesaver on the recent tour of Victoria by the team’s manager, Mr Allen While stressing that every member of the team improved on his South Island championship performances, held just before the team departed, Mr Lee made it clear that Walker was the outstanding individual. “When he won the iron man in the first carnival, this really set back the Victorians. They didn’t think we would have T anyone to touch their iron men, but then he went and did it again in the second carnival, and won even more easily.” Walker won one of his ski races and was second in the other although losing about 20m when knocked off his ski by the second of two big waves. In addition to his iron man successes, he w 7 as a close second to Kevin Baker in the malibu board, was the first Canterbury swimmer to finish both surf races, and was a key member of the taplin relay team which won in the second carnival. The other outstanding feature was the two victories by the “very, very good” six-man rescue and resuscitation team. It had only 5.20 deductions in the second carnival to Victoria’s 9.00.

However, Victoria won both carnivals, 62-42, then 58-48 on Sunday, results that were largely governed by the very small surf. “Victoria was just too strong in the straight swimming, and the surf just wasn’t there for us to have any chance.” Mr Lee expressed great pleasure in the vast improvement by the Canterbury team, not ’ust from the first carnival to the second, but also in so markedly closing the gap from when Victoria toured New Zealand and competed against Canterbury for the Trans Tours T rophy two seasons ago. Once again, though, the Victorians showed their dominance in the beach events. However, the Canterbury specialist, Francis Lawrence, kept them up to their work with his two seconds in the beach sprint, and a

second placing in one of the beach flags contests. Mr Lee concluded that the tour was a very worthwhile venture, because “all the team members learned something about all the events, and we learned something about running the events, as well.” He predicted a big onslaught by the Canterbury jteam members on the “K i Day” events on Sunday, but ; facetiously warned that the rescue and resuscitation experts will have to watch that they don’t stay with bad habits. Australian R and R conditions vary in part from those in New Zealand '