Matt Hewitt : photo Malcolm Pullman

Smokefree National Scholastic Surfing Championships

Surfing New Zealand
Midway Beach, Gisborne New Zealand
17 - 21 April 2007

Coromandel Leads Tightest of Races

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 April, 2007 : - - The Coromandel surf team lead twelve national regions as the 2007 Smokefree National Scholastic Surfing Championships enters the final day of competition.  Led by six surfers who have made it through to the final day, they are being chased down by Taranaki and the defending champion Bay of Plenty team who are the only two teams capable of taking the teams title from Coromandels grasp. 

Both Coromandel and Bay of Plenty both have six surfers remaining in the event while Taranaki only have five surfers remaining.  The finals day will be an on edge affair with high placings in the finals set to define the eventual title holders.

The penultimate day of surfing offered up a bunch of critical results for the ratings race with the lead changing several times throughout the day.  While Coromandel led for much of the day after going into day four with ten surfers remaining, they were soon pushed back to second by Taranaki while it was the Bay of Plenty team that sat back in the middle of the pack only to emerge at the end of the day as potential champions for 2007.

Key to the race was a big result for Cromandels Matt Young who moved through to the finals of the under 18 boys in second place behind Waikato’s Sean Peggs.  In somewhat of an upset, Young eliminated one of the event favourites and national representative Keone Campbell (Tara) who was keen to lead his team from the front. 

At the other end of the spectrum both teams had two surfers in the under 14 boys division.  In a big result from the Coromandel team it was Fraser Chatham and Brad Pitcher who came up with big results over Taranaki’s Conner Anderson and Chad Jones to progress through to the semifinals.  It was another result that went the way of Coromandel and pushed them further into a lead that they never relinquished.

With another late charge by Karne Pitcher in the under 16s as well as progression to the final by Alex Walker and a finals berth by Conner te Brake, their under 18 bodyboarder, the team secured a healthy 485 point lead going into the final day.  Taranaki have a strong contingent of bodyboarders who have made the finals as well as under 16 surfer Tyler Anderson who has yet again moved through to the final seemingly under the radar to set up a valuable win for his team. 

However, it is the Bay of Plenty team that are sneaking up the table after falling as low as sixth today (Friday).  The key to the Bay of Plenty team will be the strong look to their team on paper.  Matt Hewitt has been a standout all week as have their bodyboarders who have top scored in their respective divisions. 

On top of this they have Laura Rishworth in the under 18 girls who has been in form all summer and Todd Doyle who has featured in a number of under 14 boys finals at national events this summer.  If everything goes to plan it will be the Bay of Plenty team that could burgle the title and keep it for the second year running.

With only one day remaining at the event Wellington is the only team that has been completely eliminated from the event showing the wide ranging abilities of the twelve regions that stretch from Ahipara in the north to Invercargill in the south.  Significant performances outside the top teams include Westport’s Anna Hawes (Westport) who moved through to the final of the under 16 girls. 

Tom Bracegirdle is the lonely Otago surfer remaining alive on the finals day and with one round separating him from a finals berth, the young lad will be eager to stamp his mark on the event and show his elder team members how it is done. The local Gisborne team have been surprisingly absent from the limelight.  After going into day four with nine surfers remaining, seven team members faltered at the final hurdle being eliminated by the days end.