Big surf hits junior lifesaving carnival

Competitors got a grand tour of Mount Maunganui on a frustrating second day of the Oceans 14 New Zealand under-14 surf lifesaving championships today.

A heavy 1.5m swell and onshore easterly breezes caused havoc for event organisers, with four different locations used.

The tube rescue heats and finals were transferred to the still waters of nearby Pilot Bay, with the only finals of the day decided.

Hosts Mount Maunganui took advantage of their swimming depth, collecting two wins and two minor placings to vault into the lead in the overall standings.

Tessa Bradley and Georgia Clement took home the under-14 girls final, heading off Westshore's Ruby Adsett and Hana-Tia Ross and Mairangi Bay's Bernadette Doyle and Tahlia Rawle.

The other Mount win went to Isabella Akroyd and Lily Alton in the under-12 girls, heading home clubmates McKeelie Van Lye and Charlotte Wyatt and Mairangi Bay's Tayla Dalton and Caprice Thomas.

Whangamata's Conor Bradding and Oscar Williams won the under-14 boys, with Papamoa's Mitch Cowdrey picking up his second silver of the carnival, with Liam Moffart.

New Plymouth Old Boys pair Sam Dingle and Jonty Hughes headed Red Beach and Omanu pairings to win the under-12 boys.

The beach sprint arena in the middle of Main Beach was well utilised, with Sunday's finalists selected, while the under-14 boys got through all their board race heats amid big surf in the middle of the beach.

The other location used was the relatively sheltered corner of Shark Alley, on the eastern side of Moturiki Island, where all under-11 and under-12 boys and giros and under-14 girls got through their board heats.

The swell is expected to ease later tomorrow, while the weekend action will also include a three-round exhibition ironman series involving New Zealand's best senior surf athletes.

Results

Tube rescue:
U14 Boys. Whangamata Black (Conor Bradding/Oscar Williams) 1, Papamoa A (Mitch Cowdrey/Liam Moffatt) 2, Mt Maunganui A (Daniel Miller/Benjamin Rowe) 3.
U14 Girls. Mt Maunganui A (Tessa Bradley/Georgia Clement) 1, Westshore A (Ruby Adsett/Hana-Tia Ross) 2, Mairangi Bay Blue (Bernadette Doyle/Tahlia Rawle) 3.
U12 Boys. NPOB Yellow (Sam Dingle/Jonty Hughes) 1, Red Beach C (Blake Readman/Jonathan Selman) 2, Omanu Beach A (Kiahi Horan/Loui Schuler) 3.
U12 Girls. Mt Maunganui A (Isabella Akroyd/Lily Alton) 1, Mt Maunganui B (McKeelie Van Lye/Charlotte Wyatt) 2, Mairangi Bay Red (Tayla Dalton/Caprice Thomas) 3.

Overall club points: Mt Maunganui 18, Papamoa 16, Orewa 11, Omanu Beach 10, Westshore 8, Mairangi Bay 8, Whangamata 7, St Clair 7, Fitzroy 7, Red Beach 7, NPOB 5, Maranui 5, Whakatane 4, Ocean Beach Kiwi 3, Wainui 3, Taylors Mistake 3, Paekakariki 3, Spencer Park 2, Piha 2, Lyall Bay 2, Waihi Beach 1.

New Plymouth Old Boys under-12 competitors Jack Dingle and Jonty Hughes head into the beach to win their tube rescue final.  Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services