NSW State Masters Titles

Mick Cain Wins 2006 NSW State Masters Titles

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 9 August, 2006 : - -  Port Macquarie local Mick Cain came from behind in the dying minutes of the Senior Men’s (Over 28s) division to snatch victory from an in-form Brett Bannister of North Narrabeen at the NSW State Masters Titles, held in difficult current-affected 1.5 metre waves at Port Macquarie’s Town Beach.

With mere minutes remaining, Cain required a wave score of 7.2 or better for victory after Bannister had held a commanding lead throughout the Final. In the difficult conditions. Cain found the wave he wanted and proceeded to smash the right hand wall to pieces and to the amazement, and in some cases shock of the crowd.

Cain committed to a huge floater that saw him land within metres of the nose of the Breakwall from which the wave gets its name.  Fortunately Cain surfaced relatively unscathed with only a few scratches and bruises. For this amazing display of committed surfing, Cain was awarded a 9.5 score which saw him overtake Bannister for the Title.

Rounding out the minor placings in the Senior Men’s was Wylie Fowler of Cronulla in Third and Bryden Galbraith from The Entrance in Fourth. 

In the Open Women’s Final, it was seasoned Terrigal competitor Melissa Sherringham who was able to negotiate the strong current to post two high scoring waves to take the title over Lennox Head’s Jenny Boggis, defending Open Women’s champ Jess Hickson from Boomerang Beach and Ellen Black from Warriewood. 

The Men’s Masters division was another hotly contested affair with many great names competing including former Pipe Masters champ Rob Page from the North Coast and former NSW Champ Matt Hucker from Long Jetty. The Final saw the in-form Page lining up against Newport ripper Paul Wayland, Bogangar’s Scott King and Tom Wilson from Fisherman’s Paradise in what was to be the closest heat of the event. 

Brett Bannister : photo Gleesoimages.com

Page and Wayland dominated the Final, with Wayland shooting to an early lead. However it wasn’t long before Page came back with a strong ride to ensure the Men’s Masters Title went down to the wire. The stage was set for a nail biting finish as Page rode an excellent wave completing a combination of critical re-entries and floaters for a near-perfect 9.65.

Wayland answered back with a near-perfect ride of his own scoring a 9.5 in the last minute but was just not enough to beat Page, who had not competed at state level since 1984. In the Senior Women’s and Women’s Masters  division, it was Budgewoi veteran Sandra English who continued her dominance successfully defending her NSW Titles across both divisions, showing her supreme surf and water skills.   

In the Senior Masters, it was Lennox Head’s Max Perot who continued his great form to take the title over Andrew Johnson from Illawarra, Wallabi Point’s John Heiss and Anthony Donohoe. 

The Grand Masters faired the worst with their Final held at a time when the current was at its strongest with two surfers failing to catch a wave. Copacabana’s Rob Baldwin and Gary Hughes from Bluey’s Beach finished first and second respectively with the third and fourth placings of Scotts Head surfer Wayne Kinnerson and Cronulla’s Barry Tyte decided on seeding position. 

The Legends saw Glen Sharrock of Caves Beach take victory over Crescent Head’s Paul O’Donnell, Danny Bond of Blue Bay and Cameron Boyd from Jamberoo. The Open Kneeboard final saw the ever competitive Matt Gallagher from Cronulla go one better than 2005 to claim victory over Collaroy’s Roy Lentz and father-son duo Peter and Shane Whitehouse from Bonny Hills. 

The State Masters Titles see the best surfers in NSW compete across nine divisions, not only for the chance to claim a NSW Title, but also for the opportunity to represent the always dominant NSW team at the Australian Open Surfmasters Titles, which are being held at Bells Beach in September 2006.

A huge thankyou to the sponsors of the 2006 NSW State Masters Titles: Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Tacking Point Tavern, Men at Work Labour Hire, Paradise Surf Centre, Ki-ea Holiday Apartments, The Observatory, Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, HW Boutique Motel, Port Macquarie Surf School, Star FM, Radio 2MC, Rip Curl, Tooheys Extra Dry, Banana Boat, No*Clones, Port Macquarie Trophies, Page 5 Printing and the Camden Haven Junior Boardriders Club. 

The next event on the NSW calendar is the Dunes NSW State Junior Titles, which will be held at Coffs Harbour from September 6-10, 2006.

Max Perot : photo Gleesoimages.com

Results: 

Senior Men’s (O/28s)                                                                Open Women’s
1st         Mick Cain (Port Macquarie)                                             1st         Melissa Sherringham
2nd        Brett Bannister (North Narrabeen)                                  2nd        Jenny Boggis (Lennox Head)
3rd         Wylie Fowler (Cronulla)                                                  3rd         Jess Hickson (Boomerang Beach)
4th         Bryden Galbraith (The Entrance)                                     4th         Ellen Black (Warriewood)

Masters Men’s (O/35s)                                                              Senior Women’s (O/28s)
1st         Rob Page (Verges Creek)                                               1st         Sandra English (Budgewoi)
2nd        Paul Wayland (Newport)                                                 2nd        Yvonne Lamont (Mount Elliot)
3rd         Scott King (Bogangar)                                                    3rd         Karen Myers (Lake Munmorah)
4th         Tom Wilson (Fishermans Paradise)                                 4th         Kathy Cornish (Crescent Head)

Senior Masters (O/40s)                                                             Masters Women’s (O/35s)
1st         Max Perot (Lennox Head)                                               1st         Sandra English (Budgewoi)
2nd        Andrew Johnson (Illawarra)                                           2nd        Yvonne Lamont (Mount Elliot)
3rd         John Heiss (Wallabi Point)                                               3rd         Kellie O’Brien (Lennox Head)
4th         Anthony Donohoe                                                           4th         Kathie Cornish (Crescent Head)

Grand Masters (O/45s)                                                              Open Kneeboard
1st         Rob Baldwin (Copacabana)                                             1st         Matt Gallagher (Cronulla)
2nd        Gary Hughes (Blueys Beach)                                          2nd        Roy Lentz (Collaroy)
3rd         Wayne Kinnerson (Scotts Head)                                     3rd         Peter Whitehouse (Bonny Hills)
4th         Barry Tyte (Cronulla)                                                        4th         Shane Whitehouse (Bonny Hills)

Legends (O/50s)
1st         Glen Sharrock (Caves Beach)
2nd        Paul O’Donnell (Crescent Head)
3rd         Danny Bond (Blue Bay)
4th         Cameron Boyd (Jamberoo)

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