The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 23

SPORT Sonics are dead -long live the Kings year National Basketball League campaign. The bad old days were when the Astronauts (as Sydney were then known) lost more than they won between 1979 and 1982. In 1983, the club won a record 16 consecutive games, but almost folded 12 months later when a shortage of cash precipitated a mass walkout and Sydney finished bottom of their division. Along came a consortium headed by Wrublewski that whisked the Sonics away from archaic Alexandria Stadium to take up residence in the comfortable State Sports Centre. The Sonics squeezed into the 1986 playoffs but have otherwise performed poorly.

Eastern Sydney will be well represented on the new club by Wrublewski, Williams and team manager Andrew Lazaris. Both main function venues for the club are also in the east Club officials hope the newly formed side will eventually outgrow the State Sport Centre and transfer to the Sydney Entertainment Centre. When that happens the others had better watch out the Kings will be well on their way to claiming the NBL crown. By ADRIAN WARREN THE momentous decision of arch rivals Sydney Superson-ics and West Sydney Westars to merge could herald an exciting new era in Sydney basketball. The new administration is looking to call the club the Sydney Kings and is still in the process of sorting out its playing roster.

Players from both the Sonics and Westars are likely to be joined by others, with former Syd-neysiders Mark and Brad Dalton believed to be near the top of the recruiting list. Officials of the new club are confident about its prospects, especially energetic Supersonics chairman Michael Wrublewski. "I really think in the long term it's going to be a very successful venture and it's just going to strengthen Sydney basketball," he said. Someone else who shares Wrub-lewski's enthusiasm about the new venture is the man who will coach the Kings, former Supersonics stalwart Claude Williams. I believe it's a positive step that we are united," he said.

Williams has been associated with the Sydney club for most of its eight- Picture hy HON FAIVRE An obviously elated Guy Leech waves to the crowd at Bondi Beach as he leaves the water to claim victory in the Fosters Iron Man Classic. He battled fierce competition and bleak weather for his first win in the event. Clubs chase the Australian title at Bondi WILLCOX Storm lashes sailing club Tornado owners at Woollahra Sailing Club anxiously surveyed the damage caused to their vessels by a short but violent storm last Friday. All nine tornado's were blown around the yard, among them, a newly purchased craft belonging to former World Tornado Champion Scott Anderson. North Bondi ironman Scott Thomson seems certain to improve upon the ninth position he achieved in last season's inaugural Nutri Grain Ironman series.

Thomson finished sixth in the Foster's Classic on his home beach last Saturday, having already scored a fourth placing in the opening event in Queensland. An outstanding individual display by Astrolabe all-rounder Roger Withers highlighted his team's innings victory over Woolloomooloo Recreation Centre in the latest round of the Eastern Suburbs Junior Cricket Association Under-16 competition. The 15-year-old Kingsford schoolboy scored 163 not out with the bat and claimed 7-20 with the ball. Randwick Hockey Club overcame some early season problems to win four premierships. The ladies section fared particularly well, first grade won the Division of the Homebush Bay competition, fourth and fifth won Eastern District championships.

Fourth grade men won a Sydney Hockey Association title and the Under-17s finished runners-up in their division. ADRIAN WARREN some fairly good surf at Freshwater last weekend. Saturday was especially good with a 1.5m swell and offshore winds all day. In the final wash-up, it was a battle of the Juniors with Cronulla's Glenn Pringle taking out Grommet-King, Nickey Wood, of Newcastle, in the four-man final. Third was Avoca's Adam Faunce with Western Australia's Matt Branson fourth.

Newcastle's Simon Law was equal fifth with Stuart Cadden, of Mona Vale, and equal seventh were Richard Marsh, of Cronulla, and Avoca's Shane Powell. Powell, who is only 15, also won the Duke Kahanamoku Trophy for the most impressive emerging surfer. Long Reefs Damien Warr, who is also 15, did well to make it into the quarter-finals. Three of the seeds, Jason Buttenshaw, Craig Pitchers, and Ross Clarke-Jones, didn't even get past their first heat appearance. The current pro tour leader, Damien Hard-man, of North Narrabeen, slipped into Sydney from Japan last week for a couple of days before flying out to Bali for a holiday with his girlfriend, Belinda.

The world circuit is more than halfway through and Damien wants to recuperate before the Australian Spring Tour, starting next month. jrrrHE battle to find the best boardriding I club in Australia hits the water at I Bondi this weekend in the form of the the Quiksilver Surf League Bondi's ITN Club are the reigning champions, but I think they'll be doing it tough to retain their crown. While they have a fairly strong team on paper, they have lost Greg Day to North Avalon and Cheyne Horan, who now lives in Noosa Heads, has been listed as a reserve. Horan has assured the team (Richard Cram, Rod Kerr, Bill Power, Dean Cook, Matt Elks, Ben Webber, Steve Mclver, and David Davidson) that he will be travelling down to compete. Each of the 16 national teams will field an eight-man side consisting of five Open surfers and three Juniors.

Teams are coming from as far afield as Perth, Hobart, and the Sunshine Coast. Sydney's Northside is represented by North Avalon, Newport, and Queenscliff, while Cronulla and ITN are the two top southside contenders. After the preliminary rounds, the top four teams will pick five surfers each, who will surf under modified Surf Knockout rules, the system devised by Bronte surfer, Jay Carter. Merewether, who won the Gorilla Grip Surf Knockout earlier this year at Bronte and Tamarama beaches, will be hard to beat. Their top five will most likely be: Mark Richards, Nicky.

Wood, Luke Egan, Simon Law, and Dave Macarthur. Runners-up in the Knockout were Cronulla and they'll have Mark Occhilupo, Gary Green, and Richard Marsh on hand. Queenscliff has been weakened by the withdrawal of Barton Lynch, who is suffering back and neck problems and wants a rest from the pro tour. No-one will be more psyched up than Newport, who withdrew from Surf League last year after a judging dispute. Their team includes Tom Carroll, Martin Potter, and Stuart Cadden.

North Avalon has some dark horses in Graham Wilson, Mark Haymes, Michael Rommelse, and Greg Day. One thing for sure is that you can expect some fairly aggravated scenes on the beach, as well as high-powered surfing in the water. Hopefully, Huey will throw up some big big'uns. The Pocket Blockit Duke Classic went down in 2g-, CUT OUT THIS COUPON I TENNIS RACQUET Just bring your coupon along to the VAUCLUSE TENNIS COURTS during our FREE COACHING SESSION on Thursday 29th October. We are situated adjacent to VAUCLUSE BOWUNG CLUB IN NEW SOUTH HEAD RD.

Randwick to have sports foundation A sports foundation will be established in Randwick Municipality to represent sports groups and to offer them and their members financial support. The decision was made by the sporting sub-committee of Randwick Coun-cil's Bicentennial Community Committee. The council has pledged $5,000 to help to establish the foundation. The Minister for Sport and member for Coogee, Mr Cleary, said: "Establishment of a sporting foundation in which all community sports can be represented will greatly assist in developing future world champions." Final details of the foundation are expected to be announced at a fund-raising dinner on the long weekend next October. LOST WEEK'S yi Jyf- "Rose Bay Paddington AO01 Centennial O5- N2 Parkl34 35 Waverleyf 34 Sydenham v.

feth Coogee Rockdale (Chifley 25 XLittle Bay 26 Monterey Compiled by DON WHITE THE WEEK'S WEATHER: The week began with onshore winds and a few showers which temporarily cleared ahead of a thundery change on Friday. Further rain set in later in the period with thunderstorms last Monday night, but falls over the eastern suburbs were not nearly as heavy as in other parts of Sydney. Top rainfalls for the period included 50mm in the city, 48mm at Watsons Bay and 42mm at Glebe. Daytime temperatures were near to a little below normal. While a fair bit of cloud kept overnight minimum temperatures up, the average maximums for the week were around 20-21 across the district 1-2 degrees below normal for this time of year.

FORECAST: Cool weather is likely to persist into the weekend but the below-average temperatures of the past fortnight may then come to an end. Warmer weather is expected to develop during the weekend and into early next week with a few showers and local storms re-developing ahead of a mid-week change. Changeable weather but with less rain than recently is then expected to persist into November. THE COAST: The water temperature along Sydney's beaches is around 1 8-19 degrees. TIDES: Today, High: 7.45 am, 8 pm.

Low: 1.30 am, 2 pm. Tomorrow, High: 8.20 am, 8.40 pm. Low: 2 am, 2.40 pm. Saturday, High: 8.55 am, 9.20 pm. Low: 2.30 am, 3.25 pm.

Sunday, High: 9.40 am, 10.10 pm. Low: 3.10 am, 4.15 pm. Monday, High: 10.20 am, II pm. Low 3.50 am, 5. 1 0 pm.

Tuesday, High 1 1 1 0 am. Low 4.30 am, 6.10 pm. Wednesday, High: 12.05 am, 12.05 pm. Low: 5.30 am, 7.15 pm. Address Phone NOTE! ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

THE EASTERN HERALD. Thursday, Oct. 22, 1387 23.