SURFING - Teen in takeover bid for `chairman of longboard'

The Sandy Bay Longboard Classic over the weekend produced a win for 19-year-old Gisborne surfer Daniel Proctor - one of the new breed of longboard surfers who are beginning to challenge the established order.
Gisborne surfer and defending Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour champion Michael Fitzharris has dominated over the last few seasons but Proctor's first-ever open title may signal a new era in the event.
Proctor was in unstoppable form in Sunday's final and finished nearly two points clear of Fitzharris, with newly crowned national longboard champion, Daniel Kereopa of Raglan, a further two points back in third place and Mt Maunganui's Daryn McBride fourth.
Proctor started the final slowly with few decent waves coming his way but his persistence paid off. While the other three contestants hunted for action up to 200 metres away, they left Proctor to pick off the best of several rights coming from the north end of the beach. The young Gisborne surfer made the most of his opportunities combining nose rides with progressive top to bottom surfing wherever the small, near-glassy waves allowed.
Another young surfer to make a big impression at the Hyundai Sandy Bay event was 11-year-old Hone Douglas from Whakatane. Coming up against seasoned campaigners in the under-18 division, the young surfer displayed a rapidly developing style with big slashes and stylish nose riding that kept him within reach but eventually saw him placed fourth in the final. The Barnfield brothers Dylan and Eli from Ohope took out first and third places respectively, with Sam Guthrie from Mt Maunganui second.
Dylan Barnfield is another of the young surfers, like Proctor, who is beginning to turn the judges' heads during competitions. Many believe it won't be long until he wins his first open men's title - further increasing the scope of the competition in the division.
At the halfway point in the six-round tour, Kereopa is still in the lead with Fitzharris second, but Proctor, who said part of his winning cheque would go toward petrol for getting to the South Island legs of the tour, is now in the reckoning for a shot at the overall title.
More than 100 longboarders converged on Sandy Bay for the two-day event, with the surf on Sunday being slightly better than the half-metre conditions on the first day, but still not offering a lot for the more modern, progressive style of longboarding favoured by Kereopa and many of the younger contestants.
In the senior divisions, Johnny Ayton, formally of Whangarei but now a regular visitor to the event from Victoria, Australia, took out the over-50s and placed second in the over-40s.
Ayton's smooth combination of drop-knee turns and nose rides earned 9.75 points in the over-50s final against second placed Orewa surfer Paul Brown's 9.10; gathered mainly from traditional board walking and nose riding. However, in the over-40s final Raglan board maker Mike Thomson scored 10.30 to pip Ayton's 9.70.
In the women's division local surfer Pauline Pullman used her eighth and last wave to score a 4.5 ride, which took her ahead of Piha surfer Anna Jolly to win the title.