Lifesavers To State Their Case At Fingal
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday November 15, 2005
KIMBERLEY Tapley, Madeline Ebrill, Michael Booth and Mat Denahy will get the chance to again push for state selection after being named in the Hunter surf-lifesaving team for the NSW Interbranch championships.
Swansea-Belmont pair Tapley and Ebrill, Redhead's Booth and Birubi's Denahy all competed for NSW at the Australian interstate titles last summer.They will get to do so again with strong performances at the interbranch carnival to be contested at Fingal next month.The Hunter team comprises six competitors three male and three female in each age group from under 12 to open.The senior team was already picked before the weekend, but Hunter's most promising nippers were given a final chance to impress selectors on Sunday when the second of two selection carnivals was staged at Blacksmiths Beach.Booth did not compete on Sunday but did enough in the first selection carnival to keep his spot in the branch team.That day he won the three main water events in the under-15 age group the surf, board and ironman races.Lightning-quick Denahy was Hunter's top competitor in both the under-15 boys flags and beach sprint at the two selection carnivals.Merewether's Jessica Collins made her first branch team with outstanding form in the under-12 girls water events on Sunday.The youngster was victorious in the surf, board and diamond lady races.She also won all three at the first selection carnival, which was held at Blacksmiths Beach on October 22.Collins also won her age group of the 2005 Kracka Junior Ironperson Challenge, also staged at Blacksmiths Beach on Saturday. Ebrill was the under-15 Kracka ironwoman champion on Saturday.Cooks Hill duo Emily Chaffey and Eliza Smith were logical picks for the under-13s in the branch team after Chaffey won the surf race and diamond lady in the first carnival and Smith won the board.Smith won the surf race from Chaffey on Sunday, and Chaffey was victorious in the diamond lady and board.The pair were also the pacesetters in their age group during the Kracka Junior Ironperson Challenge. Smith was the under-13 winner and Chaffey was the runner-up.Other competitors named in the Hunter branch team who won their age race at the Kracka challenge were Cook Hill's Sam Earp (under 13s) and Redhead's Isaac Morgan (under-12 boys).Also on Saturday, Merewether's Daniel Collins won the under-nine ironman, Redhead James Gesell was the under-10 male winner and Swansea-Belmont's Isak Costello won the under-11 race.The full branch team plus results from both the Kracka Junior Ironperson Challenge and Sunday's carnival are in Details on pages 53 to 56. ? Maitland BMX talent Matthew Millington was part of an Australian junior team who lost a close Trans Tasman Series battle with New Zealand in Auckland last month.Junior sport fixtures and details, Pages 53-56
© 2005 Newcastle Herald