Four new NSW champions were crowned today at Lake Cathie yesterday, as the Under 16 and Under 18 divisions wrapped up in near-perfect four-to-five foot righthanders at Middle Rock Beach.
In some of the most picturesque waves seen in recent NSW surfing events, competitors surfed a series of fiercely contested heats as they attempted to claim a NSW Junior Title.
As one of the most exciting surfers of the whole event, Harley Ross-Webster (Curl Curl) put the icing on the cake in the Under 18 Boys final, taking out the blue-ribbon division.
Ross-Webster posted multiple nine-point-plus waves (out of a possible ten points) over the course of his event performance, which hit its peak in the final, when he posted an 18.26 heat score (out of a possible 20 points).
Runner-up Darcy Crump put up a valiant fight over the course of the final, posting a perfect ten-point wave score, but was unable to post the backup score required to take the top spot from Ross-Webster.
The Under 18 Girls saw a see-sawing affair between South Coast surfers Billie Melinz (Coalcliff) and Rubie Reents (Narrawallee). Melinz managed to hold down the lead for the majority of the 20-minute affair, but was pipped by Reents in final minutes of the final when she scored an impressive 8.00 wave score, taking the title by 1.67 points.
Fellow finalists Jacinta Greenup (Cabarita) and Samahra Bye (Coffs Harbour) showed moments of brilliance, but had to settle for third and fourth position.
Kyuss King (Byron Bay) perfectly tuned his explosive repertoire with Middle Rock’s long righthand walls, posting a handful of massive scores.
The natural-footed surfer held down the lead for a solid portion of the heat and was overtaken momentarily by Sandon Whittaker (Avoca), who posted a massive 9.17.
King was able to claw back the lead in the final minutes of the final scoring an 8.1 and taking back the top spot by a 0.03 margin. Joel Paxton (Byron Bay) and Keanu Miller (Bulli) finished in third and fourth respectively.
After blowing away spectators in the early stages of her 2015 NRMA NSW Junior State Title campaign, Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca) continued to carry her momentum through the Under-16 Girls final where she posted a perfect ten-point ride (her second of the event).
Central Coast surfers managed to take the top two spots with Macy Callaghan (Avoca) also posting two eight-point waves, which kept her within arms reach of the win over the course of the final.
However, when the final hooter sounded it was Olsson who took the title ahead of Callaghan, Bodhi Leigh-Jones (Avalon) and Chelsea Green (Taree) who finished in second, third and fourth respectively.
FULL RESULTS:
Under 18 Boys
1 – Harley Ross-Webster (Curl Curl) 18.26 heat score
2 – Darcy Crump (Avalon) 17.9 heat score
3 – Riley Laing (North Entrance) 15.00 heat score
4 – Samson Coulter (Balgowlah) 9.1 heat score
Under 18 Girls
1 – Rubie Reents (Narrawallee) 15.17 heat score
2 – Billie Melinz (Coalcliff) 13.5 heat score
3 – Jacinta Greenup (Cabarita) 10.1 heat score
4 – Samahra Bye (Coffs Harbour) 9.43 heat score
Under 16 Boys
1 – Kyuss King (Byron Bay) 16.43 heat score
2 – Sandon Whittaker (Avoca) 16.40 heat score
3 – Joel Paxton (Byron Bay) 13.9 heat score
4 – Keanu Miller (Bulli) 9.47 heat score
Under 16 Girls
1 – Kirra-Belle Olsson (Avoca) 17.17 heat score
2 – Macy Callaghan (Avoca) 16.27 heat score
3 – Bodhi Leigh-Jones (Avalon) 11.1 heat score
4 – Chelsea Green (Taree) 8.8 heat score
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