Surf lifesaving: Aussie laden Allstars to make life tough for NZ

Australia's Kristyl Smith leads New Zealand's Ayla Dunlop-Barrett in the surf race at Mt Maunganui. Photo / Mark Dwyer/Lavamedia

Australian surf lifesaver Kristyl Smith is set to continue New Zealand misery into the weekend when she leads an international Allstars team into the Transtasman Surf League.

The Allstars will take on New Zealand's best seven provinces and the dangerous New South Wales under-21 team in a two-day carnival at Mt Maunganui, drawing to an end the nine-day Festival of Surf Sports at the Bay of Plenty beach.

Smith has made life tough for New Zealand during the three-test Surf Challenge this week, and the reigning world ironwoman champion will have compatriots Ali Day, Timothy Schofield and Michael Booth for company.

"I've heard lots of positive stories about it from other Australian athletes who've come over," Smith said. "I'm really looking forward to it - it's going to be a nice way to end this international series and I want to get out and have some fun."

The 27-year-old has won two Australian ironwoman titles and has been a dominating figure in the test series.

Japan sprinters Shota Tanaka and Masaya Shimizu and Great Britain's Jo Devine will also join the Allstars, as well as New Zealand paddler Teneale Hatton and IRB crew Mitchell Gregg and Scott Busing.

Glenn Anderson, who was called into the New Zealand team during the week after Daniel Moodie was injured, leads a star-studded Taranaki team in to defend their title at the Surf League.

Included in their ranks are national beach flags champion Steve Harris, world flags champion Paul Cracroft-Wilson, national surf race champion siblings Ayla and Dylan Dunlop-Barrett and world champion IRB champion Andrew Cronin.

Auckland, second last year, have national representatives Travis Mitchell, Kirsty Wannan and Rachel Clarke to call on, as well as ironman Chris Moors, who finished ninth in the Coolangatta Gold earlier in the season. Another New Zealand star, Kevin Morrison, will be competing in his 10th campaign for the northern team.

There is plenty of interest in the Wellington ranks too, where former New Zealand ironwoman star Anna Ballara makes a surprise comeback.

Ballara was a member of the last New Zealand team to win the world championships in 1998, where she won the board race, and returns to the Capital team from her Queensland base.

Hawkes Bay features current New Zealand ironman and ironwoman champions Moodie - if he is fit - and Nikki Cox, while Gisborne can boast Mike Janes, who recently finished 17th on the lucrative Ironman Series in Australia.

Hosts Bay of Plenty, who finished third last year, have called up 16-year-old rookie Natalie Peat, who has just been named in the New Zealand development team, while Canterbury have twin sprint champions Morgan Foster and Chanel Hickman.

The fast-paced, two-day event will feature 17 events a day, with under-19 athletes competing on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach in the morning and senior athletes doing battle in the afternoon.

New Zealand did not maintain their improvement in the third and final test at Mt Maunganui yesterday.

Australia scored 109 points with New Zealand on 98 and Japan 57.

New Zealand's efforts were commendable considering many of Australia's long-standing representatives consider this year's team to be the best of the past decade.

Smith was pushed all the way by New Zealand's Ayla Dunlop-Barrett in the surf race.

- NZPA