SURF LIFE-SAVING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23133, 8 March 1937, Page 7

SURF LIFE-SAVING

* OTAGO CHAMPIONSHIPS BAD WEATHER MARS EVENTS The Otago Surf Life-saving Championships were held at St. Clair during the week-end, when Six and Four-men Championships and the Team Race for the Macassey Cup were decided. Saturday afternoon was taken up with the four-men event, in which five teams, two each from the St. Kilda and St. Clair Clubs, and one from Oreti (Southland) competed. A chilly breeze was blowing and a short, choppy surf and a strong rip towards Lawyer's Head rendered conditions particularly difficult for the competitors, but despite this the swims to the buoy put up by the beltmen and patients were, with one exception, remarkably good. Oreti was somewhat unfortunate in drawing first run-out, as the beltman and patient had no experience of St. Clair surf to draw from, and had to make the buoy in a sea that even local swimmers would have had some difficulty in judging. The visitors, however, registered good time in the circumstances and invested their drill with a snap and precision that was pleasing to watch. St. Clair A, with P. E. Mathieson in the belt and J. Durand as patient, scored a comparatively easy win, but

both swimmers were fortunate in striking a comparatively easy passage to the buoy, whereas St. Clair B, which took second place, had to contend with a series of heavy dumpers. The six-men and surf relay events were to have been decided yesterday, but the bad weather made it necessary to change the Surf Relay into a Surf Teams' Race. The sixmen event was won by Oreti. The following are the results:— FOUR-MEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Hope Cup) St. Clair A—J. Durand (patient), P. E. Mathieson (belt), A. C. Beadle (line), C. Elliott (reel) 1 St. Clair B—H. W. Lewis, H. D. Gillies, C. Gladwin, J. Robert 2 Oreti—P. Malthus, W. R. Springford, S. Glennie, W. Springford 3 Also competed: St. Kilda A and St. Kilda B. SIX-MEN CHAMPIONSHIP Oreti—A. Brown. P. Malthus, F. W. Springford, W. T. Springford, O. Davis, D. Davis, S. Glennie (captain) 1 St. Clair B 2 St. Clair A disqualified. SURF TEAMS' RACE. (Macassey Cup) St. Clair A—P. E. Mathieson, A. G. Beadle, J. Robert, J. Durand. C. Gladwin, H. Lewis, C. Elliott (instructor) 1 Oreti 2