Vette, 14, wins u18 division

WAVE RIDER: Finn Vette in action on the water in the u16 boys’ final at the 2018 national surfing championships in Gisborne, where he finished runner-up to Raglan’s Kora Cooper. Picture by Paul Rickard

SURFING

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD Gisborne surfer Finn Vette won the under-18 boys’ division at the Kaikoura Grom Comp at the weekend.

Vette was also third in the u16 boys’ final.

The Kaikoura Grom Comp was the sixth event of the New Zealand Grom Series and doubled as the final event of the South Island Grom Series, which attracted a hefty field of surfers from around the country.

Clean one-metre surf with solid set waves pulsed in at “Meatworks” on Sunday, producing a more manageable line-up than the 1.5-metre swell of the day before.

Vette posted a 14.4-point heat total in the u18 final to upstage event favourite Caleb Cutmore (Raglan), who had been on fire all weekend.

Vette surfed a seamlessly ridden left-hander early in the heat and backed that up with a sharp two-turn combination on his backhand to hold the lead for much of the final and through to the final siren.

Cutmore finished runner-up, just holding off Taylor O’Leary (Muriwai) in third place with Myka Black (Christchurch) fourth.

The u16 boys’ final was the most hotly contested of the day.

Tom Butland (Taranaki) and Tom Robinson (Whangarei) capitalised on the right-handers rolling down the beach.

Both scored excellent rides, Butland coming out on top 15.97 to 15.71.

Gisborne’s Vette opted to surf his forehand on the lefts and took an early lead in the final with a pair of sevens before being pegged back and ultimately finishing in third place ahead of Myka Black (Christchurch).

Christchurch surfer Ava Henderson, 14, won both the u18 and u16 girls’ divisions.

South Island Grom Series winners —

U18, boys: Luke Rogers (Dunedin).

Girls: Ava Henderson (Christchurch).

U16, boys: Reuben Lyons (Kaikoura).

Girls: Ava Henderson (Chch).

U14, boys: Jack McKenzie (Chch).

Girls: Misha Peyroux (Dun).

U12, boys: Sonny Lyons (Kaikoura).

Girls: Tessa Gabbott (Dun).