Written by Ben Kennings, Surfing NZ. Sunday, 17 March 2013
Young Tairua surfer Sean Peggs has walked away with the best 23rd birthday present today (Sunday 17th March) claiming the Rip Curl Pro title at Ruapuke Beach south of Raglan.
For a third straight day the event relocated to Ruapuke with the northeast wind proving too strong for any decent waves at the primary venue of Manu Bay. However, Ruapuke was again pumping with a solid 1.5m swell groomed by strong offshore winds.
Peggs finished the final with a 15.27 point heat total and led the final for much of the 25 minutes. He appeared to be in sync with all the best set waves. He opened up with a seven point ride before locking in a massive 8.27 point ride for a series of tight backhand re-entries.
“I can’t believe it, winning the Rip Curl Pro on my birthday” said Peggs. “Last time this event fell on my birthday I had a shocker so this makes up for it” he added.
“I was just having fun out there, it was a lot like my home break at Tairua, I was just trying to get some good waves and crank out some big turns.
Peggs takes home $3,000 but also the prestigious prize of the trip to Bali and entry into the Rip Curl Padang Cup, an event that runs for one day but with a month long waiting period and includes some of the best surfers in the world.
“It is such an amazing prize, I have been hanging around that event a couple of times in the past when Bobby Hansen and Morehu Roberts were representing New Zealand and I had such a great time, I am pretty scared of surfing macking Padang though” he added.
Peggs, who is now based in Auckland is hoping to get time off from his boss to attend the event. “Perhaps if I put a sticker on my board he will let me go over” quipped Peggs.
Placing second today was Maz Quinn (Gis) who scored 14.17. He came up short in the final after blasting through every heat in the lead up.
“It is pretty frustrating, I got out late and was out of position for that first set then I got one good one was too excited and blew it” said Quinn of his start to the final. “There were good waves but I was just out of rhythm all day it seemed.”
Quinn did fight back with the best barrel of the final which he thought might have got him the score but it wasn’t to be scoring 6.83 when he needed an 8.23 point ride to take the lead.
Quinn has now finished runner up at both national events this year after also losing to his brother Jay Quinn at the National Champs in January. “Its all good, what more can you do, if the waves come to you, the waves come to you and that is it really” added Quinn.
Placing third in the final was Dune Kennings (WGM) who secured his best ever result in the Open Men’s Division. Kennings finished with a 13.20 point heat total ahead of fourth placed JC Susan (Mnt) on 11.37 points.
Sandy Bay surfer Wini Paul won the Open Women’s Division taking her first national win since 2007 when she won the National Championships in Taranaki.
Wini Paul looked sharp all event surfing with power and tight turns in the pocket. Her performance in the final was no different as she surfed to a 15.73 point heat total leaving her opponents requiring massive scores.
“I am so happy, this is the first time I have won a national event since I was a youngster” said Paul. It is funny because back then I was training and surfing every day but now I am busy with work and only able to surf weekends and stuff” she added.
Paul defeated Ella Williams (WGM) who placed second scoring 11.5 points with National Champion Mischa Davis (Piha) in third and local surfer Alexis Poulter (Rag) in fourth.
Double finalist Dune Kennings (WGM) claimed his first win at the Under 20 Men’s level today scoring 16.1 points out of 20 to win the final. Kennings got off to a late start with all other surfers having locked in waves. However his patience paid off as he dropped into a solid wave and completed a big hack before slotting into a barrel and sneaking out of the closeout.
“I did a big carve then when that section popped up I thought I would go for it and I pulled in and made it so it paid off.
“I am stoked to win my first event at this level, I have just come back from a month surfing and training in Australia so it is good to see it has paid off with the win. I felt like I was surfing well throughout the event and I got better and better each heat I think” said Kennings.
Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) placed second in the final after lining up several big barrels but getting pinched at the end of each of them before finishing with a 12.57 point heat total. Placing third was Mackenzie Christie (Tau) ahead of Sean Kettle (Tara) in third.
Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) and Jasmine Smith (Gis) claimed the Rip Curl GromSearch National Finals. Paerata – Reid fought hard in a final that saw the lead change several times before he finally got the edge with his last wave that scored 7.27 points. “Yeah it was really hard because there was a lot of hassling going down on that one peak and it was hard to get down waves because of the strong offshore but I managed to get that one at the end and a little back up before that” said Paerata – Reid. He defeated Jordan Griffin (Mnt) who, late in the final, completed an excellent two-hit combo for a 7.17 point ride which was enough to secure second ahead of McKenzie Bowden (WGM) in third and Scott Braithwaite (Whakatane) in fourth.
Smith dominated her final leading from start to finish with a 13.17 point heat total. “I am so excited, I have only been to Aussie once, it is going to be so cool to go to Bells for the Rip Curl Pro, it is one of the biggest events in the world” said an overjoyed Smith who now realises that she has to practice hard on her backhand over the next three weeks before the event.
Smith defeated Caludia Fraser (Piha) who finished in second place with Gabriela Sansom (Auck) in third and sister Bianca Sansom (Auck) in fourth.
See below for final results from the Rip Curl Pro presented by Nature Valley completed at Ruapuke Beach south of Raglan today (Sunday 17th March).
Open Men’s Semifinals
Heat 1
Maz Quinn (Gis), 10.26, 1, Dune Kennings (Whmata), 8.27, 2, Matt-Lewis Hewitt (Mnt), 7, 3, Bachelor Tipene (Tara), 5.97, 4
Heat 2
JC Susan (Mnt), 15, 1, Sean Peggs (Tairua), 13.23, 2, Zen Wallis (Piha), 6.93, 3, Chris Malone (Gis), 5.37, 4
Open Men’s Final
Sean Peggs (Tairua), 15.27, 1, Maz Quinn (Gis), 14.17, 2, Dune Kennings (Whmata), 13.20, 3, JC Susan (Mnt), 11.37, 4
Open Women’s Semifinals
Heat 1
Ella Williams (Whmata), 12, 1, Mischa Davis (Auck), 10.83, 2, Jessica Santorik (Rag), 9.67, 3, Gabriella Sansom (Auck), 1.57, 4
Heat 2
Wini Paul (Sandy Bay), 9, 1, Alexis Poulter (Rag), 7.83, 2, Thandi Tipene (Tara), 5.67, 3, Bianca Sansom (Auck), 1.77, 4
Open Women’s Final
Wini Paul (Sandy Bay), 15.73, 1, Ella Williams (Whmata), 11.5, 2, Mischa Davis (Auck), 10.43, 3, Alexis Poulter (Rag), 6.5, 4
Under 20 Men’s Final
Dune Kennings (Whmata), 16.10, 1, Elliot Paerata Reid (Piha), 12.57, 2, Mackenzie Christie (Tau), 12.0, 3, Sean Kettle (Tara), 8.2, 4
Under 16 Boys GromSearch Final
Elliot Paerata Reid (Piha), 11.93, 1, Jordan Griffin (Mnt), 9.37, 2, MacKenzie Bowden (Whmata), 9.33, 3, Caleb Braithwaite (Whtane), 4.43, 4
Under 16 Girls GromSearch Final
Jasmine Smith (Gis), 13.17, 1, Claudia Fraser (Auck), 9.7, 2, Gabriella Sansom (Auck), 7.13, 3, Bianca Sansom (Auck), 3.27, 4
Complete event write ups, results, surfer ratings and images from the event can be viewed at Surfing New Zealand.