Few doubtful positions to tax the surf selectors

Press, 3 February 1982, Page 20

Few doubtful positions to tax the surf selectors

By

RAY CAIRNS

The absences of boat and canoe crews from the competition to be faced by the Canterbury surf lifesaving team on its tour to Australia next month makes relatively easy the job of the selectors.

At the week-end, Messrs Allen Lee, Barry Turpin and Harley Turnbull will name their teams to contest both the national inter-districts championships, at Warrington Beach on March 4, and the side to leave for competition in Victoria and South Australia a week later.

The teams will be quite markedly different. The men’s team of up to 17 —

and sure to be that size — for the Wales Bank nationals includes boat and canoe crews, and tube rescue, events not to be contested in Australia.

Also, the board specialist, David Conder (Taylors Mistake), is available for Warrington where he is not for the longer journey; unfortunately, neither Phillip Seal (Waikuku Beach) nor Grant Forbes (Waimairi) is available for either trip. Also, Tom von Biel (Spencer Park) is not attending the national championships because of a clash with the track and field championships. But it must be earnestly hoped that he will at

least contest the inter-dis-trict championships, two days before the start of the athletics. The team for Australia is clearly the easier to select and, indeed, the final place may well be decided by running and swimming form in the Fresh Up South Island championship at Waikuku Beach over the week-end. For the rest, there can be little problem in filling the team. With Forbes out, Gary Connor (Waikuku) and Lacnie Marshall (New Brighton) seem obvious choices with their only real challenger Nigel Ward (New Brighton). They finished in that order in the Canterbury belt championship. Of the six-man team which drilled so smoothly in its victory against the touring Australians — a feat beyond the New Zealand team —

Seal’s unavailability is covered simply by Bryce Ward (South Brighton). As well as his depth of experience in drill, Ward has also

had an eminently satisfactory season of surf races, and was runner-up to Seal in the Canterbury senior belt championship. So he will undoubtedly join Chris Ellis (Waikuku) in that event as well.

The other four, who should join them in the six-man, are Simon Davis, Daryl Neate, Tim Bodger (all Taylors Mistake) and Kelvin Bishop (South Brighton).

To them must be added von Biel, for beach sprint, flags and relay; Geoff Walker, for his host of events but most importantly surf ski and iron man; Ken Jones, in the absence of Conder, for malibu board, six-man backup, and beach sprint and relay. So a single place remains. Jones, von Biel and Davis are clear candidates for the beach relay so, unless Neate is used, another swift runner — with other qualifications — is needed.

That brings David Clarke (North Beach) into the pic-

ture, and his form over the week-end will be keenly w'atched. Otherwise, if Neate is used to run, then the selectors could look at a swimming specialist, but this is not an area in which Canterbury is presently very strong. John Dimick (Taylors Mistake) has the best credentials, but is he sufficiently versatile? The other possibility is a first-year senior, like Dean Waru (South Brighton), if it is considered that Davis, say, has a sufficiently heavy work-load and could be rested from the iron man, perhaps, or six-man. But the very fit Davis seems to have no problems handling a heavy work-load so Clarke — in the right sort of speed, over sand and water — should win the final place. The teams for the interdistrict championships are rather more complex, though Connor and Marshall are still

the likely juniors. Another five places will be taken by the boat crew — assuredly from North Beach — with two of that team, Rob Lindsay and John Clarke (provided his hamstring injury heals), also filling beach relay places. So 10 places remain, and the useful theory is that the 10 seniors going to Australia should fill them. But Conder is likely to return for Jones, and there is also the question of fielding a canoe crew and tube rescue specialists. That brings Carl Immers (Taylors Mistake) strongly into the reckoning for the tube, and Geoff Le Cren and Paul Carpinter (also Taylors Mistake) for six-man and canoe. There are fewer complications in picking the women’s team, with the emphasis on beach, swimming and drill events. Jackie Manger (Spencer Park) was a very dominant winner of the Canterbury beach sprint title, and second to Anthea Forbes (Waimairi) in the flags. It would not be a major surprise if both these youngsters were chosen. Tracey Turnbull (Waikuku) is a natural choice for the belt, not just because she holds the Canterbury title,

but also that would save the likes of Janice . Murdoch (Waimairi) and Jo Barker (South Brighton) for the drill events and the surf race, still demanding programmes.

Turnbull, of course, could • also run the beach relay, and that team be completed by Jo Watt (New Brighton), another very experienced drill specialist. The long-standing Canterbury team captain, Jan Pinkerton (New Brighton), and South Brighton’s Janice Beaumont also seem very likely choices for R and R, And with an eye to the future and to the surf races, Andrea McKendry (New Brighton) would probably be the best choice to join Murdoch, Barker, Watt, Pinkerton and Beaumont in the team for the six. She is the most consistent, behind Murdoch, in the three championship surf races so far held. That leaves out such doughty performers as Gillian Smeith (Waimairi), Pat Darch (South Brighton) and Jenny Harding (New Brighton), and the sprinter, Mary Gibson (Waimairi). But it will still be a very strong team and one well capable of embellishing Canterbury’s fine record in the inter-districts championships.