Kurrawa’s edge as title chase heats up

KURRAWA Surf Life Saving Club will take a dominant lead into Round 3 of Surf Life Saving Queensland’s Ocean Roar IRB series after an impressive performance at Tugun.

The Gold Coast club shared top spot on the leaderboard with Miami Beach heading into the second of five rounds but have proven themselves as the team to beat after carving out a 68-point lead ahead of Miami and Kirra.

Kurrawa trio Liam Albertsen, Glenn Torepe and Robert Shillam led the local charge, taking out the 35-plus years Mixed Rescue Tube race ahead of Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach.

Zachary Henwood, Oliver Henwood, Samuel Cali and Jordana Fair from Miami then added another gold medal to the collection, finishing first in the Open Male Mass Rescue.

SLSQ event co-ordinator Ryan Bennett said there had been some exceptional performances across the day, putting their skills to the test in the calm surf conditions.

“We saw some great racing in Round 1 last week, but a lot of crews stepped it up again on the weekend at Tugun,” he said.

“Kurrawa have built themselves a nice lead after the first two rounds of the series but there’s still a long way to go and anything’s possible.

“It’s a really exciting time of the year for our sport, particularly with the Queensland Championships not far away.

“Our top crews will be lining up at North Stradbroke Island for the championships in late June, so the weekend was a great chance for them to test the waters.”

The action will continue next Saturday at Coolum Beach before June’s Queensland IRB Championships at North Stradbroke Island.