Avoca Beach
Nineteen clubs from around the state, including Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) and North Avoca SLSC descended on the Mid North Coast from Friday, June 27 to Sunday, June 29, for the 2014 NSW Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) Championship at South West Rocks.
Strong winds, choppy surf and overall unfavourable conditions for racing, forced competition to be relocated on Saturday to nearby Arakoon. Surf Life Saving NSW surf sports manager Mr Shane Knight said he was delighted at the success of the event. “We are really excited about how much competition has improved this year,” said Mr Knight. “The weekend puts us in good stead for the Interstate IRB Championships to be held at Kingscliff in July, where we hope to take the title from Queensland,” said Mr Knight.
In the overall point score Terrigal placed ninth and North Avoca 10th. Terrigal placed seventh in the 35+ Mixed Mass IRB with its Gunnas team comprising Marc, Lauren and Emma Gunasinghe and Roger Stimson. Terrigal also placed fourth in the 35+ Mixed Teams IRB with its Real Gunnas team comprising Bronte Bagala, Marc and Lauren Gunasinghe, Bruce Moy, Greg Smith and Roger Stimson. Terrigal’s Bruce Moy, James Purcell and Alix Smith teamed up to place seventh in the 35+ Mixed Tube IRB with their MRT team.
A Terrigal team called Kiss My Pontoon, comprising Bronte Bagala, Rachel Field, Lauren Gunasinghe, Nathan and Alix Smith and Emma Walsh, finished seventh in the Open Female Teams IRB. North Avoca placed sixth in the 35+ Mixed Teams IRB with its Dark Fogs team comprising Atlanta Boland, Lee Cowell, Mitchell and Darren Hutton, Keiren Paull and Matias Trewhela. The North Avoca Moist Otters won the Novice Mixed Mass IRB event with a team comprising Lee Cowell, Nicholas Fallon, Keiren Paull and Matthew Slattery, while a second North Avoca team, Gold Stripe, comprising Antony Cansick, Joanne Hatton, Brent Hutton and Matias Trewhela, placed seventh.
The Moist Otters team (Atlanta Boland, Nicholas Fallow and Darren Hutton) placed fi fth in the Novice Mixed Rescue IRB while the Gold Stripe team (Antony Cansick, Derek Chart and Matias Trewhela) placed sixth and a third team, Seal Team 1, (Lee Cowell, Joanna Hatton and Keiren Paull) placed seventh. The North Avoca Moist Sloths (Atlanta Boland, Nicholas Fallon and Mitchell Hutton) placed fifth in the U23 Mixed Rescue IRB. Kiama Downs SLSC won the event on 95 points followed by South Maroubra SLSC on 74 and Caves Beach SLSC on 70.
Media release, 30 Jun 2014
Alix Vanny,
SLSNSW