North Burleigh returns to the summit of Australian IRB racing

Surf Sports, August 1: North Burleigh Surf Life Saving Club has returned to the summit of IRB racing in Australia, after a series of outstanding performances saw the club take out the overall title at the 2011 Australian IRB Championships at Glenelg Beach in South Australia yesterday.
 
In glorious conditions, North Burleigh won four of the nine events on offer at the Championships finishing on 30 points in the overall pointscore, narrowly ahead of New South Wales clubs, South Maroubra on 26 and Kiama Downs on 23.

The win saw the Gold Coast-club reclaim the mantle of Australia’s premier IRB racing club, which they relinquished in 2009 and 2010 after an unprecedented eight-year run as National champions.
 
When asked what this meant to the club, victorious captain, Andy Kelckhoven, summed it up succinctly.
 
“It’s massive for everyone involved, just massive," said Kelckhoven, whose excitement was mirrored by all his team mates.
 
“Everyone in the team has worked so hard to get this point and to come away with the trophy is such a great feeling.
 
“The racing was so competitive throughout the whole weekend – every club came here to win and at no point was the trophy ever safe."
 
For North Burleigh, the victory comes off the back of a concerted rebuilding process aimed at returning the club to its place at the top of IRB racing.

“We had a couple of rebuilding years and introduced a few new guys into the squad, and that mix of youth and experience has really paid off – everyone contributed over the weekend and the commitment was there for all to see.
 
"But it's not just us getting better, every state, club and individual has improved significantly over the last few years and that, I think, only makes this win so much more special."
 
North Burleigh started in grand fashion winning the first of the day’s finals – the Female Tube Rescue. From there they claimed another three gold in the Female Surf Rescue, the Male Teams Rescue and the marquee event, the IRB Relay.
 
The champions didn’t have things their own way, however, with several New South Wales clubs piling on immense pressure throughout the finals.
 
South Maroubra, who finished second on the day, took out two finals – the men’s tube rescue and men’s surf rescue - and threatened to cause a major boilover; but it wasn’t to be for the Sydney club who were the competition surprise packets.
 
Similarly, fellow NSW clubs, Thirroul and Kiama Downs each claimed one gold medal and finished third and fifth in the overall pointscore respectively.
 
Defending champions, Williamstown, could not replicate their form from 2010, but still left an indelible impression on the competition by winning a silver and three bronzes and coming in fourth overall.
 
North Burleigh’s win capped off a great weekend for Queensland IRB racing in general after the State took out the Interstate IRB Championships on Friday – and for Kelckhoven, the victories were extra sweet as he captained both teams.
 
“It was a great weekend for Queensland, winning the Interstates on Friday and now this - captaining the State and now North Burleigh to wins is a great honour,” said the beaming Kelckhoven, as the entire North Burleigh squad revelled in the moment.
 
Final pointscore
1. North Burleigh – 30
2. South Maroubra - 26
3. Kiama Downs – 23
4. Williamstown – 21
5. Thirroul – 20
6. Kurrawa – 17
7. Caves Beach – 12
8. Port Noarlunga – 10
9. South Port – 7
10. Tallebudgera - 7
 
Final Results
 
IRB Relay: 1. North Burleigh, 2. Thirroul, 3. Caves Beach
Female Mass Rescue: 1. Thirroul, 2. Kiama Downs, 3. Kurrawa
Female Surf Rescue: 1. North Burleigh, 2. Kiama Downs, 3. Williamstown
Female Teams Rescue: 1. Tallebudgera, 2. Williamstown, 3. Kiama Downs
Female Tube Rescue: 1. North Burleigh, 2. South Port, 3. Williamstown
Male Mass Rescue: 1. Kiama Downs, 2. Caves Beach, 3. South Maroubra
Male Surf Rescue: 1. South Maroubra, 2. South Maroubra,  3. Scarboro
Male Teams Rescue: 1. North Burleigh, 2. Queenscliffe, 3. Williamstown
Male Tube Rescue: 1. South Maroubra, 2. Thirroul, 3. Anglsea
 
For more information visit www.sls.com.au/irbchamps