2008 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour

Surfing New Zealand
Brighton Beach, Christchurch New Zealand
16 - 17 February 2008

Procter Punishes Opponents 2008 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 February, 2008 : - - Gisborne’s Daniel Proctor took out the Christchurch leg of the 2008 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour today (Sunday 17th February).  Proctor took control in the last five minutes of the twenty-minute final after sitting in second place for most of the heat.

Clear blue sky’s and a light offshore breeze greeted competitors at Brighton Beach as the first round of the open men’s division got under way early on finals day. Daryn McBride (Mnt) made the most of the 0.5 metre swell, dominating the early rounds with vertical turns and hanging ten in the pocket.

Surprise exit from open men’s round one was 2007 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour winner Daniel Kereopa (Rag).  Kereopa, whose ankle was heavily strapped, left the water ten minutes into his twenty-minute heat.

Finalist from the previous event Mike Burling (Gis) was unlucky with wave choice and didn’t progress from the second round.  Meanwhile Daniel Proctor (Gis) set about scoring the highest points of the contest with scores of 8 and 9.5.  Three vertical smacks towards the pier proved that points were on offer in the tricky conditions.

The semifinals of the Over 40’s hit the water and by this stage the light onshore breeze and pushing tide actually made the waves somewhat better than the early morning conditions.  Heats were reduced to fifteen minutes at this stage.  Mike Thomson (Rag) out shone his opponents and with local Dave O’Rourke, progressed from semifinal one. 

Semifinal two saw the lead change several times, with all surfers riding waves through the pier.  But Mark Andrew (ChCh) and Dean Cooke (ChCh) held out and progressed to the final. Women semifinals saw Daisy Thomas (ChCh) continue her path to the final, along with other standout surfer Claire Norman from Sydney.

Young grommet Hugh Ritchie (ChCh) dominated the first semi of the juniors.  Catching his maximum ten waves, Ritchie surfed beyond his years.  Sam Guthrie (Mnt) and Sam Hawke (ChCh) both surfed stylishly in semi two to earn their spot in the final. As spectators gathered on the pier to look down at the action unfolding, the open men’s semifinals kicked things up a notch.

Right from the start of semifinal one, hassling became the “norm” for the first open semi.  Kirk Beyer (Wgtn) was called for interference against McBride mid-way through the heat, perhaps costing him a spot in the final.  Daryn McBride (Mt) left his charge until late in the heat, with a textbook “Hang Ten” and a score of 7.33, which moved him from third to first, with Sam Johnson (Gis) placing second.

A more orderly semifinal two, saw all competitors on the nose of their boards from the get go.  Those surfers that could stay on the nose were rewarded, namely Daniel Proctor and Dylan Barnfield (Opohe). Over 50’s semifinals saw the evergreens display the traditional style, as you would expect. Notables were Viv Treacy (Ocean Beach) and Grant Cochrane (ChCh).

The women’s final hit the water at 3.00pm, current tour leader Daisy Thomas made sure she had two good waves secured early and never looked threatened during the 20 minute final.  Thomas continued to surf vertical and make walking the board look easy.  Claire Norman and Hannah Phillips battled for second, with Norman the victor.

Over 40’s final was next up, and Dean Cooke (ChCh) milked his first wave to the inside making the most of the deteriorating conditions.  Hanging five was the move of choice during this final as the lead changed several times.  Dave O’Rourke (ChCh) moved from third to first place after a left hand wall allowed for several walks up to the nose.  The final was O’Rourke’s.

Junior final saw Sam Guthrie (Mnt) outclassing the other finalists.  Guthrie caught one left-hander that allowed for a series of nose rides and top turns that put the final out of reach for the other competitors.  Young Hugh Ritchie (ChCh) caught any wave coming his way but to no avail.  Sam Hawke (ChCh) who has a very refined style secured second place.

Over 50’s final saw, once again, traditional surfing. Surfers were moving to the nose as soon as they had completed their takeoff. By now the waves were offering little in the way of surfable walls so any turns were rewarded by the judges.  An interference from Cochrane on Paul Bennett (ChCh) cost Cochrane perhaps a higher final placing.  Viv Treacy chipped away with excellent wave selection and nose rides and the final was his.

The open final hit the water with the waves developing a bump across the face, causing many to closeout. A paddle battle developed from the start, as the two wave sets appeared every couple of minutes.  Those caught out of place were forced to catch smaller chop or nothing.  Winner of the third leg of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour (Sandy Bay), Daryn McBride made his intentions known from the start.

McBride’s ability to make the smallest wave look very surfable impressed those who watched.  Unfortunately McBride’s wave count may have proved his undoing.  As McBride stood on the beach after exiting because of catching his maximum ten waves, and leading at that stage, he could only watch as Daniel Proctor and Sam Johnson pushed him to third.

Proctor secured the winning points on one of the few left-handers to come through.  A series of vertical turns, hang fives and a quick hang ten gave Proctor the Hyundai Pro Longboard open title. Please see below for full results from the fourth leg of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour held at Mount Maunganui over the weekend (16-17 Feb).

Open Men’s Semifinals
Heat 1 Daryn Mcbride (Mt) 1, Sam Johnson (Gis) 2, Kirk Beyer (Wgtn) 3, Sam Guthrie (Mnt) 4
Heat 2 Daniel Proctor (Gis) 1, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope) 2, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) 3, Duncan Cameron (Mnt) 4

Open Men’s Final
Daniel Proctor (Gis) 1, Sam Johnson (Gis) 2, Daryn Mcbride (Mnt) 3, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope) 4

Open Women Division Semifinals
Heat 1 Hannah Phillips (Chch) 1, Eve Welch (ChCh) 2, Kirstie Thomsen (Whangarei) 3
Heat 2 Daisy Thomas (Chch) 1, Claire Norman (Sydney) 2, Kate MacDonald (Rangiora) 3

Open Women Division Finals
Daisy Thomas (Chch) 1, Claire Norman (Sydney) 2, Hannah Phillips (Chch) 3, Eve Welch (ChCh) 4

Junior U18 Division Quarterfinals
Heat 1 Hugh Ritchie (ChCh) 1, Sam Hawke (ChCh) 2, Nick Sarjeant (ChCh) 3
Heat 2 Sam Guthrie (Mnt) 1, Stephen Weir (ChCh) 2, Ambrose McNeill (ChCh) N/S           
Heat 3 Luke O’Neill (ChCh) 1, Ambrose Mc Neil 2, Rick Williamson (Ohope) 3, Nic Todd (ChCh) 4

Junior U18 Division Semifinals
Heat 1 Hugh Ritchie (ChCh) 1, Ambrose Mc Neil 2, Stephen Weir (ChCh) 3
Heat 2 Sam Guthrie (Mnt) 1, Sam Hawke (ChCh) 2, Luke O’Neill (ChCh) 3

Junior U18 Division Finals
Sam Guthrie (Mnt) 1, Sam Hawke (ChCh) 2, Hugh Ritchie (ChCh) 3, Ambrose Mc Neil (Chch) 4

Over 40’s Semifinals
Heat 1 Mike Thomson (Rag) 1, Dave O'Rourke (ChCh) 2, Stephen Tyro (ChCh) 3, Glen Michaels (ChCh) 4
Heat 2 Mark Andrews (ChCh) 1, Dean Cooke (ChCh) 2, Ian Fletcher (Chch) 3, Michael Willman (ChCh) 4

Over 40’s Final
Dave O'Rourke (ChCh) 1, Mike Thomson (Rag) 2, Dean Cooke (ChCh) 3, Mark Andrews (ChCh) 4

Over 50’s Semifinals
Heat 1 Grant Cochrane (ChCh) 1, Paul Bennett (ChCh) 2, Len Carragher (Chch) 3, Warwick Gray (Waihi Bch) 4
Heat 2 Viv Treacy (Ocean Beach) 1, Mike Thomson (Rag) 2, David Storck (Auck) 3, Tim Clemence (ChCh) 4

Over 50’s Final
Viv Treacy (Ocean Beach) 1, Paul Bennett (ChCh) 2, Mike Thomson (Rag) 3, Grant Cochrane (ChCh) 4

The remaining event dates for the 2008 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour are as follows:

RnR South Island International Longboard Pro-Am in association with Hyundai, Kaikoura – 14th – 16th March
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 6, Lyall Bay Wellington – 5th – 6th April
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 7, Port Waikato – 12th – 13th April

Hyundai have been involved with Surfing New Zealand since 2004 and also sponsor the most prestigious event in New Zealand – The Hyundai National Championships presented by Quiksilver.  However the focus is on longboarding and this year the tour will be televised on Maori Television with half hour shows dedicated to each event. 

Stay tuned for up coming dates for the shows.  Hyundai have also set up a specific surfing website focussing on longboarding and the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour - http://www.surf.co.nz/hyundai.

Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by Corona, Hyundai, SPARC & Smokefree.

www.surfingnz.co.nz
www.surf.co.nz/hyundai.

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