Surf Lifesaving: Apprentice outclasses master

Devon Halligan of Northcliffe in prime position coming into the beach.

Ben Cochrane claimed the biggest scalp of his fledgling ironman career on his home beach yesterday as surf lifesaving's Omanu Day of Champions produced a procession of gripping finishes.

Cochrane upset clubmate and New Zealand team star Max Beattie in the feature Ian Porteous Memorial ironman with the 18-year-old out-sprinting his older rival in the final few metres.

Even he could see the irony - Cochrane has spent the last three summers living and training with Beattie at the Northcliffe club on Australia's Gold Coast.

"I feel really bad - sorry Max," the New Zealand Under-19 ironman champion said. "It's hard to beat someone who's given you so much knowledge - I definitely look up to him and he's taught me everything I know."

It was obvious Beattie had taught him a little too much - Cochrane's dismount off the final board leg was dripping with experience, after catching his front-running clubmate during the ski leg on the distinctive M-shaped ironman course.

"Traditionally, board has been my weak leg but over at Northcliffe, everything's gone a lot better and we do a lot of transition work. I saw Max trip slightly as we were coming into the beach so I stayed on my board until it hit the sand."

Another teenager, Mount Maunganui's Kane Sefton, finished third.

The ironwoman final at the Parmco-sponsored carnival was even closer, with a video replay needed to separate New Zealand stars Devon Halligan and Danielle McKenzie, who have both been competing on the lucrative Kellogg's series.

While Mairangi Bay's McKenzie finished 13th in the series, a spot above Halligan, the Midway club member gained a small measure of revenge with her final desperate dive over the line helping seal victory today.

Between them, the pair dominated the four finals, with Halligan claiming the iron and ski finals and McKenzie adding the board race title to a surprise win in the surf race.

Papamoa's Ben Johnston claimed the men's board race final, leading home a trio of under-19 athletes, with Sefton just pipped for second and another Papamoa athlete, Scott Cowdrey, third. Cowdrey also finished third in the ski race final, which was won by Mount Maunganui's Sam Shergold in a sprint with national kayaking representative Scott Bicknell.

The Ian Porteous Memorial Ironman trophy is named after the former Omanu clubbie who died, aged just 44, the day before the club's annual long-distance ironman race 19 years ago.