East Coast Surfriders in celebration mode after they beat Mount Maunganui's Bay Boardriders on Saturday to win the inaugural challenge for the new 'Sunshine Shield' for team surfing in New Zealand. Photos / Derek Fryer Imagery
East Coast Surfriders in celebration mode after they beat Mount Maunganui's Bay Boardriders on Saturday to win the inaugural challenge for the new 'Sunshine Shield' for team surfing in New Zealand. Photos / Derek Fryer Imagery
East Coast Surfriders became the first holders of the new “Ranfurly Shield” of New Zealand surfing at the weekend.
The Gisborne surfers defeated the Bay Boardriders from Mount Maunganui in the interclub Sunshine Shield contest held at ‘Creeks’ surf break, Makorori Beach.
Gisborne's Nick White carving for his team in Saturday's challenge event at Makorori. He won the open men's division of the teams contest. Photos / Derek Fryer Imagery
Each club fielded 20 surfers who competed acrossdivisions and in a tag team event.
The club with the highest aggregate score at the end of the contest won the Sunshine Shield.
“We are absolutely stoked to host the contest and win it.”
The interclub challenge idea came from a conversation between East Coast Surfriders (ECS) and Bay Boardriders earlier in the year, after the Bay club had topped the scores at the New Zealand championships.
ECS put their hand up to host the first event and had local creative Stan Scott create and build the Sunshine Shield.
The name was inspired by a past surfing trophy seen at Sunshine Brewery.
Gisborne's Holly Quinn gave it everything too in the women's division of the challenge. Photos / Derek Fryer Imagery
Contest director and East Coast Surfriders co-chair Amber Dunn said the interclub contest showcased the best past and present surfers from Gisborne and Mount Maunganui.
“Our ECS team was loaded with past NZ surfing champions in the Quinn trio (Maz, Holly and Jay), Damon Gunness and Blair Stewart and our present champions in Nick White, Archie Alder and Jaxon Pardoe,” Dunn said.
“Bay Boardriders were equally stacked with past surfing champions in Darren Kiwi, Owen Barns, Alex Dive, and Sam Willis.
“I really loved what I saw at this event. It was more than an interclub contest.
“It was a reunion of past surfing rivals and friends, a preview of our current surfing talent and up-and-coming champions, and the creation of new friendships.”
Archie Alder surfed his heart out for his team in the junior ranks. He was the best of under 14s. Photos / Derek Fryer Imagery
East Coast Surfriders thanked local businesses Specsavers and Sunshine Brewery for supporting the contest, Strike Photography for videography, Beka Melville (photography), Derek Fryer Photographer, and Bay Boardriders for the equipment and personnel support to run the event.
