SURF CHAMPIONSHIP

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1935, Page 7

SURF CHAMPIONSHIP

NEW ZEALAND TITLES FOURTEEN TEAMS COMPETING. CLUBS THROUGHOUT DOMINION. GATHERING AT FITZROY BEACH. Foui-teen clubs from widely spread parts of New Zealand are to send teams to the New Zealand surf life-saving championships to be held at Fitzroy beach, New Plymouth, on Saturday and Sunday week. The only South Island club to attend is St. Clair (Dunedin), but from Wellington there are to be Lyall Bay and Maranui, from Auckland Takapuna, Milford and Eastern United (Brown’s Bay), and from Wanganui the Castlecliff club, while Taranaki will be represented by New Plymouth Old Boys (present New Zealand champion), Opunake (Taranaki champion in 1935), Fitzroy (New Plymouth), East End (New Plymouth), Patea and Ohawe (Hawera). The total numbers of entries are: New Zealand senior championship (Nelson Shield), 14 teams; New Zealand junior championship (William Henry Memorial Shield), 5 teams; march past championship, 11 teams; 4-man alarm championship, 20 teams; New Zealand beltman’s championship,. 17 teams. Advice concerning the entries was received from the New Zealand Council by Mr. R. H. Perkins yesterday morning. The entries and heats are as follow:— March past (order of marching): Patea, Lyall Bay, Ohawe, Takapuna, Opunake, Eastern United, New Plymouth Old Boys, East End, Maranui, Waitemata and Fitzroy.

Nelson Shield:—First heat: Takapuna, Eastern United, New Plymouth Old Boys, Lyall Bay A. Second heat: Opunake, Maranui, Ohawe. Third heat: Patea, St. Clair, Fitzroy, Lyall Bay B. Fourth heat: Waitemata, East End, Milford. Beltman’s championship (first and second in each heat qualify):—First heat: St. Clair A, Opunake B, Ohawe, Fitzroy B, Lyall Bay B, Opunake A. Second heat: St. Clair B, Milford, Lyall Bay A, Maranui, Waitemata, Lyall Bay C. Third heat: Patea, Takapuna A, Takapuna B, Fitzroy A, New Plymouth Old Boys. , Four-men alarm:—First heat: Maranui B. St. Clair B, Patea, East End, Milford A. Second heat: Ohawe, New Plymouth Old Boys, Opunake A, Fitzroy B, Lyall Bay A. Third heat: St. Clair A, Opunake B, Maranui A, Takapuna A, Lyall Bay B. Fourth heat: Fitzroy A, Waitemata, Eastern United, Takapuna B, Milford b. ; New Zealand junior championship:— First heat: New Plymouth Old Boys, Fitzroy. Second heat: Opunake, East Erid, Maranui.' The main officials will be: Referee, Mr. V. Allan (Worser Bay, Wellington); marshal, Mr. M. Smale, (New Plymouth); assistant marshal, Mr. N. A. Ingram (Wellington); judges, Nelson Shield, Messrs. Feist (Canterbury), P. Edwards (Wellington) and R. G. Howell (New Plymouth); four-man event, Messrs. Feist, Edwards and N. Berge (New Plymouth); junior championship, Messrs. Edwards, Faulkner (Wellington) and Berge; march past, Messrs. G. E. Jago (New Plymouth) and Edwards; judges’ convener, Mr. J. F. Alexander (chief honorary instructor, Wellington); New Zealand secretary, Mr. F. Chapman (Wellington); local secretary, Mr. R. H. Perkins (New Plymouth); assistant local secretary, Mr. H. H. Ross (Taranaki delegate New Zealand Ccuncil, Wellington). Entries for the minor events and appointment of minor officials, mostly from Taranaki members, will be announced later. In the heats given above teams will take their places on the beach in the order given, No. 1 position being first on the right facing the water. Arrangements are being made to have a team on the beach apart from competition work in case of emergency. AUCKLAND TEAMS’ WORK. TAKAPUNA’S CHANCES FAVOURED. All Auckland clubs are training hard for the New Zealand surf championships and the Auckland championships, to be held at Milford on Sunday, should give some indication of the form to ,be expected from Auckland clubs. From the standard of work shown to date, last year’s Auckland champion, Takapuna, should be hard to displace, particularly in the rescue and resuscitation event. In the march past big things are expected of Waitemata, while the Milford girls should also afford keen competition. After last year’s display, when they won the Auckland provincial and also the New Zealand titles in the march past, .Takapuna have slipped, and will have to improve considerably if they are to .retain their title. In all events, Milford are likely to be worthy of serious consideration, but are handicapped by last season’s period of inactivity. In the water events Takapuna is fielding all well experienced teams. Keen competition is expected from Eastern United. Takapuna is taking a strong team for the water events at the New Zealand championships, but in doing so has had to reduce its chances of retaining the march past championship. Unfortunately the club is hard pressed for funds and is unable to take more than the bare team which will have to participate in the march past as well. As the other clubs have communicated the personnel, of their teams direct to the New Zealand Council and have not advised the Auckland association of the names, it is not possible to estimate the strength of the teams. However, Auckland will be well represented at the carnival.