Surf Lifesaving: Taranaki win fourth successive League title

Paul Cracroft Wilson from Taranaki. Photo / NZ Herald

They went in as underdogs but Taranaki again showed plenty of bite in taking out their fourth successive Lion Foundation NZ Surf League title in Mount Maunganui today.

With Auckland and Gisborne boasting strong teams in the annual surf lifesaving provincial teams event, most pundits ignored recent history in picking their winners.

The only problem was they forgot to ask the proud black and golds, who cleared out to win by 11 points after two days of competition.

"We've built a winning culture and we went in there this weekend as a little bit of an underdog," veteran Taranaki sprinter Paul Cracroft-Wilson said. "We had the belief and we had the crew - a nice mix of experience and youth - and deep down, we knew we were going to come out on top again. It means a lot and because of all the talk going into it, this is probably the best of the four wins."

Taranaki collected 251 points from the 36 open events, winning the carnival-ending Dearlove relay to add the icing to the cake. Gisborne, bolstered by Australian stars Devon Halligan and Laura Shorter, were second on 240, edging Auckland who finished on 236.

Once again, Taranaki's team culture proved insurmountable, with New Zealand team members Glenn Anderson, Cracroft-Wilson and Ayla Dunlop-Barrett adding the sparkle to an all-round effort.

IRB guns Andrew Cronin and James Morwood won all four of their races while the canoe crew were also exceptional.

"There's a core group of guys in the canoe and the IRBs and they're the mainstays of the team," Cracroft-Wilson explained. "Having guys like that in there just helps accumulate points and it all went to plan."

Halligan's efforts were just as special, winning all four ironwoman races - two in the under-19s and two in the open - over the weekend, helping Gisborne win the under-19 title.

The daughter of former Kiwis rugby league player Daryl Halligan needed sprint finishes each afternoon to get past New Zealand star Nikki Cox.

"I was a bit unfit going into the Aussie titles in a few weeks but this weekend has definitely sorted me out.," Halligan said. "I'm stinging now but it's great to get some good racing in going into the pointy end of the season."

She was nearly matched by 17-year-old Gisborne schoolboy Cory Taylor, who won both his under-19 races and added a win in the open yesterday. Fellow Gisborne athlete Oliver Puddick - drafted into the Wellington team for the event - won today's ironman from Auckland's Chris Moors.

Taylor explained the heavy workload eventually took its toll.

"I'm quite happy with that - I was hoping to get four from four but my swim leg was a real struggle in that last one," Taylor said. "I just couldn't seem to keep up with the pace at the start and had to play catch-up."

Auckland's Chanel Hickman grabbed the women's beach flags and beach sprint double today, while Bay of Plenty 17-year-old Kodi Harman again dominated the men's sprint.

Cracroft-Wilson looked set for another flags title but false-started in the final, handing the win to New South Welshman Blake Drysdale.

New South Wales finished fourth, edging past hosts Bay of Plenty in the last relay, with Hawke's Bay sixth.