LE-BA Boardriders have come third in the Australian Boardriders Battle Grand Final behind Burleigh Heads and North Shelly, in front of 30,000 spectators at the Burleigh Heads point break.
With waves hitting the 1-1.5 metre mark in ‘solid’ but choppy conditions including a rip current, ‘the final was testing for all surfers involved’, LE-BA president Ben Beesley said.
In the final, the lead changed a few times and was settled by just a couple of waves, that gave it to Burleigh, in the end.
LE-BA’s team consisted of James Wood, Harry O’Brien, Keernan Crisp, Nixie Ryan, Mickey McDonagh and Max McGillivray
‘Mickey was a club standout, and for the whole event,’ Ben said.
In the final Mickey was the most consistent and highest-total-scoring individual surfer (7.83 and 7.60), but he couldn’t match the best waves ridden by Burleigh, including the top wave score of 9.27 by local Isla Huppatz.
Final scores had Burleigh on 41.25, followed by North Shelley (33.17), LE-BA (31.67), North Shore (30.76), Noosa (26.91) and Torquay (25.24).
Last year’s defending champions Byron Bay failed to make the semi-finals after coming fifth in their quarter-final.
‘Club surfing is really an institution in Australia. A lot of clubs here are 60 years old plus. Surfers representing their club is a big deal,’ Gold Coast local Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew said.
‘Some surfers seriously grow a foot taller when they put their club colours on.’
