Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club’s women’s inflatable rescue boat (IRB) teams have returned from the Australian IRB Championships in Mollymook, New South Wales with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
The teams, comprising Emily Bambrook, Georgia Cashin, Orlagh Davison, Gabrielle Hannan, Drew Honey, Mackenzie Hooper, Keely Peatling, and Oliver Sullivan were crowned Australian champions in the open women’s tube rescue (Davison, Hannan, Peatling), brought home silver in the open women’s mass rescue (Bambrook, Cashin, Davison, Honey) and bronze in the under 23 women’s tube (Davison, Hannan, Hooper) and open women’s teams rescue (Bambrook, Cashin, Davison, Hannan, Peatling, Sullivan).
Ocean Grove was joined at the Australian Championships with fellow Geelong-Surf Coast teams Barwon Heads 13th Beach, Lorne and Point Lonsdale to compete against clubs from around the nation.
Bambrook, Davison, Honey, Hooper, Peatling and Sullivan were also selected in the Victorian state and development teams, which saw the nation’s best drivers, crews and patients selected to represent their state in the Interstate Championships, also run at Mollymook last weekend.
Victoria finished in second place with 49 points, narrowly behind winning state Queensland, with 51 points.
In addition to athletes, 17 officials were selected in safety and emergency management, judges, supervisors, starters, appeals, competition liaison, announcing, powercraft and scrutineering roles, including locals Charlie Bidgood (Point Lonsdale) James Carew (Lorne), Lisa Happ (Bancoora), David Pownall (Ocean Grove), Sam Ranson (Barwon Heads 13th Beach) and Graham Rice (Lorne).
Life Saving Victoria general manager education, sport and club development Kate Simpson congratulated athletes and officials alike for their efforts on the national stage.
“Victorian lifesavers have a fantastic record of outstanding results at the Australian IRB Championships and I am thrilled to say in 2022 we have continued this proud tradition,” Ms Simpson said.
“To see our Geelong-Surf Coast clubs perform so strongly, including an incredible four podium finishes from the Ocean Grove women’s teams is fantastic, and I extend my congratulations to everyone for their amazing efforts in Mollymook.”
Results / Australian IRB Championships
Open women’s tube rescue
1st: Ocean Grove (Orlagh Davison, Keely Peatling, Gabrielle Hannan)
Open women’s mass rescue
2nd: Ocean Grove (Orlagh Davison, Emily Bambrook, Georgia Cashin, Drew Honey)
Under 23 women’s tube rescue
3rd: Ocean Grove (Orlagh Davison, Gabrielle Hannan, Mackenzie Hooper)
Open women’s teams rescue
3rd: Ocean Grove (Orlagh Davison, Emily Bambrook, Gabrielle Hannan, Keely Peatling, Georgia Cashin, Oliver Sullivan)
Under 23 men’s tube rescue
5th: Barwon Heads 13th Beach (Seamus Spanner, Kieran Spanner, Bryce Newton)
Under 23 women’s mass rescue
6th: Point Lonsdale (Jodhi West, Brigette West, Joshua Vaughan, Andrew Taylor)
Open men’s tube rescue
7th: Barwon Heads 13th Beach (Jake Pownall, Ryan Wilson, Samantha Pownall)
Under 23 men’s mass rescue
7th: Barwon Heads 13th Beach (Seamus Spanner, Kieran Spanner, Zoe Campbell, Stephanie Dimitrio)
Results / Interstate IRB Championships
Women’s teams rescue
1st: Victoria open – state team (Orlagh Davison – Ocean Grove, Emily Bambrook – Ocean Grove, Nicole Xuereb – South Melbourne, Kristina Clappison – South Melbourne, Joel Hosken – Elwood, Keely Peatling – Ocean Grove)
Women’s rescue
3rd: Victoria open – state team (Orlagh Davison, Emily Bambrook and Keely Peatling – Ocean Grove)
Overall results:
1st: Queensland, 51 points
2nd: Victoria, 49 points
3rd: New South Wales, 48 points
4th: Western Australia, 28 points
