KIWI PAUL SPOILS FOSTER'S PARTY AT THE MOUNT

March 11: Kurrawa Kiwi Paul Cracroft-Wilson upset arch rival and nine-time champion Morgan Foster in the New Zealand beach flags championship at Mount Maunganui today.

Foster again fell at the last hurdle in his pursuit of a 10th win.

It was Cracroft-Wilson who grabbed his fourth win in the last five years, underscoring his status as the current world champion.

Cracroft-Wilson will line up for Kurrawa, chasing the vacant crown left by retired Australian champion Simon Harris, at next month's DHL Aussies on his home sands at Kurrawa (April 2-10).

"The boys have really stepped it up this year and that was probably one of the hardest finals I've ever been involved in, especially in New Zealand but that's the one I've wanted all year," Cracroft-Wilson said.


But there was no such luck for Kurrawa's six-time and reigning Australian champion Melissa Howard in the women's flags.

The crown again went to South Brighton's Chanel Hickman (who will also race for Kurrawa at the Aussies).

"The key was wanting it really, really badly and knowing that this was my home beach and there was no way I was going to let an Aussie take the title," a jubilant Hickman said.

"To know that I'm up there is a massive confidence boost for Aussies and it's an incredible feeling knowing that's the league I'm in now."

Kurrawa's new recruit from Portsea (Vic) Kelly McDonnell - one of the faces on this year's Aussies promotional material, finished second in the under 19 beach flags.

Meanwhile Glenn Anderson opened his campaign in familiar fashion.

The 31-year-old New Plymouth Old Boys competitor grabbed another national run-swim-run title in perfect Mount Maunganui surf, outsprinting Midway's Kurrawa-based Mike Janes in the final 40m.

In the 10 times the race has been run since the run-swim-run was introduced in 2002, Anderson has now won it six times and finished second twice, but this one was extra sweet as he comes back from taking six months off after last year's world championships.

"I wasn't sure what races I was going to do this weekend but I got through my board heat and won my board semi and got a lot of confidence from that," Anderson said.

"I thought my season would only involve Surf League this year but it's nice weekend in Mount Maunganui and I'm just still happy to be out there and still competitive."

Janes continued a streak of minor places in the event, having now finished runner-up three times and third twice.

"Mike was next to me and when we came around the cans and the wave came up, I knew we'd both hold it all the way to the beach" said Anderson.

"He had a better line to the finish but he got a bit mixed up where the turning flag was on the run home.  I'd marked where it was before the race so managed to get the jump on him."

The women's run-swim-run was taken out by Mount Maunganui's Aimee Berridge, with the Queensland-based Kiwi getting the jump on defending champion Ayla Dunlop-Barrett, who will race for Northcliffe at the Aussies.

Anderson added another title on a busy opening day, also taking out the open tube rescue title with clubmate Isaac Owen, while Dunlop-Barrett and Ellish Hurley completed a good day for the Taranaki club by winning the women's tube rescue.

Mount Maunganui also collected a win in the women's board rescue through Johanna O'Connor and Arna Wright and helped the host club take an early lead in the overall standings.

Mount are on 31 points, six ahead of New Plymouth Old Boys with Papamoa another point behind.

Results:

Men:

Open: Run-swim-run: Glenn Anderson (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1, Michael Janes (Midway) 2, Brad Wilson (South Brighton) 3. Board rescue: Red Beach (Dylan French/Patrick Maney) 1, Westshore (Benjamin Gillies/Daniel Moodie) 2, Mt Maunganui (Andrew Newton/Cameron Witney) 3. Tube rescue: New Plymouth Old Boys (Glenn Anderson/Isaac Owen) 1, Red Beach (Sam Cosgrove/Chris Moors) 2, Midway (Jack Gavin/Michael Janes) 3. Beach flags: Paul Cracroft-Wilson (Fitzroy) 1, Morgan Foster (South Brighton) 2, Murdoch Finch (Titahi Bay) 3.

Under 19: Board rescue: Mt Maunganui (Richard Murray/Blake Williamson) 1, Lyall Bay (Ryan Cox/Tyler Maxwell) 2, Red Beach (Dylan French/Jared Pouwhare) 3. Tube rescue: Lyall Bay (Ryan Cox/Tyler Maxwell) 1, Mt Maunganui (Blake Williamson/Cameron Witney) 2, Midway (Chris Dawson/Corey Davis) 3. Beach flags: Kodi Harman (Papamoa) 1, James Banhidi (Mt Maunganui) 2, James Bishop (South Brighton) 3.

Under 16: Board rescue: New Plymouth Old Boys (Ben Nelson/Mitchell Owen) 1, Papamoa (Jackson Edwards/Daniel Kayes) 2, Paekakariki (Seth Forbes/Kurtis Imrie) 3. Tube rescue: Papamoa (Jackson Edwards/Daniel Kayes) 1, Papamoa (Ben Johnston/Mason Pickering) 2, Papamoa (Hamish Smith/Michael Bryant) 3. Beach flags: Simon Malu (Papamoa) 1, Daniel Rippon (Piha) 2, Temuera Forbes (Paekakariki) 3.

Women:

Open: Run-swim-run: Aimee Leigh Berridge (Mt Maunganui) 1, Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth Old Boys) 2, Nikki Cox (Westshore) 3.  Board rescue: Mt Maunganui (Johanna O'Connor/Arna Wright) 1, Mairangi Bay (Madison Boon/Bailey Elliott) 2, Piha (Jessica Parr/Emily Pearce) 3. Tube rescue: New Plymouth Old Boys (Ellish Hurley/Ayla Dunlop-Barrett) 1, Piha (Jessica Parr/Kirsty Wannan) 2, Mairangi Bay (Madison Boon/Bailey Elliott) 3. Beach flags: Chanel Hickman (South Brighton) 1, Melissa Howard (Kurrawa, Australia) 2, Alison Craigie (Muriwai) 3.

Under 19: Board rescue: Mt Maunganui (Cara Ryan/Brooklyn Reardon-Nikara) 1, Red Beach (Georgia Lloyd/Caitlin Ryan) 2, Omanu (Ashley Cochrane/Dannielle O'Connor) 3. Tube rescue: St Clair (Carina Doyle/Jordy Fogerty) 1, Mt Maunganui (Jessica Hough/Cara Ryan) 2, Lyall Bay (Emma Robinson/Brooke Watt) 3. Beach flags: Casey Stevens (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1, Kelly McDonnell (Kurrawa, Australia) 2, Brydhi Stark (Muriwai) 3.

Under 16: Board rescue: Papamoa (Natalie Peat/Kathryn Stewart) 1, Waikanae (Ashleigh Hurring/Grace Sharp) 2, Omanu (Ashley Cochrane/Katherine Wilson) 3. Tube rescue: Red Beach (Lauren Bailey/Briar McLeely) 1, Mt Maunganui (Vivien Conway/Amber Hyde) 2, Midway (Dallas Parkinson/Olivia Scott) 3. Beach flags: Emily Hodges (Piha) 1, Eloise Stevens (New Plymouth Old Boys) 2, Caitlin Procter (Papamoa) 3.

Points: Mount Maunganui 31, New Plymouth Old Boys 25, Papamoa 24, Red Beach 18, Lyall Bay 8, South Brighton 7, Midway and St Clair 5, Mairangi Bay, Muriwai, and Westshore 4, Waikanae and Fitzroy 3, Paekakariki and Omanu 2, Titahi Bay and Sumner 1.