Vette in international final

Saffi Vette shows the type of form that won her the Rip Curl GromSearch under-17 girls’ title in New Plymouth yesterday. In winning the title, Vette achieved a goal she set this time last year. The victory earned her qualification for the GromSearch international final in May, at a location yet to be announced. Rip Curl will not reveal the location of the final until a few weeks before the event. Col/Surf2Surf.com picture

GISBORNE surfer Saffi Vette will be New Zealand’s representative in the international GromSearch girls’ final in May, at a location yet to be announced.

Yesterday she won the under-17 girls’ division of the Rip Curl GromSearch at Back Beach, New Plymouth.

Ticked off a year-long goalIn doing so, she went one better than this time last year and ticked off a year-long goal.

After she finished runner-up to Mt Maunganui’s Elin Tawharu last year, Vette made it one of her 2018 goals to win the New Zealand leg of GromSearch.

Places in the international final go to the u17 boys’ and girls’ winners in the New Zealand GromSearch.

“To be in the international event has been a goal since last year,” Vette said.

“I put it up on my wall and everything. Now I want to win it.”

Vette had a slow start to the final yesterday. As the tide dropped, conditions changed and the surfers had to adapt.

Vette was fourth until she completed a two-turn combination on a right-hander to post a 6.83-point ride to jump to the lead. She finished with 10.33 points.

'Pretty stoked'“I was pretty stoked with that right; I even did a little finger click at the end of the wave,” Vette said.

“I left it pretty late so I had to come back with a bit of fire. It is not at all how I thought it would unfold.”

Christchurch surfer Tegen Bishop was second, with a heat total of 9.47.

Vette’s younger brother Finn made the u17 boys’ final, won by defending champion Caleb Cutmore, of Hamilton.

Cutmore placed fifth at the 2017 international final, held in Brazil.

In a low-scoring final yesterday, he posted 11.55 points out of a possible 20.

“I was hoping for a better final but it was close and everyone was surfing well,” he said.

Christchurch surfer Myka Black, who held the lead for half of the 20-minute final, was runner-up. Raglan’s Kora Cooper was third and Vette, fourth.

Raglan’s Jayden Willoughby recorded his fourth win of the year in the u14 boys’ division with a score of 16.23 in the final. The tight left-hand pockets suited Willoughby perfectly and his highest-scoring wave was a nine-point ride.

Raglan’s Navryn Malone, son of former Gisborne surfer and 1998 national champion Chris, finished second after pushing Willoughby early in the final.

North Shore surfer Alice Westerkamp had her first ever win in the u14 girls’ division. She took the lead in the dying stages of the final with a 5.0 point ride.

In the u12 competition, Australia’s Dane Henry and Mt Maunganui’s Sophia Brock won the boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Over 100 surfers took part in the two-day contest.

GromSearch Results from New PlymouthResults of heats including surfers with Gisborne links, and finals, from the Rip Curl GromSearch at New Plymouth yesterday.

Under-17 boys, Round of 24, Heat 2: Josef Jungwirth (Gisborne) 9.17, 1; Jack Rosewarne (Hamilton) 6.86, 2; Cassidy Mann (Auckland) 6.1, 3; Sam Dingle (Taranaki) 4.63, 4.

Heat 3: Finn Vette (Gis) 8.12, 1; Taylor O’Leary (Muriwai) 7.4, 2; Lucca Lind (Tara) 6.76, 3; Jack Luke (Tara) 4.76, 4.

Quarterfinals, Heat 1: Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 9.74, 1; Josef Jungwirth (Gis) 8.67, 2; Mitchell Dalley (Mt Maunganui) 5.5, 3; Jack Rosewarne (Ham) 3.73, 4.

Heat 2: Finn Vette (Gis) 12.4, 1; Myka Black (Chch) 10, 2; Taylor O’Leary (Muriwai) 9.47, 3; Tom Butland (Tara) 9.23, 4.

Semifinals, Heat 2: Kora Cooper (Raglan) 10.6, 1; Finn Vette (Gis) 10.4, 2; Josef Jungwirth (Gis) 5.57, 3.

Final: Caleb Cutmore (Ham) 11.44, 1; Myka Black (Christchurch) 10.07, 2; Kora Cooper (Rag) 9.9, 3; Finn Vette (Gis) 7.93, 4.

U14 boys, semifinals, Heat 2: Navryn Malone (Rag) 11.3, 1; Jai Wallis (Auck) 5.4, 2; Kalani Louis (Tara) 3.26, 3.

Final: Jayden Willoughby (Rag) 16.23, 1; Navryn Malone (Rag) 11.83, 2; Jai Wallis (Auck) 7.43, 3; Bill Byers (Piha) 7.36, 4.

U12 boys, final: Dane Henry (Australia) 15.33, 1; Taj Dal Bosco (Whangamata) 8.43, 2; Mathias Thompson (Piha) 5.6, 3; Tao Mouldey (Mnt) 3.83, 4.

U17 girls, semifinals, Heat 1: Estella Hungerford (Chch) 9.57, 1; Saffi Vette (Gis) 7.87, 2; Brie Bennett (Rag) 6.6, 3; Tia Ngarimu (Whitianga) 2, 4.

Final: Saffi Vette (Gis) 10.33, 1; Tegen Bishop (Chch) 9.47, 2; Ariana Shewry (Tara) 8.44, 3; Estella Hungerford (Chch) 7.97, 4.

U14 girls, final: Alice Westerkamp (Auck) 8.83, 1; Ava Henderson (Chch) 8.7, 2; Liv Haysom (Piha) 6.97, 3; Anna Brock (Mnt) 3.37, 4.

U12 girls, final: Sophia Brock (Mnt) 8.6, 1; Leia Millar (Piha) 7.76, 2; Jess Haysom (Piha) 5.13, 3; Sophia Louis (Tara) 1.87, 4.