Caine Eckstein analyses the Kurrawa surf - harvpix.com

Two of the favourites for Sunday’s open Ironman championship at the DHL 2011 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships will have to wait until Saturday for their chance to qualify for the glamour event’s semi-finals.

Four-time champion Ky Hurst and Coolangatta Gold king Caine Eckstein, both of the Kurrawa club, were on the line for the start of their quarter-final today when officials decided to postpone the race because it was too close to the carnival’s 4pm cut-off time.

Competitors in the only undecided quarter-final will now have to race on Saturday as the water events at the championships have a lay day tomorrow.

Carnival officials are now considering running both semi-finals on Sunday morning, with the final to be raced later in the day.

Other open Ironman favourites such as three-time winner Shannon Eckstein (Northcliffe), two-time champion Pierce Leonard (Northcliffe) and Tugun’s Hugh Dougherty all made it safely through their quarter-finals.

Wes Berg mastered the conditions to beat home Day, Eckstein, Louis, Drury and Hill in his quarter-final - harvpix.com

Surf Life Saving Australia general manager surf sports David Thompson said clubs were advised in December and March that the competition time was 8am to 4pm and competition would cease at 4pm.

“This is being done for the welfare of competitors, officials and workforce, and safety is our absolute priority,” he said.

“SLSA will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and welfare of everybody involved in the championships.”

Eckstein, who cruised into fourth place in his quarter-final, looked in prime form, as did Leonard whose form during the championships so far has been faultless.

Meanwhile in other major finals action on day three of open competition:

• Mooloolaba opened the day with the first of the major open men’s medals of the day in the board relay final, with the team of Cam Cole, Dane Windshuttle and Matt Poole producing a dominant performance to take the gold from Tugun and Northcliffe.

• The club’s open ski relay team of Ironwomen Alicia Marriott, Madi Rose and Allira Richardson gatecrashed the gold when they came from behind ton upset Northcliffe, Manly and early leaders Torquay.

• Manly’s Trent Klousal swam the race of his life to score a comfortable win in the under 19 belt final from Wanda’s Alex Clarke with Riley McGregor (Northcliffe) in third, joining Manly’s former Australian Swim team stars Scott Miller (1991), Simon Upton (1987) and Robbie Williams (1974) who have all won the title. Williams, the Manly LSC president, was on Klousal’s reel in yesterday’s final.

• Northcliffe’s Tanyn Lyndon, Max Beattie and Callum Booth overcame some tactical errors to win an exciting Under-19 board relay in a sprint finish from Terrigal with the fast finishing Currumbin Vikings third.

• While there was an anxious wait for the Northcliffe foursome of Shannon Eckstein, Dev Lahey, Pierce Leonard and New Zealander Dan Moodie before they were declared gold medallists in a tight Open surf teams finish over Mooloolaba and Cronulla. It was Eckstein’s second gold after his win in the Restricted (over 24) surf race.

Day 3 Results

Male:

Open:Surf Board Relay: 1. Mooloolaba A (Cam Cole, Matt Poole, Dane Windshuttle) 2. Tugun A (Hugh Dougherty, Sam Hamilton, Kye Hawkins) 3. Northcliffe 1 (Mark Bint, Shannon Eckstein, Cory Hill) Surf Board Riding: J Davies (Cottesloe) R Jenkins (North Cronulla) B Johnston (Wanda) 2km Beach Run: S Madden (Tugun) A Grimshaw (Kurrawa) M Janes (Kurrawa)

U19 Yrs:Surf Teams: 1. Wanda Blue (Mitchell Allum, Alex Clarke, Jay Furniss, John Woods) 2. Northcliffe 1 (Lucas Allan, Tanyn Lyndon, Jarryd Mcdonnell, Jake Nicholson) 3. Terrigal A (Matthew Eltham, Edward Gourley, Jack Moyes, John Rippon) Rescue Tube Rescue: 1. Northcliffe 2 (Lucas Allan, Stewart Duffy, Sam Elliot, Riley Mcgregor) 2. Swansea Belmont A (Daniel Booth, Matthew Burge, Isak Costello, Lucas Samways) 3. North Burleigh A (Andrew Carlton, Sam Hoffmann, Kurt Roberts, Jack Watson) Surf Board Riding: S Lumsden (Terrigal) L Moses (North Cronulla) J Bracken (Elouera) 2km Beach Run: W Zervaas (Half Moon Bay) J Bunney (Saunton Sands Slsc) D Lazarus (Trigg Island)

U17 Yrs:Surf Board Relay: 1. Northcliffe 1 (Michael Barnett, Jordan Cooke-Labache, Stefaan Demopolous) 2. Swansea Belmont A (Matthew Burge, Isak Costello, Samuel Djodan) 3. North Cronulla Gold (William Budd, Adam Calo, Jake Moses) Surf Board Riding: M Bain (Avoca Beach) R Jenkins (North Cronulla) J Vincent (Coolum Beach) 2km Beach Run: J Baker (Sorrento (Vic)) C Doran (Helensburgh / Stanwell Park) M Clarke (Anglesea)

U15 Yrs:Surf Board Relay: 1. Dicky Beach 1 (Andrew Jones, Fletcher Reilly, George Warrener) 2. Byron Bay A (James Brodin, Josh Brown, Lorne Greenlaw) 3. Avoca Beach A (Riley Fitzsimmons, Bradley Mccloghry, Luke Pearce) Surf Board Riding: P Matters (Noosa Heads) P Reisch (Southport) D Swaney (Currumbin Beach) 2km Beach Run: L Wright (Port Macquarie) O Hoare (North Cronulla) J Wright (Port Macquarie)

Female:

Open:Rescue Tube Rescue: 1. Bondi A (Madeline Blomberg, Liliana Guiscardo, Andrea Miller, Luane Rowe) 2. Swansea Belmont A (Nikki Chapman, Cherie Morton, Danielle Radford, Kirsty Waugh) 3. Northcliffe 1 (Ayla Dunlop-Barrett, Kelly Jury, Kathryn Mckenzie, Kristyl Smith) Single Ski Relay: 1. Mooloolaba A (Alicia Marriott, Allira Richardson, Madi Rose) 2. Northcliffe 2 (Courtney Hancock, Sheree Merryfull, Terri Sullivan) 3. Manly A (Candice Falzon, Naomi Flood, Sarah Knapman) Surf Board Riding: M Quinn (Dee Why) L Hurt (Salt) T Smith (Northcliffe) 2km Beach Run: A Otoole (City Of Perth) H Bateup (Kurrawa) A Leadbeater (Swansea Belmont)

U19 Yrs:Surf Board Riding: E Rawlings (Palm Beach (Qld)) A Charles (North Cronulla) M Quinn (Dee Why) 2km Beach Run: A Notten (Northcliffe) K Perkins (Mooloolaba) E Ricketts (Maroochydore)

U17 Yrs: Surf Board Relay:1. Mooloolaba A (Danielle Allen, Madison Blackburn, Bronte Hartland) 2. Freshwater A (Laura Crerar, Deandra Godoy, Jessie O Carroll) 3. Mooloolaba B (Shelby Arundel, Maddy Dunn, Teisha Jenkins) Surf Board Riding: L Hurt (Salt) M Strain (North Bondi) C Vincent (Ocean Grove) 2km Beach Run: E Dick (Mermaid Beach) J Mercer (Noosa Heads) E Jeffcoat (Dee Why)

U15 Yrs:Surf Board Relay: 1. Maroochydore Black (Isabella Davis, Bri Massie , Georgina Mcdermott) 2. Wanda Blue (Danielle Mcmahon, Elyssa Pierce, Izel Tuncer) 3. Northcliffe 1 (Jessica Byrne, Dorine Pantacchini, Courtney Pierce) Surf Board Riding: E Brooks (Palm Beach (Qld)) V Charles (North Cronulla) A Spence (Cudgen Headland) 2km Beach Run: A Bakker (Lennox) Z Burgess (Coffs Harbour) E Ryan (Shellharbour)

Mixed:

U19 Yrs:Surf Belt: T Klouzal (Manly) A Clarke (Wanda) R Mcgregor (Northcliffe) Single Ski Relay: 1. Northcliffe 1 (Jarryd Mcdonnell, Jack Murphy, Jake Nicholson) 2. Byron Bay A (Alexander Burns, Thomas Burns, Torri Callan) 3. Mooloolaba A (Nicholas Anderson, Nicklaas Bolton, Nick Gale)

U17 Yrs:Single Ski Relay: 1. Mooloolaba A (Jayden Bailey, Bill Bain, Jaega Desainis) 2. Currumbin Beach A (Jackson Cosgrove, Jake Jensen, Joel Mckitterick) 3. Maroochydore Black (Peter Elford, Hayden Murphy, Nickolas Wagner)

Club Pointscore: Northcliffev141 Mooloolaba 64 Wanda 51 Manly 48 Maroochydore 45 North Cronulla 45 Kurrawa 36 Swansea Belmont 35 Terrigal 35 Dicky Beach 27

Find more information on the DHL 2011 Aussies here