Paul Bethell top individual surf life-saver

Press, 1 February 1988, Page 19

Paul Bethell top individual surf life-saver

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Paul Bethell, an extremely versatile and talented competitor from the South Brighton club showed outstanding stamina to win the Radio Avon Trophy for the top individual at the Rheineck Canterbury surf life-saving championships at North Beach at the week-end. Bethell did not win an individual title, but he competed in 12 different

events at the week-end and that effort earned him 25 points to head Lars Humer (Taylors Mistake) by two points. Humer won three individual titles. Goeff Barry (South Brighton) with 21 points was placed third. Bethell spread himself around the beach competing in swimming, board, and drill events.

Humer, as expected, was a dominant figure in

the championships. Before Christmas he spent several weeks with the Manly club in Sydney, competing and training, thanks to a sponsorship from Cad-bury-Moro.

The benefit of that sojourn was displayed in the events which he. won at the week-end. He surprised by beating Grant Forbes (New Brighton), the titleholder in the individual surf race.

In the iron man final he cleared out from the field at an early stage and was never seriously challenged, and he also won the run-swim-run with more than 100 metres of clear beach to the next competitor. If ever a title was deserved it was the junior belt final won by Aaron Davis (South Brighton). It was his first Canterbury title.

At the start of the final

Davis ploughed into the surf unaware that something was amiss behind him. A problem with the line jammed the reel but Davis pushed on regardless, dragging the reel and stand behind him. Davis overcame the misfortune and the opposition with a determined swim to win the title. The malibu 'board and surf ski finals in the open grade produced spectacular finishes. Chris Hall

(New Brighton) and John Creighton (South Brighton) approached the finish neck and neck, but in the last 20 metres Hall caught a wave while Creighton slipped off the back of the same wave and saw his chance for the title disappear. Geoff Walker (Waimairi) and Dean Waru (Taylors Mistake) were even closer in the last stages of the surf ski final. In a furious paddle

to the finish Walker pipped Waru by less than a length. Two of the most skilled performances of the week-end came from the South Brighton women’s four place and six place rescue and resuscitation teams. In the six place final south Brighton had a remarkable 1.50 points deducted, and in the four place final the team dropped just 0.64 of a point.