Gisborne's Hovell the national SUP surfing champion - again

On top again: Gisborne's Sean Hovell has made a dominate stance winning the national Stand Up Paddle Board championship at Piha. Picture by Paul Rickard

Gisborne stand-up paddleboard surfer Sean Hovell is the national champion again.

He put in a dominant performance in the open men's SUP surfing final yesterday at the national surfing championships at Piha.

Hovell is a multiple national SUP surfing champion at both junior and open level. His most recent title before this was at Nine Mile Beach near Westport at last year's national champs.

Yesterday he won with a two-wave total of 12.70 (6.00, 6.70).

Karlos Aarsen (Whangamata) was second with a score of 10.65 (4.85, 5.8).

After scoring 5.00 with his first wave, Hovell was always in front in the final, but he kept busy because Aarsen was snapping at his heels, having scored 4.85 on his second wave.

Both surfers recorded points on six waves in the final, and Hovell's two scoring waves were the fifth and sixth he surfed.

Aarsen's best wave, scoring 5.8, was also his last in the final.

Another Gisborne SUP surfer, Stella Smith, finished second in the open women's final, behind defending national champion Billie Scott.

Smith's two-wave total was 9.90 (4.50, 5.40) against Scott's 11.90 (7.50, 4.40).

Both Hovell and Smith are New Zealand representatives in SUP surfing.

Former Gisborne surfer and 1998 national champion Chris Malone (Raglan) was second in his over-35 quarterfinal and semifinal and will contest the final tomorrow.

However, after advancing second in his o40 quarterfinal, he was eliminated in the semifinal.

Tomorrow is finals day in the champs.