Surfing: Mates fight for bragging rights

Ben Hazelwood PHOTO/Duncan Brown

Hawke's Bay surfer Ben Hazelwood reckons he only beats his good mate Jeremy Evans once in a blue moon.

"Every time I beat the local ripper it's pretty special. So I was stoked to beat him today ... this has to be the highlight of my 19 years in the sport," Hazelwood said after finishing second to four-time national champion Mazz Quinn of Gisborne in the two-day Backdoor BayBash, the final event of this year's national series, which ended at Waimarama yesterday.

Hawke's Bay's top surfer Evans was third. Despite his success, Hazelwood, 32, said he won't be chasing the series next year.

"I've got too much work on the building scene and family commitments. It was only because this event came to the Bay that I gave it a crack."

"We never really get any big names coming down to Hawke's Bay so for Mazz to come down and to be able to surf against him is big, it's cool," Hazelwood added.

Evans, 34, pointed out the competition between the top three could not have been much closer.

"It was neck and neck and Mazz got the better hand. He got two of the weekend's best waves in the final.

"I was pretty hungry to take him out but didn't."

Evans said he may tackle some events in the national series next year but his main focus is running his surf school and developing the Bay's young talent.

With his victory in the final minutes Quinn claimed his first national series event title in three years in small surf which remained below the 1m mark throughout the day. The light winds and good banks made the waves contestable.

Quinn, in his first appearance in Hawke's Bay, started the final in top form posting a 7.33 point ride. However, he waited on a second scoring ride to secure the win for longer than he anticipated.

The wait pushed into the final five minutes as Hazelwood took the lead and Evans also staked his claim.

Quinn continued to wait and it paid off with two minutes remaining when he latched on to a good little right-hander and completed two of his patented forehand wraps to post another 7.30 point ride and secure victory.

Auckland's Bianca Sansom claimed the open women's division in a close final where she battled with double finalist Kea Smith of Mount Maunganui for the win. Sansom finished with an 11.27 point heat total and went one better than her runner-up placing in the under-20 girls division. Smith finished with a 9.63 point heat total and could not find the right wave to unleash her powerful forehand attack.

The closest final of the day was in the under-20 boys division where a countback was required to deny Mount Maunganui's Kehu Butler a third title of the day. Taranaki's Daniel Farr finished on level pegging with Butler but his 5.40 point highest scoring ride bettered that of Butler on 5.33.

Contesting three divisions, Gisborne's Jasmine Smith found her best form to win the under-20 girls' division. Smith held off the Sansom sisters of Auckland in the final with a 10.03 point heat total.

The weekend's event was the first nationally rated open men's and women's competition staged in the Bay.