Lennox Ballina Boardriders (LE-BA) surfers have qualified for the Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB) Grand Final early next year after finishing second in the finals of the Northern NSW qualifier event held earlier this month at Coffs Harbour.
The final Northern NSW regional qualifier brought together 13 of the region’s best boardrider clubs, wrapping up two months of ABB competition nationwide.
Former world championship tour surfers, rising juniors, and local standouts delivered high-performance surfing in fun 1–2ft conditions at Diggers Beach.
The final came down to Coffs Harbour, LE-BA, Angourie and Kingscliff – the standout clubs from start to finish.
LE-BA and Angourie traded the lead for much of the heat, but with Coffs Harbour sitting in third in the dying minutes, power-surfer Jayke Sharp dropped a clutch 7.67 to propel his team into first place. The result locked in a historic third straight ABB regional qualifier win for Coffs Harbour.
Wave of the Day
Byron Bay didn’t make it through their semi-final, being nudged out by Coffs Harbour and Angourie.
LE-BA’s Mikey McDonagh delivered one of the standout performances of the event, earning a 9.17 in the semi-final to claim the Wave of the Day.
‘It feels good to put up some solid scores,’ McDonagh said. ‘We’ve come close to victory a few times, so we’re pumped to head to Burleigh next year and have another crack. It’s definitely a bucket list moment.’
The top six clubs have now booked their place at the ABB Grand Final set for 7–8 March 2026 at Burleigh Heads. These clubs are: Angourie, Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga, LE-BA, Kingscliff, and Boomerang BRC.
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