KIRRA BEACH – The Shannon Eckstein-led reign of Northcliffe in the Open Men’s Surf Teams will continue for another year.
Eckstein crossed the line in second place in yesterday’s final, behind Olympic swimmer Tom Fraser-Holmes, to lead yet another dominant performance from the powerhouse club.
His team-mates Caine Eckstein, Jordan Harrison and Sam Sheppard all finished in the top 11 to lose just 22 points, and win ahead of Mooloolaba (57 points) and the Northcliffe B team, which was tied with Elouera and Manly but won bronze on a countback.
It was the eighth consecutive triumph in the Surf Teams for Northcliffe, with Eckstein present for every triumph since 2006.
“You look back through who has been in the teams – Jeremy Cotter, Zane Holmes, Pierce Leonard have been in them, Caine has been in a lot – so it’s pretty special to be part of this,” the Ironman champion said.
“I get quite nervous before this event. It means a lot to us.”
It might have been eight years since Fraser-Holmes’ last swam in a serious surf race but he is quickly getting rid of any rust and showed with his speed across the bank he will be right in the mix for Saturday’s Open Surf Race final.
Even by Northcliffe’s lofty standards the finish of the Open Women’s Surf Teams final was a terrific achievement.
As the leading swimmers emerged from the surf it was a wave of maroon and white with the club filling the first six places and taking the first two spots in the final placings. Noosa Heads was third.
Kristyl Smith, swimming for the B team, crossed the line first, followed by the A team quartet Eliza Smith, Courtney Hancock, Rebecca Creedy and Harriet Brown. Sixth place was filled by 17-year-old C team swimmer Greta Petersen, who then stepped onto the start line for the under-19 final and placed second to lead her team to victory.
“I really didn’t expect to come sixth in the open race,” Petersen said. “Those two swims are my best at an Aussies so far. I think I’m a lot fitter and stronger this year.
“I’m really positive for the next couple of days competing in the Surf Race in Opens and under-19s.”
Northcliffe’s under-19s finished ahead of Mooloolaba and City of Perth, while the club made it a golden trifecta when it took out the under-17 Surf Teams from Manly and Mooloolaba.
Georgia looms as double trouble in ironwoman
Newport’s defending Australian Under 19 ironwoman champion Georgia Miller has successfully qualified for the next rounds of the Under 19 and Open ironwoman events.
The winner of 11 gold medals, including the Under 19 and Open Ironwoman double at NSW State Championships, won her heat of the open ironwoman yesterday ahead of two-time National champion Kristyl Smith (Northcliffe) and Danielle McKenzie (Northcliffe).
She then backed up to finish third in heat two of the under 19s to Avoca ski star Kaitlin Matuschka and Lana Rogers (Noosa Heads).
Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media Group
The rescheduled program will now see the Open ironwoman semi-finals first up tomorrow morning with the Under 19 quarter-finals.
The open heats also saw defending champion Liz Pluimers won heat two from North Burleigh team mate Tara Coleman with Allira Richardson, now representing Cooks Hill, third.
Pluimers and Coleman combined yesterday with heat four winner Brodie Moir to win the women’s open board relay gold.
She won her heat from Devon Halligan (Northcliffe) and Jordan Mercer (Noosa). The other heat saw Northcliffe trio, 2012 Australian champion Rebecca Creedy (Northcliffe) win from 2011 and 2013 winner Courtney Hancock, with Maddy Dunn third.
Meanwhile Ali Day is chasing a perfect end to a memorable season as he eyes the Open Ironman final.
The Mooloolaba star, who won his first Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain series in January, progressed safely through the opening round of the ironman today.
Along with Day, all of the top contenders qualified for the quarter-finals of the Ironman that will be raced on Friday.
The first round heats were won by Dane Farrell (Elouera), Cory Taylor (Northcliffe), Caine Eckstein (Northcliffe), Max Beattie (Northcliffe), Tim Schofield (Terrigal), Matt Bevilacqua (Mooloolaba) and Shannon Eckstein (Northcliffe).
Among the qualifiers for the quarter-finals were five former winners of the Open Ironman title, Shannon Eckstein, Ky Hurst (Kurrawa), Pierce Leonard (Southport), Nathan Smith (Manly) and Cam Cole (Mooloolaba).
Northcliffe and Currumbin to the rescue
Northcliffe and Currumbin picked up hard-earned gold medals in the Open and Under 19 Rescue Tube Rescue finals – negotiating the tricky in shore gutter and sandbanks on the way to the buoys for the swimmers and the drag home for the patient carriers.
Northcliffe swimmers Eliza Smith (patient) and Miranda Bell (rescuer) went one better than the club’s silver last year to win clearly from North Burleigh and Elouera.
The Currumbin Beach Vikings celebrated their first gold of the carnival after swimmers Prue Davies (patient) and Georgia Meredith (rescuer) dug deep to give the green and white quartered caps a march in their rivals.
They produced a powerful swim back to the beach and carriers Chandler Searle and Chloe Sterry charged to the finish line comfortable winners over Northcliffe with Wanda third.
Newport dominate surf teams
The Under 17 surf teams final, re-run from yesterday, saw the Newport team of Jackson Borg, Toby Boyce, Charlie Brooks and Ejay Schaffer win the gold medal with a loss of 39 points from Sunshine beach (58) and Queenscliff (74).
Newport had added gold on Wednesday in the men’s Under 19 surf teams when the combination of David Euers, Jayke Rees, Lachlan Reid and Oliver Signorini proved too strong for Gold Cost clubs Northcliffe and Currumbin.
Earlier yesterday Rees and Reid won their respective Under 19 ironman heats with Currumbin pair Lincoln Dews and Scott Pegg winning the others.
Surf Boat Update
LIFESAVER relay.- 1st semi-final: Anglesea 1 Currumbin 2 Milloloo 3. 2nd semi-final: Newport A 1 Avoca A 2 Newport B 3. Draw for Saturday final:Mooloolaba A 1, Northcliffe A 2, Alexandra Headland A 3, Currumbin A 4, Newport A 5, Avoca Beach A 6. Final is first event Saturday.
RESERVE GRADE Round One Heat One: Maroochydore 1 Nth Cottesloe 2 MacMasters Beach 3. Heat 2: Palm Beach NSW 1 Bilgola 2 Coogee 3. Heat 3: Lorne 1 Bulli 2 Alexandra Headland 3. Heat 4: South Curl Curl 1, Met Caloundra 2 Kempsey Crescent Head 3. Heat 5: Palm Beach NSW 1 Warriewood 2 Southport 3. Heat 6: Elouera 1 Marochydore 2 Elouera.
Heat 2: Bilgola 1 Maroochydore 2 Couth Curl Curl 3. Heat 3: Palm Beach NSW 1 Bundaberg, North Wollongong 3. Heat 4: North Cottesloe 1 South Curl Curl 2 Emu Park 3. Heat 5: Warriewood 1 Maroochydore 2 Mordialloc 3. Heat 6: Elouera 1 Met Caloundra 2 Palm Beach NSW 3.
Round 3.- Heat 1: Elouera 1 Maroochydore 2 Palm Beach NSW 3. Heat 2: North Cottesloe 1 South Curl Curl 2 South Curl Curl 3. Heat 3: Maroochydore 1 Coogee 2 Elouera 3, Heat 4: Palm Beach NSW 1 Bilgola 2 Lourne 3. Heat 5: Met Caloundra 1 Bundaberg 2 Bulli. Heat 6: Palm Beach NSW 1 Mordialloc 2 Tallebudgera 3.
WOMEN U23.-Round Two Heat 1: Maroochydore 1 Jan Juc 2 Coolum 3. Heat 2 Avalon Beach 1 Henley 2 Ocean Beach 3. Heat 3: Palm Beach NSW 1 Newport 2 Bondi 3.
Round Three.- Heat 1: Henley 1 North Cottesloe 2 Elouera 3. Heat 2: Maroochydore 1 Ocean Beach 2 Palm Beach NSW 3. Heat 3: Palm Beach NSW 1 Newport 2 Port Campbell 3.
MEN U23 Round Two: Heat 1: Palm Beach NSW 1 Avalon Beach 2 Palm Beach NSW 3. Heat 2: Cronulla 1 South Curl Curl 2 Bilgola 3. Heat 3: Kurrawa 1 Torquay 2 Bulli 3.
Round Three.- Heat 1: North Cottesloe 1 Torquay 2 Palm Beach NSW 3. Heat Two: Avalon Beach 1 Bulli 2 Palm Beach 3. Heat 3: Bilgola 1 North Cottesloe 2 Ocean Beach 3.
SOUTHERN AREA
RESERVE GRADE.-Round 1 Heat 1: Manly 1 North Cronulla 2 North Bondi 3. Heat 2: Currumbin 1 North Cronulla 2 Port Kembla 3. Heat 3: Northcliffe 1 Gerriungong 2 Mona Vale 3. Heat 4: Queenscliff 1 Corrimal 2 Currumbin 3. Heat 5: Northcliffe 1 Mooloolaba 2 Dee Why 3. Heat 6: Redhead 1 Austinmer 2 Tacking Point 3.
Round 2.- Heat 4: Currumbin 1 Manly 2 Redhead 3. Heat 5: Gerringong 1 Queenscliff 2 North Narrabeen 3. Heat 6: Currumbin 1 Dee Why A 2 Evans Head-Casino 3.
Round Three: Heat 1: Austinmer 1 Noosa Hd 2 Nth Cronulla 3. Heat 2: Corrimal 1 Redhead 2 Manly 3. Heat 3: North Bondi 1 Tacking Point 2 Mullaloo 3. Heat 4: Gerringong 1 Northcliffe 2 Currumbin 3. Heat 5: Northcliffe 1 North Cronulla 2 Mona Vale 3. Heat 6: North Narrabeen 1 Mooloolaba 2 Dee Why 3.
MEN U23 Round 2: Heat 1: Mona Vale 1 Avoca 2 Avoca 3. Heat 2: Colloroy 1 Windang 2 Mona Vale 3. Heat 3: North Cronulla 1 Corrimal 2 Wollongong 3.
Round 3: Heat 1: Collaroy 1 Scarboro 2 Mona Vale 3. Heat 2: North Cronulla 1 Mona Vale 2 Windang 3.Heat 3: Avoca Beach 1 Avoca 2 Tannum Sands 3.
WOMEN U23 Round 2 Heat 1: Austinmer 1 North Cronulla 2 Woonona 3. Heat 2: Scarobo 1 Collaroy 2 Woolamai 3. Heat 3: Collaroy 1 Wollongong City 2 Currumbin 3.
Round 3.-Heat 1: Wollongong 1 Scarboro 2 Woolamai Beach 3. Heat 2: Collaroy 1 Anglesea 2 Corrimal 3. Heat 3: Austinmer 1, Collaroy 2 Collaroy 3.
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