SURF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Evening Star, Issue 23496, 9 February 1940, Page 5

SURF CHAMPIONSHIPS

DRAW FOR NATIONAL FIXTURE ST. CLAIR IN EVERY EVENT - [Special to the ‘ Star.’] WELLINGTON, February 8. , Otago will have quite a large team of swimmers at the New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships, to be held ( at Lyall Bay on February 16, 17, apd *lB, rfiChe - drawvfor thetyarious- evetots has been made, and St. Clair’s chances can now be reviewed. _ . . . The club has two teams in the Nelson Shield six-man rescue event, the premier New Zealand title. St. Clair B, which comprises A. 11. Pritchard. H. D. Gillies, A. T. Raines, J. D. Alexander, W. A. Walker, and J. Cranston, has drawn the first heat with Ohawe (Taranaki), Titahi Bay (Wellington), Taylor’s Mistake (Canterbury), and Piha (Auckland). Of these, Taylor’s Mistake should be the hardest to beat,, having such swimmers as Symes, Goldsmith, and Young. The A team has drawn with Maranui A (Wellington), Fifzroy (Taranaki), and Island Bay (Wellington) in the fourth heat. The St. Clair team is E. B. Toase, C. Elliott, J. B. Robert, J. G. Reid, J. Durand, and O. J. Lawrence. Maranui, the holders, will be the toughest .proposition, possibly, out of the 17 entries, but it will be remembered that at New Brighton two years ago this same team met trouble in the heat, and,St. Clair went on to win the shield.

In the junior six-man event, which St. Clair won four years ago, there are 11 teams. The St. Clair team (J. G. Wilson, R. W. Buchanan, M. G. Myles, A. E. Cunningham, A. E Deuchress, R. B. Ingram) has drawn the second heat with East End (Taranaki), Lyall Bay (Wellington), and Sumner (Canterbury). This will also be a difficult heat, as the Lyall Bay team is a very strong combination, which recently won the Wellington title from Maranui.

St. Clair has, two entries and Oreti one in the senior beltman’s title. In the _ first heat, J. Durand will race against F. G. Ryan, H. Horsfall, and B. Milne. C. W. Elliott has D. H. Symes, H. Charters. R. Pelham, and P. E. Mathieson to beat in the second heat, a very strong field, including two Dominion representatives and a New Zealand champion. A. Brown, Oreti’s sole representative, has no fewer than three surf interoolonials against him— J. T. Clark (the holder), J. Williams, and J. A. Young. There are 25 entrants.

The junior event has a field of 16. Brown is in the second heat with K. Lovett (Castlecliff), J. Turner (Sumner), and L. Jarvis (Maranui). He is the only beltman entered in both events. G. G. Wilson is in the third heat with K. R. Porter (Lyall Bay), R. Mackenzie (New Brighton), and B. Clench (North Shore), and in the fourth heat A. E. Deucnress will swim against N. Chambers (New Brighton), N. Sutton (Sumner), and N. J. Davison (North Beach). St. Clair has two teams in the senior four-man event. The A team (C.- J. Lawrence, E. B. Toase, J. A. Durand, and C. W. Elliott) should win the third heat against Island Bay and Fitzroy. The B team (A. R. Pritchard/H. D. Gillies, J. G. Reid, and J. B. Robert) will contest the fourth heat against Lyall Bay B, Greymouth, and Titahi Bay. and should also com© close to winning the heat. There arc 22 entries. In the junior four-man event St. Clair has drawn the third heat with Maranui B, New Plymouth, and Castlecliff. New Brighton will be the hardest team in this heat to defeat, and one of the most difficult of the 11 contestants.

Marangi, St. Clair. Lyall Bay, and Piha (Auckland) will meet in three races for the first New Zealand surf boat championship to be decided. On recent showings Piha, with a new boat, will be the team to watch. Maranui has been unable to obtain delivery of its new boat, ordered last August from a New Zealand builder, and will probably bare to row in its old and heavy clinker-built boat. There are nine entries in the senior and six in the junior surf relay. In the senior event Maranui, Taylor’s Mistake, Waitemata, and Lyall Bay will he hard to beat. Maranui has D. K. Evans, J, T. Clark, R. Hatch well, and

F. Pennington ; Taylor’s Mistake D. H. Symes, J. A. Young, and H. Goldsmith ; Waitemata A. Pascoe and P. E. Mathieson; and Lyall Bay .1. C. Blakeley, 11. Pelham, and J. Williams. The junior event .will be an even closer bottle. * In the senior individual surf race St. Clair has entered A. It. Pritchard. E. B. Toase, J. G. Reid, J. B. Robert, and 0. J. Lawrence, A. Brown (Oreii)

is also entered in this event. The St, Clair entrants in the junior event are R. W. Buchanan, A. E. Dunningham, A. E. Deuchrass, and M. G. Myles Actually, the St. Clair Club has entered in all events, and the club’s chances are quite good in most. Oreti has been unable to get a team away, and has been forced to scratch in i\ost events; but has managed to send one representative^