Champs will be closely fought

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A SURF lifesaving trophy held by Midway Surf Life Saving Club for the past 16 years will be contested on land and sea by all three Gisborne surf lifesaving clubs from tomorrow afternoon.

At stake in the Gisborne Senior Surf Lifesaving Championships, held at Midway Beach, is the Ralph Morse Shield.

Midway, Waikanae and Wainui surf lifesaving clubs will battle it out in craft events from 5pm tomorrow. These involve canoe, surf ski and board events.

The championships continue from 8am on Saturday with a full day of beach and surf events. Midway Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) chairman Rocky Hall said the Gisborne championships help ready the city’s surf lifesaving athletes for the national championships in March.

“A lot of Midway’s top athletes are away at the moment,” he said.

“I expect the champs to be more closely contested this year.”

Waikanae SLSC head coach Cory Hutchings says this year’s competition offers younger athletes he has worked with in the past few years an opportunity to compete for the first time in a championship event.

“I have coached these kids from about age 11. Now they have come through, it is exciting for me that they have the opportunity to compete for the first time with older kids. I am looking forward to seeing how they go. Some are pretty talented.”

Wainui Surf Life Saving Club head coach Dion Williams could not be reached for comment but in last year’s championships the club’s rising stars competed fiercely and the club's surf lifesavers always compete well in the events they contest.

Gusty north-westerly winds with high cloud and spots of rain are forecast for Saturday.