Starting in treacherous six foot conditions on Saturday and finishing in ideal four foot and offshore surf on Sunday, the first of three Sailor Jerry Surftag Qualifying Events has been taken out by the Elouera Boardriders in the Men’s Division and Cronulla Christian Surfers in the Women’s.

Elouera (82.02) finished ahead of the South Coast’s Werri Beach Boardriders (63.3), Bondi Boardriders (53.98) and Wollongong’s Scarborough Boardriders (52.63) in the sixty minute final. Elouera’s fourth surfer Shane Campbell sealed the victory with a 9.1 powerwave (worth double points) late in the decider with the stylish natural footer scoring the highest two-wave total in the final locking in 24.3.

“Feels good we finally put a final together and came out with a win”, Campbell said. “In Elouera we all trust each other and keep it simple and it seemed to work. I thought I’d blown it for the boys but luckily in the end that one wave came through and we got the win. All the boys were ripping and it was a great day for the club”.

Campbell’s teammates Jared Hickel (15.03), Harrison Martin (20.06), Joe Sear (11.43) and 45-year-old Paul Holbrook (8.2) posted the three highest team scores throughout the event. Goofyfooter Martin won the Sailor Jerry Powerwave Award for a 9.6 that he scored on a big chunky left-hander on Day 1.

“I was fairly lucky to find a wave like I did in the tricky conditions,” Martin said. “It was testing in itself just to get out the back on Day 1, so I’m stoked that I found a wave that good in a short amount of time so the rest of the team could go out with less pressure and get the job done.”

Shane Campbell of Elouera Boardriders backhand blast on the way to victory

In the Women’s Division the Cronulla Christian Surfers claimed victory thanks to an amazing performance from Paris Whittaker. The explosive natural footer scored 27.33 out of a possible 30.00 with an 8.00 and a near perfect 9.67 on her Powerwave.

“We are absolutely honored to take out this event on home ground, especially being the first year with the Women’s Division,” Whittaker said. “There was such a great vibe on the beach between all of the Women’s teams and it was an amazing atmosphere to be apart of. Cronulla really turned on the waves and I remember seeing this wave rolling in and I knew it was going to be good, there was nothing any surfer could do but just ride it. When I was running up the beach and the score was read out the whole team went crazy, it felt really good to get the team back on track and into the lead. I am so excited to take out the highest wave score, especially against a strong field of Women and can’t wait to surf in the Australian Championships along side our fellow local club Cronulla Girls Boardriders.”

With the top three Women’s teams qualifying to the Australian Championships Cronulla Christian Surfers (56.22) will be joined by Bondi Girls Surf Riders (46.94) and Cronulla Girls Boardriders (45.4) on the Northern Beaches in May. Bondi’s “B” team finished in fourth position with 18.23 points.

The Cronulla Christian Surfers team included Nichola Turner (9.33), Michelle Newell (6.33), Sarah Hicks (2.2), Samantha Oakes (7.03) and Whittaker. Georgia Tomaszuc was the standout for Bondi scoring 18.54 in the final with Cronulla Girls Boardriders Jazmyn Turner posting 25.33 that included a 9.00-point Powerwave.

Paris Whittaker sealing the deal for Cronulla Christian Surfers in the Womens

Ulladulla and Bronte Boardriders finished in fifth and sixth position in the Men’s Division qualifying to the Australian Championships. Elouera Boardriders received $1500 for the win with Cronulla Christian Surfers taking home $1000.

Results – Sailor Jerry Surftag Cronulla

Men / Women

• 1st Elouera 82.02 1st Cronulla Christian Surfers 56.22
• 2nd Werri Beach 63.30 2nd Bondi Girls Surf Riders 46.94
• 3rd Bondi 53.98 3rd Cronulla Girls Boardriders 45.40
• 4th Scarborough 52.63 4th Bondi Girls “B” Team 18.23
• 5th Ulladulla 5th Cronulla Girls “B” Team
• 6th Bronte
• 7th Cronulla
• 8th Sandon Point
• 9th Culburra

The 2017 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series will include Qualifying events at Cronulla, Newcastle and the Gold Coast with the Australian Championships being held on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, 13 & 14 May. Total Series prize money is $60,000 with the Men’s Australian Champions receiving $10,000 and the Women’s Champions $5,000.

2017 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series

• 4/5 March – Cronulla (Area - Bondi to Ulladulla)
• 25/26 March – Newcastle (Area – North Steyne to Port Macquarie)
• 1/2 April – Gold Coast (Area – Coffs Harbour to Noosa)
• 13/14 May – Australian Championships – Northern Beaches, Sydney

(Includes Trials for VIC, TAS, SA & WA Clubs)

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