The big guns took a back seat on the opening day of the national surf lifesaving championships at Gisborne yesterday.
A number of established stars found themselves out of gold medal reckoning as competitors battled rain and cool conditions at Midway Beach.
The Fitzroy pair of Andrew Moore and Jamie Booth upset proceedings to win the board rescue final, relegating world ironman champion Cory Hutchings and his brother-in-law Mark Muir to fourth.
The favoured pairing of Andrea and Tina Hewitt from South Brighton had to be content with third in the women's final, won by fellow Christchurch pair Ceri Pearson and Amber Taylor from Waimari Beach.
World ski champion Katie Pocock and her Mairangi Bay clubmate Cheryl Atkins were upset in the women's double ski final by Canterbury's Rochelle Creighton and Leanne Parker from South Brighton.
Wellington's Maranui surf boat crew, already confirmed for next month's tri-test series against Australia and South Africa, could manage only third in the short-course final won by Whangamata. Former Olympian Trent Bray and world swim-run champion Brent Foster had to settle for second place in the final of the tube rescue behind Canterbury's Carl Gordon and Fraser Bickley from Taylors Mistake. Sydney Olympian Steven Ferguson and former national champion John Munro from Auckland club Muriwai were fifth in the same event.
South Brighton's Clare Rowberry took the final of the women's beach flags. She upset defending champion Amy McCauley and fellow Aucklander Veronika van Dijck, who competed for the Southern Makos in the Australian surf league.
South Brighton made it a double in the men's beach flags with Matt Kerr upsetting clubmate Malcolm MacDonald in the final.
Australian-based Paul Green teamed with Adam Tate to give the local Waikanae club their first win of the day in the double ski final.
The championships continue today.
- NZPA
Surf Lifesaving: Favourites upset in surf at Gisborne
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