Souter rides high after Aussie stint

Justin Souter is hoping his superb surfing consistency this season holds on for one more week.
The Mount Maunganui surfer heads into this weekend's national tour ratings grand final in Piha on top of the national rankings, courtesy of a seventh-placing at the Rip Curl Pro in Raglan on Sunday.
Daniel Kereopa won the Rip Curl Pro on his home break to move up to second but couldn't displace Souter, who finished third at the national championships in Taranaki and was pipped for the Billabong Pro title in Whangamata.
The 25-year-old returned in January from a nine-month stint in Australia where he mixed work and competing and discovered a competitive weapon previously lacking in his surfing arsenal.
"The confidence is a big factor, definitely," Souter said.
"I was pretty confident after doing quite well in Australia. I got second in the Queensland champs and was super-relaxed and that's really carried through to my events here."
Souter, who is sponsored by Mount Maunganui's Bodyline wetsuits, came back to New Zealand to become a national sales representative for clothing company Rusty, based in Auckland.
He's enjoying the travel and fast pace of the job, although the surfing tour is still a big focus.
"I do want to step it up on the national circuit. I'm pretty settled back here now and I want to get some wins behind me and make a big impression."
Souter will be top seed for the season-ending elite Lion Red Super 16 on Saturday but the competition will be fierce.
Seasoned international performers Gisborne's Maz Quinn and Blair Stewart are in third and fifth on the ratings respectively, sandwiching Raglan's Leon Santorik in fourth.
Another Mount surfer Mark Dovey has made the Super 16 in 14th spot.
It's that competition which Souter believes is bringing the best out of him.
"It's worked in really well - it's made it a lot more prestigious."
Kereopa, who took a one-year hiatus in 2004 for family reasons, and fellow Raglan surfers Kelly Clarkson and Morehu Roberts made it a clean sweep for locals at the Rip Curl Pro.
The men's final was a tight battle between all four surfers early on with the lead changing several times until Kereopa hit the front on consecutive waves that scored 8.0 and 7.4.
Requiring an excellent wave to put it beyond Quinn's reach, Kereopa caught the best wave of the final and proceeded to work it all the way down the point to score a 9.5. Quinn finished with a total heat score of 17.35 to place second over Mike Banks (Raglan) with Taranaki's Simon Deken fourth.
The open women's final came down to a two-horse race between Clarkson and Mount's Lisa Hurunui, with Clarkson awarded a 7.5 on the final wave of the final to snatch victory.