Surfing: Local hope falters in Piha's changeable surf

Norman Kalotiti, of Vanuatu, in his repechage in the under-16 heat. Photo / Cory Scott

New Zealand's Sarah Mason was a shock casualty on the first day of competition in the girls' under-18 category at the ISA world junior surf championships in Piha yesterday.

The talented Australian-based teen had been tipped as a strong title contender in the lead-up to the event.

But a loss in yesterday's second-round heat makes the 14-year-old's road to the finals a steep ascent.

She must now battle it out in the repechage rounds.

After scraping through her opening heat in the morning, Mason was outclassed in the second round as she struggled to find the waves she needed in the beach's notoriously changeable line-ups.

Mason's two-wave combined heat total of 6.00 was well off the pace set by France's Canelle Bulard (12.85) and Malia Manuel (12.25) of Hawaii, both of whom impressed in the final heat of the day.

Wild weather at Piha prevented the girls from taking to the surf over the opening days of the competition, with the conditions too rough for some of the youngsters.

But with conditions easing yesterday, the girls were thrust in to the action on day four.

In an attempt to make up for lost time, contest organisers opted to push through two rounds of qualifying of the under-18 girls on the main event podium.

The boys' repechage rounds were run on the second platform on the northern side of Lion Rock.

The day started well for the Kiwi team with all four local entrants in the girls' under-18 category - Jayda Martin-Fitzharris, Alexis Poulter, Grace Spiers and Mason - advancing through to the second round of qualifying after the each finished second in their opening heats.

But the second round proved a mixed bag for the New Zealand team, with only half making it through to the third round.

It was Poulter who produced the stand-out performance of the day, winning her second-round heat with a combined two-wave total of 10.20

Her performance completes a solid weekend for the Poulter family, after younger brother Ben downed the No 1 seed Matt Banting, of Australia, in his second-round heat on Saturday to storm into round three of the under-16 boys.

Martin-Fitzharris also secured her berth in the third round after finishing second in her heat behind Hawaii's Alessa Quizon (11.50).

Joining Mason in the repechage rounds will be 16-year-old Spiers, of Gisborne, who also had a frustrating time in the difficult conditions, finishing third in her heat.

In the boys' repechage rounds, Whangamata's Blake Myers bowed out of the under-18 competition after coming third in his heat, while Johnny Hicks and JC Susan remain alive.

Piha local Tane Wallis got his campaign back on track in the boys' under-16 division, winning his second-round repechage heat with an impressive score of 13.25.