Corona Crown Series Final Event

Surfing New Zealand
Piha Beach Auckland
29 - 30 March 2008

Super Showdown Looms Large for Final Corona Crown Series Event

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 26 March, 2008 : - - A showdown of epic proportions looms this weekend as the final event of the Corona Crown Series climaxes at Auckland’s Piha Beach.  For the first time the Quinn brothers look set to battle it out for the ultimate prize in domestic surfing.  Maz Quinn (Gis) is currently leading the ratings and has his fate in his own hands should he win the final event – the Corona Super 16. 

Younger brother Jay is currently ranked third and needs to beat Maz in the final event to overtake him on the ratings.  There is one other surfer to factor in – second ranked Zennor Wernham (Rag).  All three are targeting their first ever Corona Crown Series win.

The three surfers are amongst New Zealand’s best 28 males and six females who will contest the Corona Super 16 this weekend and the action is set to be intense.  Added to the mix in 2008 is the addition of 16 trialists including wildcard surfers from the South Island in the form of Hayden Brain and 1999 National Champion Manu Schaffer both of Christchurch.  Dunedin’s Hayley Coakes will also challenge the North Island’s top female surfers.

The event also sees tag team surfing introduced for the North Vs South Challenge and Interclub Championship.  Tag team surfing involves team strategy whereby surfers have to work with their four team mates to catch the required waves and return back to the team box in a specific time.  The exciting format is sure to get the crowd going and instigate some trench warfare with regional pride on the line.

The equation is simple for the Quinn brothers – win the event and the series is also theirs.  Wernham on the other hand needs to win the event and have Jay place second with Maz in third.  If either of these three surfers place lower than the top three then a number of scenarios start to unfold. 

Leon Santorik (Rag), Sam Willis (Mnt) and Gauranga Ormand (WGM) are three surfers that have a mathematical chance of winning the series should the top three surfers fail to make it out of the first three round robin heats.  Scenarios such as this are quite possible with the high calibre of surfers at the event.

Raglan’s Leon Santorik fills the fourth seed at the event and his critical backhand attack could suit the Piha waves.  Others to look out for include Whangamata’s Matt Scorringe and Gauranga Ormand should conditions suit their aerial antics.  Ninth seed Bobby Hansen (Gis) will also be looking for a good result before exiting to Australia next week for more World Qualifying Series action.

This years expanded format has opened the event to a bigger field of surfers making the race for the title more interesting.  The 16 man trials precedes the main event with four surfers from the trials getting the call up for the main event.  The trials include heavy hitters such as Luke Cederman (Rag), winner of the most recent event Billy Stairmand (Rag), New Zealand junior team member Matt Hewitt (Mnt) and Taranaki giant killer Jarred Hancox.

Likewise in the women’s division the four trialists will battle it out for the last available main draw slot.  Rosa Thompson (Auck) and Alexis Poulter (Rag) fill two of the three positions and their recent form suggests they have a good chance of footing it with the top seeds should they progress through to the main event.

The women’s division will be hotly contested with current ratings leader Jessica Santorik wanting to hold on to the top spot ahead of local Piha surfer Mischa Davis.  For the first time this year Santorik holds the number one spot after her win at the Rip Curl Clean and Clear Women’s Open.  Davis can take that from her by winning the event or placing higher than her should one of the other two girls (Daisy Thomas and the trials winner) snatch victory.

This year we have seen Maz Quinn take the first event of the year – the Sequence Surf Shop Pro before Jay Quinn stormed home to win the Hyundai National Championships presented by Quiksilver.  Maz bounced back to take his second win of the year at the Billabong Pro in Whangamata.  The absent Richard Christie (Mah) won the fourth event of the year – the Corona Pro held at Mount Maunganui. 

Christie is competing internationally this weekend and unfortunately unavailable to attend the Corona Super 16.  An outstanding win by Billy Stairmand at the Rip Curl Pro at the start of March saw him jump into the trials of this weekend’s event and he will be a big threat for one of the four main draw spots.

The formidable Gisborne Boardriders tag team will include Maz and Jay Quinn, Bobby Hansen as well as a junior and a women (yet to be confirmed).  The backbone of the Point Boardriders team will be their top three rated surfers in Wernham, Santorik and Mike Banks who are backed up by New Zealand Junior Champion Sean Peggs and current women’s ratings leader Jessica Santorik. 

These two clubs will be joined by clubs from regions including Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.

See below for a full list of surfers who have qualified for the Corona Super 16.  

Confirmed Top 12
1. Maz Quinn (Gis)
2. Zennor Wernham (Rag)
3. Jay Quinn (Gis)
4. Leon Santorik (Rag)
5. Sam Willis (Rag)
6. Gauranga Ormond (Whmata)
7. Matt Scorringe (Whmata)
8. Blair Stewart (Gis)
9. Bobby Hansen (Gis)
10. Mark Dovey (Mnt)
11. Mike Banks (Rag)
12. Ben Kennings (Whmata)

Back 16
13. Luke Cederman (Rag)
14. Jarrod Hancox (Tara)
15. Larry Fisher (Rag)
16. Billy Stairmand (Rag)
17. Luke Hughes (Rag)
18. Nathan Welch (Gis)
19. David Van Staden (Rag)
20. Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
21. Braedon Williams (Whmata)
22. Kierin Van Der Helder (Rag)
23. Keone Campbell (Tara)
24. Sean Peggs (Rag)
25. Chris Malone (Gis)
26. Felix Dickson (Ota)
27. Hayden Brain (Chch)
28. Manu Schaffer (Chch)

Women Top 3
1. Jessica Santorik (Rag)
2. Mischa Davis (Auck)
3. Daisy Thomas (ChCh)

Back 3
4. Laura Rishworth (Mnt)
5. Rosa Thompson (Auck)
6. Alexis Poulter (Rag)

The action will go down at South Piha Beach on both Saturday and Sunday.  The event will run between 8.00am and 3.00pm both days with prizegiving held at the beach.  The Corona After Party takes place at Bar 159 in Henderson on the Saturday night from 7.30pm with the Hamstrings playing live music.

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

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

More Australasian Surfing News available here
Check the latest Australasian Surf Reports and Forecasts

New! B2B News ASBE-Surf   |  Receive News-Alerts

Ben Kennings

SNZ Contests - Surfersvillage