Oliver Sharpe (middle) after winning the Open Iron with place getters, Warilla’s Jack Carberry (left) and Cudgen’s Scott McCartney (right. Photo supplied.
South coast club Warillanhas overturned five years of Cudgen Headland dominace to win this year’s NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships held at Cape Hawke near Forster.
Byron Bay SLSC came in fourth place behind Cudgen and Port Macquarie. Yamba placed fifth ahead of Lennox Head-Alstonville.
The championships attract around 1500 competitors from surf clubs outside the metropolitan areas of NSW.
Oliver Sharpe, from Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC, made it back-to-back Open Iron titles in the male division when he closed out hard in the swim leg to overtake Country Championships legend Scott McCartney from Cudgel Headland and claimed the gold.
It looked as though McCartney was going to wind back the clock having led after the board and ski legs, but the 36-year-old was pipped at the post by Oliver.
This was just minutes after a warm-up in the U19 Iron where Oliver won silver behind Warilla-Barrack Point’s Bailey Krstevski.
Byron Bay took out the Female Open Double Ski, and also won the gold in the 30+ Mixed Double Ski.
