FORSTER is on track to take out the Lower North Coast Branch Surf Life Saving junior and open championship double.
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This follows the championships held at Black Head. The final pointscore won’t be decided until board riding is conducted in March, although Forster will be hard to beat for overall honours.
The championship as conducted over two days, with the masters and opens on Saturday and under eights to 19s on Sunday.
Forster has 412 points in the juniors and leads Cape Hawke on 337, Black Head 266, Taree Old Bar 79, Crowdy Head 39 and Pacific Palms 33.
It’s a close contest in the seniors with Forster on top with 341 from Black Head 321, Cape Hawke 247, Taree Old Bar 48, Crowdy Head 22, Pacific Palms 0.
Carnival referee Bernadette Nicholson decided to bring the start time on Sunday forward to 7.30 due to expected high temperatures. All beach events were completed by 9.30.
Later events were called off at 12.30 due to a blue bottle invasion, although most of the program was completed.
“We only had about an hour left,’’ a branch official said.
Outstanding performers over the two days included Matt Miller, who won the under 17, 19 and open beach sprint and the under 17, 19 and open beach flags.
Beth Lee won the women’s open beach sprint and the open and over 30 beach flags.
Forster’s Laura Thurtell took out the women’s open and over 50 surf race, the open and over 50s, the iron woman and the over 50 ski.
Adam Mulligan won the open and over 40 board, open ironman and open and over 40 ski.
Julian Boag from Black Head was successful in the under 19 board and ski.
Kalani Ryan from Cape Hawke was outstanding in the under eights as was club-mate Josh Cross in the nines.
James Williams from Forster dominated the under 10s as did Brooke Hosgood from Crowdy Head in the 11s.
Olivia Williams from Forster and Black Head’s Olivia Dew were prominent in the 12s while Abby Mulligan (Forster) and Eden Taaffe (Black Head) stood out in the 13s.
Molly Reid was strong in her home surf in the 14s while Claire VanKampen (Cape Hawke) and David Diehm (Blake Head) were to the fore in the 15s.
The strong performance from the Forster contingent at Lower North Coast Branch level follows on the club’s excellent effort at the Country titles at South West Rocks the previous weekend.
Here Forster finished in 16th place to be the best performed club from the Lower North Coast Branch.
