Sandy Bay's Manu Scott-Arrieta earned his international debut after dominating the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge under-12 boys division. Following division victories in the first two rounds at Mount Maunganui and Whangamata, Scott-Arrieta had already stamped his claim on the class, before the third and final event in the serieswas cancelled. Scheduled to take place at Piha this weekend, organisers pulled the pin on the event when 5m waves and strong southwest wind were forecast to pummel the west coast beach, making conditions too treacherous to compete in. Billabong Events Manager AJ Matthews said the main focus was on competitor safety. "We want to provide a good playing field for the kids competing in our events and this weekend was a long way from that. Safety is a big factor and with the swell that is coming, we could not be sure that everyone's safety would be assured." Scott-Arrieta was a clear stand-out during the first two rounds, and as a result won an airfare to the Gold Coast, and entry into the Billabong Occy Grom Compo, in July. Having watched his older brother Patxi, who finished fifth in the Billabong Grom Series under-16 boys, Manu knows what is needed to succeed on the grommet surf scene. The test will be whether he can perform under pressure in his first international competition in a few months' time. Each divisional champion from the Billabong Grom Series received entry into the Occy Grom, where the best junior surfers from both sides of the Tasman will go head-to-head. The under-16 boys division was claimed by goofy-footer Adam Grimson from Gisborne ahead of Raglan's Ben Poulter and Mimiwhangata's Paul Morretti. Grimson surfed consistently to grab two runner-up placings, which earned him the ratings, while Whangamata's Dune Kennings took the honours in the under-14 boys grade. Kennings competed at the event in 2009 gaining seventh place and will hope to improve on that result in 2010. The under-16 girls will be represented by another Whangamata surfer Ella Williams, who placed first and third in the NZ rounds. Williams has competed in two Occy Groms, and her best result was a fifth placing in the under-14 girls last year.
The Occy Grom Comp at Duranbah, Australia gets underway on July 1-5.
