Billabong Grom Series
Presented by Oceanbridge

Surfing New Zealand
Tay Street, Mount Maunganui NZ
5 - 7 February 2010

Grommets Kick Off Summer Series In Style

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 5 February, 2010 : - - The Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge got off to a great start today (Friday 5th February) with grommets from across the country as well as a lone South African testing their mettle against one another other.

The East Coast swell of the past week held strong throughout the day with clean 1.0m waves on offer at Mount Maunganui’s Tay Street.  Despite predictions the swell would fade throughout the day, the swell held it’s size.

New Zealand’s best had to confront a rampaging performance from lone South African representative Dylan Lightfoot who obliterated his opponents in his first two heats. Lightfoot who hails from the famous right hand point break Jefferys Bay extended his stay in New Zealand after competing at the ISA World Junior Championship held at Piha in January.

Lightfoot placed eleventh at the world event and his team placed fourth overall.  Today he locked down two firsts in his heats posting scores of 16.0 and 14.5 out of a possible 20 respectively, the highest two heat scores of the event. Lightfoot progressed through to the quarterfinals where he will face Waretini Wano (Piha), Elliot Paerata Reid (Piha) and Levi Stewart (Waihi Beach) on Saturday.

New Zealand’s best held their own in the beach break conditions with national representative Ben Poulter (Rag) scoring a convincing heat win in the afternoon.  Poulter is fresh off an amazing result at the World Champs where he placed sixth – the highest of the twelve Kiwis competing at the event.  Today Poulter posted 10.90 to win his heat.

Other high scoring heat winners in the Under 16 Boys Division included Peri Matenga, Mnt (11.50), Dune Kennings, WGM (11.25) and Adam Grimson, Gis (11.85).

Taranaki surfer Mahorahora McLeod was a standout in the first round of the Under 14 Boys Division.  McLeod scored 10.75 points in his heat to notch up an easy win.  He moves through to the quarterfinals where he will face Manu Scott – Arrieta (Sandy Bay), Jordan Griffin (Mnt) and Callum Chuter (Mnt).

“I won my heat today so I move through to the quarterfinals which is cool” commented McLeod.  “I want to make the final and win, that’s my goal at this event” added McLeod who is travelling with seven of his mates that he says gives him heaps of confidence when competing.

McLeod was recently named as the sole New Zealand recipient of the International Surfing Association scholarship.  The scholarship which is awarded to 25 junior surfers worldwide helps each surfer with funding for sporting as well as school purposes.

“Yeah stoked as” said McLeod when asked about the scholarship adding “It will help me get a new wetsuit for winter and it will help me get to all the comps over summer.”  McLeod was joined by friends Toa MacDonald (Waitara) and Te Rapai Barbarich Love (Waitara) as heat winners in the Under 14 Boys Division along with local Mount surfer Kayden Mayes.

The five winners (excludes Under 12 Girls) of the Billabong Series after the three events each win a return flight to the Gold Coast to compete in the Occy Grom Comp.  Winners at each event win a massive package of Billabong gear and a Sony MP3 player.

Please see below for results from day one of the first event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge held at Tay Street, Mount Maunganui today (Friday 5th February).

Under 16 boys Round 1
Heat 1 Dylan Lightfoot (Sth Africa), 1, Jordan Hart (Tara), 2, Wade Kindred (Auck), 3\
Heat 2 Ella Williams (Whmata), 1, Dillon Tarrant (Ham), 2, Brodie Arbuckle (Tara), 3
Heat 3 Corey Asplin (Rag), 1, Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 2, Sam Josephs (Mnt), 3, Jordan Tanner, 4
Heat 4 Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 1, Jacob Steens (Ham), 2, MacKenzie Bowden (Whmata), 3
Heat 5 Korbin Hutchings (Gis), 1, Josh Taylor (Mnt), 2, Matt Hansen (Mnt), 3
Heat 6 Mitchell Davis (Mnt), 1, Zenik Pratt (Mnt), 2, William Brown (Hastings), 3, Joe Palmer (Kerikeri), 4
Heat 7 Blake Dovey (Mnt), 1, Tomas Speirs (Mnt), 2, Finn Jacobson (Tau), 3
Heat 8 Jayda Martin Fitzharris (Gis), 1, Eli MacDonald (Waitara), 2, Sean Kettle (Tara), 3

Under 16 Boys Round 2
Heat 1 Dylan Lightfoot (Sth Africa), 1, Paul Moreiti (Mimiwhangata), 2, Jules Craft (Gis), 3, Dillon Tarrant (Ham), 4
Heat 2 Elliot Paerata - Reid (Piha), 1, Kahu Craig-Ranga (Waihi Bch), 2, Ella Williams (Whmata), 3, Jordan Hart (Tara), 4
Heat 3 Adam Grimson (Gis), 1, Waretini Wano (Piha), 2, Corey Asplin (Rag), 3, Jacob Stevens (Ham), 4
Heat 4 Jordan Griffin (Mnt), 1, Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 2, Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 3, Tane Wallis (Piha), 4
Heat 5 Ben Poulter (Rag), 1, Josh Kettle (Tara), 2, Korbin Hutchings (Gis), 3, Zenik Pratt (Mnt), 4
Heat 6 Peri Matenga (Mnt), 1, Josh Taylor (Mnt), 2, Mitchell Davis (Mnt), 3, Mackenzie Christie (Tau), 4
Heat 7 Dune Kennings (Whmata), 1, Taylor Louie (Auck), 2, Blake Dovey (Mnt), 3, Eli MacDonald, 4
Heat 8 Patxi Scott-Arietta (Sandy Bay), 1, Fintan Cram (Whmata), 2, Jayda Martin Fitzharris (Gis), 3, Tomas Speirs (Mnt), 4

Under 16 Boys Quarterfinals (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 1 Dylan Lightfoot (Sth Africa), Waretini Wano (Piha), Elliot Paerata - Reid (Piha), Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch)
Heat 2 Adam Grimson (Gis), Paul Moreiti (Mimiwhangata), Jordan Griffin (Mnt), Kahu Craig-Ranga (Waihi Bch)
Heat 3 Ben Poulter (Rag), Taylor Louie (Auck), Peri Matenga (Mnt), Fintan Cram (Whmata)
Heat 4 Dune Kennings (Whmata), Josh Kettle (Tara), Patxi Scott-Arietta (Sandy Bay), Josh Taylor (Mnt)

Under 14 Boys Round 1
Heat 1 Te Rapai Barbarich Love, 1, Callum Chuter, 2, Blake O'Kane, 3, Caleb Braithwaite (Whtane), 4
Heat 2 Mahorahora McLeod (Waitara), 1, Mackenzie Bowden (WGM), 2, Luca Cressy, 3, Matt Hansen (Mnt), 4
Heat 3 Toa MacDonald (Waitara), 1, Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 2, Sergio Hansen, 3, Ben McCulloch (Gis), 4
Heat 4 Kayden Mayes (Mnt), 1, Joe Palmer (Kerikeri), 2, Tane Bowden (Whmata), 3, Paraone Muru, 4

Under 14 Boys Quarterfinals (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 1 Elliot Paerata - Reid (Piha), Ezra Ashton (Auck), Te Rapai Barbarich Love (Waitara), Mackenzie Bowden (WGM)
Heat 2 Manu Scott-Arrieta (Sandy Bay), Jordan Griffin (Mnt), Mahorahora McLeod (Waitara), Callum Chuter (Mnt)
Heat 3 Dune Kennings (Whmata), Nick Mason (Mnt), Toa MacDonald (Waitara), Joe Palmer (Kerikeri)
Heat 4 Korbin Hutchings (Gis), Quinn Matenga (Mnt), Kayden Mayes (Mnt), Taylor Hutchison (Rag)

Under 16 Girls Round 1
Heat 1 Bianca Sansom (Auck), 1, Maiya Thompson (Auck), 2, Louise Hill (Tau), 3, Brooke Naismith (Auck), 4
Heat 2 Jayda Martin-Fitzharris (Gis), 1, Alethea Lock (Chch), 2, Dayna Story (Gis), 3, Hannah Kohn (Gis), 4
Heat 3 Ella Williams (Whmata), 1, Gabriela Sansom (Auck), 2, Ella Spiers (Whmata), 3, Milly Crew (Muri), 4

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