Vette top-scorer on Scholastics first day

TOP MARKS: Gisborne surfer Finn Vette posted the highest heat score on the first day of the National Scholastic Surfing Championships. Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine picture

It didn’t take long for the action to heat up on Day 1 of the 2017 National Scholastic Surfing Championships at Makorori, Gisborne, yesterday as regional teams from around the country attempted to keep a clean slate through the first rounds.

After a night of strong onshore winds and rain, the swell remained surprisingly clean at the northern end of Makorori Beach, which was sheltered from the north-east winds. Waves around the one-metre mark pushed through consistently throughout the day, allowing the first rounds of all boys’ divisions to be contested.

Bragging rights were spread evenly across the teams as individual performances highlighted the day. Notably it was local surfer Finn Vette, the youngest of the Gisborne team that posted the day’s highest total heat score of 16.43 points out of a possible 20 in his under-14 boys’ heat.

Vette is fresh back from Japan, where he watched his sister Saffi compete at the World Junior Championships, obviously feeding off surfing among some of the best surfers in the world while overseas. Vette also claimed the highest single wave score of the day with an 8.87 out of 10.

Vette was followed closely by Canterbury’s Conor McLennan, who surfed to an impressive 16.10-point heat total in the u18 boys’ division. The long-running left-handers suited the natural-footer, who has spent a lot of time honing his skills at Raglan’s point breaks while attending the Raglan Surf Academy for the past three years.

McLennan led seven out of eight Canterbury team members through to the second round of the event with only one surfer being relegated to the repechage round.

Defending champions Taranaki had to rely on a powerful performance from Reef Matthews to see them through at the end of the day in the u18 boys’ division. Matthews was joined by teammates Hunter Peterson, Lucca Lind, Jack Luke, Sam Dingle, Tom Butland and Kava Matthews, who all advanced to the second round.

A near full-strength West Coast/Tasman team travelled north for the event this year. Two of their juniors advanced through to the second round and avoided the repechage rounds. Jacob Fitzgerald placed second in his heat to Northland’s Tom Robinson, while Cade O’Shae placed second to Waikato surfer Jayden Willoughby. Some of their teammates will be back in action in the repechage rounds on Day 2 of the event in a bid to make it back into the main draw.

Conditions are expected to improve for Day 2 of the event with favourable north-west winds and a good swell remaining throughout the day.

The girls’ divisions will hit the water as well as the repechage rounds of the boys’ divisions that were contested on Day 1.

With no elimination rounds completed at the event, all teams remain on full points but the first eliminations will occur on Day 2.

Results —

Under-18 boys, Round 1, Heat 1: Reef Matthews (Tara), 9.73, 1, Joseph Critchfield (Mangawhai), 9.57, 2, Hamish Lorney (Waihi Bch), 3.73, 3

Heat 2: Elliott Brown (Dun), 11.33, 1, James Murphy (Dun), 6.93, 2, Raul Ventura (WC), 3.67, 3, Tim Findlay (WC), 3.6, 4

Heat 3: Shane Kraus (Piha), 12.7, 1, Kalani Hansen (Nrth), 9.4, 2, Finn Carrington (Wgtn), 7.17, 3

Heat 4: Thomas Harcourt (ChCh), 13.63, 1, Jack McLeod (Dun), 12.4, 2, Sonny Rapira - Martin (Tara), 9.73, 3

Heat 5: Jared Gebert (Ohope), 14.77, 1, Jordan Sparrow (Chch), 6.17, 2, Caleb Moratti (Tara), 5.87, 3

Heat 6: Conor McLennan (Chch), 16.1, 1, Lee Ririnui (Mnt), 9.67, 2, Jack Leslie (Ota), 6.37, 3

Heat 7: Jay Piper - Healion (Whiti), 14.07, 1, Tom Norton (Waipu), 11.57, 2, Geordie Kingsbeer (Wai), 6.07, 3

Heat 8: Tanner Hayes (Kati), 12.07, 1, Sam Sands (Chch), 11.5, 2, Aloysius Lane (Wgtn), 7.3, 3

U16 boys, Round 1, Heat 1: Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 15.67, 1, Hunter Peterson (Tara), 6.6, 2, Thomas Carter (Waihi Bch), 6.37, 3

Heat 2: Lucca Lind (Tara), 8.5, 1, Ian Roux (Gis), 6.17, 2, Noah Collier (Gis), 5.3, 3, Jack Rosewarne (Ham), 2.77, 4

Heat 3: Jack Lee (Whaka), 13.5, 1, Sam Dingle (Tara), 10.6, 2, Ollie Charlesworth (Auck), 6.43, 3, Alan Paterson (WC), 2.5, 4

Heat 4: Taylor O’Leary (Mur), 14.1, 1, Finn Johnson (Gis), 9.53, 2, Te Haukopa Ehau Taumaunu, 6.9, 3, Cory Vercoe (Mang), 5.97, 4

Heat 5: William Van der Beek (Mnt), 9.1, 1, Neko Tohiariki (Chch), 6.03, 2, Zinny Halsall (Bul), 5.37, 3

Heat 6: Ruben Peyroux (Dun), 10.43, 1, Tom Parker (Nrth), 7.2, 2, Finn Forsyth (WC), 6.13, 3, Ben Smith (Coro), 4.47, 4

Heat 7: Max Brunker (Whngrei), 11.4, 1, Tyler Carrington (Wgtn), 7.53, 2, Oscar Harper (Nrth), 7.1, 3, Callum Hodges (Ota), 3.37, 4

Heat 8: Dylan Preston (Mnt), 12.67, 1, James Scott (Whiti), 8.9, 2, Michael Thomas (Auck), 6.5, 3

U14 boys, Round 1, Heat 1: Kora Cooper (Rag), 13.43, 1, Manawa Ruru (Gis), 10.17, 2, Jay Gordon (Waihi Beach), 4.93, 3

Heat 2: Finn Vette (Gis), 16.43, 1, Connor Green (WC), 4.97, 2, Taine Forsyth (Buller), 3.7, 3, Jack Hinton (Mnt), 0, 4

Heat 3: Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 13.17, 1, Jack Luke (Tara), 6.1, 2, Shay Wells (Tara), 5.77, 3, Kalani Smith (Coro), 2.57, 4

Heat 4: Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 13.1, 1, Jacob Fitzgerald (Bul), 9.87, 2, Mitchell Daley (Mnt), 6.1, 3, Ben Storey (Te Awa), 3.93, 4

Heat 5: Tom Butland (Tara), 9.8, 1, Kava Matthews (Tara), 9.27, 2, Jude Stevens (Auck), 8.33, 3

Heat 6: Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 12, 1, Cade O’Dea (Bul), 5.13, 2, Jackson Peak (Auck), 4.3, 3, Harri Adams (Coro), 2.53, 4

Heat 7: James Ririnui (Mnt), 11.17, 1, James Millar (Chch), 7.93, 2, Sam Charlesworth (Auck), 4.27, 3, Jimi Higgins (Dun), 1.77, 4

Heat 8: Myka Black (Chch), 13, 1, Jacob Buckle (Waipu), 6.5, 2, Koby Cameron (Chch), 5.67, 3.