Northcliffe takes pointscore honours after Kenny steers Alex to masterful wins

 Surf Life Saving Australia, April 14, 2015: The Masters competition finished up today at the 2015 Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships at North Kirra with Gold Coast Club Northcliffe (292) successfully defending their Masters pointscore title comfortably ahead of Noosa Heads (187) and North Burleigh (175).

Northcliffe dominated the water areas in both the male and female areas with two-time Australian ironwoman champion Kristyl Smith joining Lee Vrolyks and Anna Ballara in the winners circle.

Seventy-one year-old Allan Nicholls proved unstoppable on his board and on the beach in an inspiring display for Northcliffe.

Meanwhile, Sydney Northern Beaches club Queenslciff (163) with their beach sprinters in full cry were fourth ahead of the vastly improving Bondi (161), Mooloolaba (153), Alexandra Headland (153), North Bondi (121), Kurrawa (111) and Maroochydore (110).

Alexandra Headland legend Grant Kenny steered his original club to gold in the ski relay with former nemesis Russell Cooper and club coach Jeff Lemarseny before taking out the double ski with Lemarseny.

Kenny will now turn his attentions to the open competition with his major focus on the single ski and double ski.

“If I can get out of the first round of the ski, then I’ll be happy,” said the 51-year-old super fit two-time Olympian and ironman legend.

“We made the semi-finals of the double ski last year so to get that far again would be great.

“But it’s the depth that has improved greatly these days – in my day we never saw anyone from inter-state until we came to the Aussies.

“Now days they race week-in week-out.”

The women’s area saw the star-studded Northcliffe team of two-time Ironwoman champion Kristyl Smith joining Lee Vrolyks and Ana Ballara to win 110 years ski and board relays while Smith and Vrolyks combined with Joanne Marrabelle to win the Taplin and Vrolyks combined with Tiarne Smith to win the 30-34 years double ski.

Northcliffe’s 71-year-old Alan Nicholls, who won the board final yesterday, capped a big day ,winning the beach flags and the 1km beach run before combining with Scott Unicomb and Scott Oxenford to cause an upset win in the 170 years board relay.

There were some stirring victories in an exciting day’s racing, none more than in the Taplin Relays – with the Freshwater team of Peter Obern (ski), Kurt Hanson (swim) and Michael Kirkby (board) overcoming the adversity of a sprained ankle to Obern to win the gold in a dramatic finish over North Bondi in the 110 years.

It came down to a shoulder-to-shoulder tussle to the finish with Freshwater’s determined Kirkby digging deep to nudge past the equally determined former ironman star Scott Thompson who had joined Kirkby on the leaders wave.

It was gold medal number five for Hanson after the Australian open belt champion had already picked up honours in the surf race, board race, tube race and surf teams with John de Mestre and Grant Coates.

The 150 years Taplin saw the Surfers Paradise B team of Robert Dorrough, Martin Ashfield and Craig Chapman down Kenny’s Alexandra Headlands team with Lemarseny and Rick Pallister and Northcliffe’s Robert Pade, Gavin Hill and Paul Blackbeard.

Again this finish went down to the wire with Ashfield holding on to beat the fast finishing Kenny and Hill to claim the victory.

There was also great jubilation in the Caves Beach camp from Newcastle with the unfashionable combination of Murray Davies, Bryan Searle and Mark Watson upsetting the Surfers Paradise legends team of Trevor Hendy, Dave Orchard and Dwayne Thuys.

Maroochydore figured prominently winning the 130 years surf team with Wade Lee, Jae Marr and Ashley Massie after Massie combined with brother Dale4 and Kirk Jarrott to take the ski relay from North Bondi’s Paul Tatham, Scott Thompson and Olympian Jim Walker with North Burleigh’s Mike Murray, Michael Waide ad Brett Williams third.

North Burleigh’s former Australian single ski champion Nick Crilly and Shaun Spencer combined to win the 30-39 years double ski while Northcliffe pair Rob Forsyth and Doug Iredale won the 55-59 years and their club mates Campbell Seaward and Russ Trueman won the 70 plus division.

Crilly later teamed up with Murray and Tim walker to win the 110 years Taplin in a 1-2 North Burleigh finish from Bad Rodgers, Chris Wood and Spencer wih Freshwater’s de Mestre and Coates combining with board paddler Matt Lemon to take the bronze.

The 170 years Taplin saw Northcliffe claim gold with the combination if Stephen Fry, Doug Iredale and Bruce Kolkka.

In the boat area Coolangatta, swept by Phil Hammond won gold in the men’s 220 years final from Sydney Northern Beaches South Curl Curl (swept by Chris Fleming) with Coffs Harbour third.

Meanwhile in the boat area crews had to negotiate a 1.5m wave at Tugun which saw South Curl Curl, swept by Chris Flemming, lead until just before the finish line in the men’s 220 years final with local crew Coolangatta, with Phil Hammond at the helm, pushing through for victory.

Mick McBean swept the Elouera Great Men to beat North Cronulla Gold and Currumbin Bezerkas to win the 140 years men’s final.

Elouera, the NSW champions, turned first and put a gap on the field but had to survive a side swipe from Byron Bay near the line with North Cronulla (Steve Swaine) almost sneaking up the southern side to claim victory.

Long Reef held off Kurrawa and Anglesea to win gold in the 260 years men’s final with Mooloolaba proving too strong for Southport and Fairhaven to win the men’s 240 years championship.

In the women’s Met Caloundra Mystics tied with Anglesea in the 120 years final with The Grange taking bronze, while Elouera won its second title of the day in the 140 years division from Caves Beach and Mooloolaba.  

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Issued on behalf of Surf Life Saving Australia by

Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia Managing Director
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