DIGGING DEEP
Dangerous conditions disrupt Nipper champs
DOWNHILL RIDER: Jeffreys Bay’s Joshe Faulkner in action at the World Surf League Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro, held at The Pipe at Pollok Beach in Port Elizabeth at the weekend. Michael February, of Kommetjie, Cape Town, and Crystal Hulett, of St Francis Bay, won the men’s and women’s titles respectively
SIMON Taylor provided the golden moments at the General Tire Lifesaving South Africa Nippers National Interclub Championships, but his Durban Surf Club were denied overall gold because heavy and dangerous surf disrupted Saturday’s final-day events.
Durban Surf, the Nippers national champions for the last five years, were on course for a sixth successive overall title in the opening two days of the three-day lifesaving carnival at Port Elizabeth’s Kings Beach.
But day three’s dangerous surf conditions meant several events were cancelled, and with less than 75% of the competition events not completed, there was no official winner.
Taylor, in the U14 division, benefited because more than 75% of these events took place on the opening two days. Taylor struck gold three times – in the male board race, the surf swim and the run/swim/run.
He also was part of Durban Surf’s U14 mixed taplin team relay bronze finish.
Umhlanga’s Paige Horn was rewarded for her consistency in finishing in the top four in her events to take the overall U14 female individual title.
The individual titles go to athletes with the most points accumulated throughout the championship.
Taylor’s victory confirmed Durban Surf’s national dominance among the juniors, both at the Nippers in Port Elizabeth and in the respective junior divisions a week ago at Camps Bay.
Suncoast Pirates’s Travis Misdorp and Alice Edwards won U19 young men and U17 young female overall titles, Durban Surf’s Conor Botha and Tamryn McKie won the respective U15 titles and Durban Surf’s Tamryn Montgomery was the U19 winner.
Durban Surf’s Chad Uys won gold and bronze in the individual U13 division and club mate Tatum Botha was also a multiple gold winner, in the U13 female run/ swim/run and the surf swim.
Tatum beat another Durban Surf multiple medal winner, Kira Ribbink, into second place in both events. Ribbink also got silver in the female board race, with Durban Surf’s Isabella Halstead winning gold.
Ribbink beat Halstead in the female run/swim/run but it was not good enough to get gold.
Scottburgh’s Christian Stanton won the U13 girls’ beach sprint and Joshua Voigt the boys’ beach sprint.
Clifton’s Girls Alex Heerink van Breda won the U14 girls’ beach sprint and the boys’ winner was Plett’s Alojzjie Pisonic.
Kings Beach’s Monique du Toit led the local charge with gold in the U14 female surf swim and won bronze in the run/swim/run.
East London’s Caitlan Elliot took gold in the female U14 board race and Madison Malherbe won silver in the run/swim/run and bronze in the surf swim.
Fish Hoek’s Cameron Miell triumphed in the boys’ U13 surf swim to add to the club’s U14 gold from Hanna Pearse in the run/ swim/run.
The Nippers Championship featured 800 hopefuls from across the country and there were boys and girls champions in U9, U10, U11, U12, U13 and U14 divisions.