Groms unleash at Piha

GIZZY GROMS: Gisborne surfers Finn Johnson (this picture) and Hannah King (next picture) in action at event 2 of the national grom series in Piha. King was third in the u14 girls’ final. Pictures by Col/Surf2Surf.com

GISBORNE teenager Saffi Vette faces a comeback mission if she is to win her age category of the national grom series.

Vette had to settle for third in the under-17 girls’ final in event 2 of the series held in Piha over the weekend.

Mount Maunganui’s Elin Tawharu, who Vette defeated in event 1, won the final with a two-best-waves score of 13.33 out of a possible 20. She also leapfrogged Vette into the series lead with one contest — in Mount Maunganui on March 11-12 — to go.

Tiana Breeze de Mooij (Mt M) was second in the final with 9.83, heading off Vette on 9.2 and Aimee Brown of Great Barrier on 2.73.

Vette earlier won her semifinal with 14.0.

Hannah King, of Gisborne, was third in the u14 girls’ final with a score of 4.43. Oakura surfer Ariana Shewry won the title with 14.6, thanks to a 9.33 wave near the end of the final. Brie Bennett (Raglan) was second on 13.10 and Anna Brock (Mt M) fourth on 2.23.

Gisborne’s Finn Johnson was eliminated in the semifinals of the u17 boys’ age group. Johnson comfortably won his quarterfinal with 14.17 but was third in his semi with 10.87. Dylan Preston (Whangamata) won the semi with 15.67 from William van der Beek (Mt M) on 12.10.

Elliot Brown (Dunedin) won the final with a 15.63 total, heading off Preston on 14.73. It made it two from two for Brown in the series.

Taylor Hutchinson (Raglan) proved too classy in winning the u20 boys’ final with 17.0, posting his total in the opening 10 minutes of the final. Taranaki’s Daniel Farr well second on 12.93.

Raiha Ensor (Mt M) won the u20 girls’ title with 13.40.

Tom Robinson (Whangarei) pipped Taranaki’s Tom Butland’s by 0.12 to win the u14 boys’ division. An interference call cost Butland, whose 13.75 effort included a near-perfect 9.67 ride.