Gqeberha - Cape Town Clifton’s junior stars Naor Lombard and Holly Cleworth came good in the U17 division to help the Cape Town-based club clean up at the DHL Lifesaving South African National Championships at Kings Beach..
Clifton’s seniors bossed the open division in the overall surf events and their juniors were as good in flying a Cape Town flag usually reserved for Fish Hoek at the Nationals.
But in 2021, there was no stopping Clifton, whose team work aligned beautifully with individual brilliance in both the open and junior competitions.
Lombard was always expected to excel and he didn’t disappoint in scoring 44 from a possible 48 points in six events. He is a star in the making.
Cleworth’s tenacity, conditioning and versatility meant she entered one more event than her closest rival, Umhlanga Rocks’s Tatum Botha and because of it she finished with 39 points, compared to Botha’s 38. Botha, however, claimed the prestigious Iron title, with Cleworth in second place.
Both Botha and Cleworth showed the healthy future of the sport in South Africa, especially among the junior ladies. Cleworth finished with two gold medals and Botha went one better with three.
Heading into the Championship, Lombard was favoured to be a fierce competitor among the u17s and he overwhelmed the opposition, with Summerstrand’s Christian Davidson finishing with two golds and a silver for 28 points. Lombard finished with 44 points.
While Lombard and Cleworth’s impressive performances in the U17 division helped put Clifton Juniors clear of their competitors, the other age groups varied in individual club results.
Durban Surf’s Matthew Allen was the comfortable winner of the Male U15 division, with three golds and one silver, while Matthew Brading of Fish Hoek achieved a gold and two silvers for second place The U15 Females individual accolade also went to Durban Surf with Dayna Deeble winning a gold and two bronzes, but she showed every quality across all eight events, which ensured her versatility was rewarded with the most points.
Babette van Rooyen of Fish Hoek finished in second place with three silvers and a bronze, but having entered fewer events than Deeble.
In the U19 Male Division, Umhlanga’s Samuel Norton was sensational in winning gold in all four of his events to take overall first place, while Llandadno’s Thomas Hofmeyer took second place with a gold and a silver.
Courtney Davidson of Summerstrand was the female victor of the day, helping herself to three golds and two silvers from the seven events she took part in. Kings Beach’s Chelsea Cooke, sister of Keegan Cooke, was a close second with one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.
The Open winners were determined at the weekend, with Kings Beach’s Keegan Cooke and Durban Surf’s Wade Krieger the joint men’s winners and Durban Surf’s Amica de Jager beating Umhlanga’s Sasha Corris into second place. De Jager scored 46 points from a possible 48. Corris finished with 43 points.
While the Juniors battled it out in the surf, the Nippers took to the pool to break various South African records. Summerstrand put on an impressive show all round to break four of the five records of the day, with the results reading as follows:
Girls 10 Year Olds 100 LC Meter Obstacle
Sienna Gous with a time of 1:15,45 (Summerstrand)
Mixed 10-11 200 LC Meter 4 x 50m Obstacle Relay
Daniel Pappas, Leon Dupper, Pierre-Daniel Jacobs, Jesse-Leah Laderach 2:20,52 (Summerstrand)
Mixed 10-11 200 LC Meter 4 x 50 Medley Rescue Relay
Jesse-Leah Laderach, Leon Dupper, Pierre-Daniel Jacobs, Daniel Pappas 2:11,22 (Summerstrand)
Mixed 10-11 200 LC Meter 4 x 25 Manikin Relay
Leon Dupper, Sienna Gous, Daniel Pappas, Daniela Harcus 1:38,67 (Summerstrand)
Mixed 10-11 200 LC Meter 4x50 Pool Lifesaver Relay
Lino Fouche, Nathan Hartman, Ruan Hotzhausen, Zoe Steyn 2:47,76 (Harties)
Christiaan Van Eeden, from Harties, broke the SA record in the Super Nippers U13.
Seniors Surf Results
1. Clifton 208.5
2. Durban Surf 184
3. Kings Beach 121
4. Fish Hoek 114.5
5. Llandudno 88
In the Wimpy Surf Boats event, determined over three tough days, KZN’s Marine B took top honours with 40 points from third placed Marine A (35 points). Blue Water Bay finished second with 36 points.
The event, which features 1000 of the country’s elite masters, seniors, juniors and nippers surf and pool lifesaving specialists ends on 9th October.
IOL Sport