Schools battle it out on the beach

Dozens of secondary school students from the Western Bay and beyond took to the surf in Mount Maunganui yesterday to battle it out in the Bay of Plenty Polytech Secondary Schools Surf Lifesaving Competition.

The Tauranga Boys and Girls College composite team won the Under 16 and Under 19 categories and snatched the shield from Mount Maunganui College, who had held the title for two years.

The championship competition is the only one of its kind in the country and proved its popularity with 15 secondary school teams travelling from Mercury Bay to Whakatane.

Teams also came from Gisborne and Orewa.

Events included the traditional run-swim-run, beach flags, surf race, beach sprints, taplin, rescue and board relays, and the full team surf lifesaving relay.

The event marked the end of the surf lifesaving competition calendar for the season.