SURE LIFE-SAVING

Evening Post, Volume CCXV, Issue 13, 17 January 1938, Page 18

SURE LIFE-SAVING

MARANUFS DAX

LOCAL CHAMPIONS

SEVEN EVENTS, SIX TITLES

A remarkable series of successes was registered by the Maranui Club in the provincial surf life-saving championships held by the Wellington Surf Lifesaving Association at Worser Bay yesterday. Six of the seven events went to Maranui, and the seventh, the junior championship, was retained by Lyall Bay by the narrowest of margins. In two of the main events, the Silver Heel and the Wahler Cup.'all-Maranui finals were held, both club teams winning their respective heats. Worser Bay presented a brilliant spectacle under yesterday's hot sun. Water conditions were excellent, although there was no surf. A large number of spectators, was present, and the purpose of the various competitions was explained "■to;all by means of a public address system. Latei m the afternoon the small beach was full almost to capacity with visitors and residents of the district. The championships ran a little late .at times, but were carried through without a hitch. Teams from five Wellington clubs contested the seven championship events. BELTMEN'S TEAMS TROPHY. The first event on the programme, the beltmen's teams trophy, proved also one of the most interesting. Lyall Bay have been the holders for several years, and in the past have usually put in two teams. This year they were challenged by two Maranui and one Worser Bay team. The contest is held in four heats, one member of each competing team swimming in each heat. It is a straight-out race, with time.alone counting, and the winning team is the one which returns the lowest aggregate In "the first heat, Raven (Maranui B), gained several yards in the wade-in, and looked a likely winner. Clark (Maranui A), though he bored over to the left, steadily cut down Haven s lead, and touched the buoy a good 8 seconds ahead. N. Stokes (Lyall Bay) challenged Raven, but was not quite good enough. . . The second heat was the fastest in the contest, and proved a great duel between J. C. Blakeley (Lyall Bay) and D. Evans (Maranui A). Bagnall (Maranui B) held a starting advantage, but bored to the left. Blakeley and Evans were on even terms all the way out, but the Lyall Bay man managed to pull away at the finish, and touched a yard ahead. „ A three-cornered battle between R. Pelham (Lyall Bay), J. Hatchwell '(Maranui A), and H. C. Downs (Maranui B) characterised the third heat The three stayed close together all the way out, and the course swum made all the difference. Pelham touched first, • with Hatchwell two yards behind and Downs third.

Matters were still in doubt by the fourth heat, in which C. Claridge (Maranui A), T. Hewitt (Maranui B), and G. Williams (LyaU Bay) fought out the decisibn. Claridge made no mistake, however, and both he and Hewitt beat the Lyall Bay man to the buoy by a good margin. Detailed Result.—Maranui A, Bmin 15 3-ssec 1; (J. T. Clark 2min 4sec, D. K. Evans Imin" 57 2-ssec, J. Hatchwell 2min 2sec, C. E. Claridge 2min 12sec); Lyall Bay, Bmin 35sec, 2 (N. Stokes 2min 14sec, J. C. Blakeley Imin 56 3-ssec, R. Pelham 2min, G. Williams 2min 24 3-ssec); Maranui B, Bmin 51 3-ssec, 3 (E. A. Raven 2min 12sec, D. Bagnall 2min 18 2-ssec, H. C. Downs 2min 6sec, T. B. Hewitt 2min 15 l-ssec); Worser Bay, 4 (J. Bennett 3min 4sec, C. Jones 3min, W. Ritchards 3min 58 2-ssec, F, Hollis 3min 51 l-ssec). INDIVIDUAL TITLE. The individual title was swum between the winners of the four heats. In this event, it was unfortunate that D. Evans, who had returned the second fastest time in the teams race, could not qualify. J. C. Blakeley and R. Pelham (Lyall Bay) and J. T. Clark and C. E. Claridge (Maranui) were the finalists, Clark defending the title. From the outset it was plain that the decision would be between Blakeley and Clark, with Claridge close up. The Lyall Bay man held a slight advantage for a time, but Clark, moving into the lead, held it despite Blakeley's best efforts, and touched the buoy, a foot ahead. His time was 2min 12Jsec, and Blakeley's was 2min 13sec. NOVICE CUP. Three teams, Island Bay, Paekakariki, and Maranui, entered for the Novice Cup championship, a rescue and resuscitation event for teams of six and a cantain. In the water, V. Baird opened up a lead on Island Bay for Maranui, and F. Staub, in the belt, improved the position. Paekakariki put up a good display, but lost on water-work. All three teams, were good for their class. Details:—Maranui (C. R. Durrant, captain, V. Baird, F. Staub, R. Hatchwell, D. Aitcheson, V. Yaul, H. Phythian), 1; Island Bay, 2; Paekakariki, 3. THE SILVER REEL. The premier championship, the Silver Reel senior six-man rescue and resuscitation event, was contested by six teams, three from Maranui, two from LyaU Bay, and one from Worser Bay. It was unfortunate for the final that the holders, Lyall1 Bay A, met the two strongest challengers, Maranui A and B, in the first heat. J. Hatchwell and H. Downs gave Maranui A a good lead in 1 the water, and land work clinched the heat for that team. In the second heat, Lyall Bay B led Maranui C by a handy margin in the water, with Worser Bay close up. A faulty resuscitation helped to lose Lyall Bay B the heat. The final was an all-Maranui one, between the A and C teams. Both teams took it easy in the water, and put on a good land display. The result was as follows:—Maranui A (E. B. Hughes, captain, D. K. Evans, T. B; Hewitt, J. Hatchwell, J. T. Clark, H. C. Downs, R. Hatchwell), 1; Maranui C (C. R. Mentiplay, captain, J. Gray, P. E. Aldous, D. McPherson, N. T. Caradus, C. R. Durrant, P. Rosie), 2. WAHLER CUP. The four-man alarm championship, for the Wahler Cup, was competed for by eight teams, including three from Lyall Bay, two each from Maranui and Worser Bay, and one from Island Bay. The first heat was won narrowly in the water by Maranui A, the beltman's time being 2min 17 2-ssec, as against Lyall Bay A's 2min 19sec. In the second heat, Lyall Bay C beat Maranui B in the water by two seconds, with Lyall Bay B a second behind. Maranui picked up on resuscitation and land-drill, and won the heat. The winners' time was 2min lOsec. The final was an all-Maranui one, and was won by a fraction of a point by the A team, largely by resuscitation. The B team was first out to the buoy in 2min 32sec. Details: Maranui A (E. A. Raven patient, J. Hatchell belt, E. B. Hughes captain and reel, T. Hewitt line), 1; Maranui B (J. Clark, D. Evans, K. Hogg, H. Hawken), 2. JUNIOR CUP. Three teams, Lyall Bay, Paekakariki, and Maranui, contested the Junior Cup, and showed high proficiency on land and in the water. F. Staub opened a lead for Maranui against W. Cole, of Lyall Bay, who went off his course. V. Yaul, in the Maranui belt, increased the lead, and Maranui completed the water-work over a minute ahead. The decision, which took into account resuscitation, land-work, etc., gave the cup to Lyall Bay, but there is a possibility that a mistake has been made in recording the times. A protest has been lodged, and will be considered. The placings u given out were:—Lyall Bay (W. Oriffen, captain, W. Cole, C. Stoddart, J Beli F. .Barnes, S. Scoones, J. BlackieL 1: Maranui (C. R. Durrant,

son, R. Hatchwell, J. Wootton, V. Baird), 2. OTHER EVENTS. Maranui were the only entrants for the land-drill championship. The team (E. Raven, captain, K. Stephen, R. Hawken, J. Gray, C. Durrant, P. Aldous, P. Rosie) gave a polished display of the methods of rescue, release, and resuscitation. During the afternoon, a march-past display was held, and chariot races, pyramids, and other beach pastimes filled in the spaces between events. At the conclusion, Mr. N. A. Ingram, secretary of'the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Association, congratulated the winners. .^_____