Ominous Signs from Gisborne In Surf League

TO Sports Departments.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Lion Foundation Surf League. Mt Maunganui. 4 & 5 February, 2005.

Ominous Signs from Gisborne

Gisborne look ominous to turn the tables on archrivals, Auckland at the Lion Foundation Surf League this coming weekend at Mt Maunganui. (Saturday and Sunday, 5 and 6 February, 2005.)

Gisborne's Midway Club demolished all other clubs at the Northern Regional Championship in a programme disrupted by massive seas at the same venue last weekend.

Led by several national representatives, Midway Club amassed 72 points, 23 clear of the next club, Muriwai from Auckland.

Many of Midway's top athletes have been selected in the Gisborne Surf League team and will take heart and encouragement from the performance of Gisborne team members last weekend.

"Gisborne will be led by the Anderson siblings, Rachael and younger brother Glenn," said Weatherall. "Rachael is the current national teams World Lifesaving surf race champion and Glenn is the only New Zealander to qualify for the Australian Surf Ironman League."

Alan and Miah Thorpe is another sibling combination that adds strength of the Gisborne team.

"Gisborne also has a strong IRB (inflatable rescue boat) pair of Justin Martin and Nathan Teutenberg," he said. "Auckland also has a top crew in Danny Morrison and Jason Pocock, but it will come down to who is on top of their game on the day."

The 4 metre surf that disrupted the NRC programme had started to abate by Tuesday, but there is still the prospect of a challenge surf by the weekend.

"At present there is a 1.5 to 2 metre wave at the Main Beach at Mt Maunganui, which if it remains through to the weekend, will be ideal," said Weatherall.

Eight Teams from around the country and those top drafted Australian athletes will start to assemble at Mt Maunganui from Thursday onwards.

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