Upsets Bust Men’s Division Apart at National Championships
A day of major upsets at the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships has seen the demise of five-time defending champion Billy Stairmand (Rag), 2017 runner-up Taylor Hutchison (Rag) and perennial local favourite Maz Quinn as the final eight surfers are confirmed in the Open Men’s Division.
Day three of the event (Tuesday 9th January) saw Ricardo Christie (Gis) emerge from the carnage to remain a firm favourite to claim his second title. Christie is the only titleholder left in the men’s draw. In much the same fashion, Gabriella Sansom is the only titleholder within the four surfers left in the Women’s Division.
Conditions varied throughout the day at Makorori Beach with a clean 1.0m swell and light winds giving way to moderate sea breezes by lunchtime ruffling surface conditions and affecting the quality of the waves.
Christie exited his Quarterfinal matchup dubbed ‘the heat of death’ in first place with a 12.2 point heat total advancing alongside Johnny Hicks (Gis) in second. Christie was unaware of the upsets in the heat prior to his after he returned to shore post-heat.
“Wow, really? I guess both Maz and Billy getting knocked out of the event does open up the field” Christie said. “But it actually shows that you have to get two good waves in your heats and that there are still seven other guys in the event that can easily do that” he added.
Christie felt that his surfing was not at his best today, in part due to the conditions he was confronted with but he is comfortable heading into the second half of the week and is looking to surf as much as possible in between the event to find form.
It was Elliot Paerata – Reid (Piha) and Nick White (Mnt) that created the upset over Quinn while New Zealand representative Paul Moretti (Mimiwhangata) and Levi Stewart (Waihi Beach) claimed the scalp of Stairmand in the heat prior.
“It was awesome surfing with Levi in that heat, we have competed all through the junior ranks and it was awesome to get the opportunity to make it through to the semifinals together”. It is Moretti’s first domestic event in several months and he admitted to nerves being a factor but hopes to surf those out over the coming days of the event.
The fourth winner of the Quarterfinals was Dunedin surfer Elliott Brown who posted a 14.27 point heat total to win his heat and advance alongside Piha’s Zen Wallis.
“I am stoked to make it this far really” said the 17-year-old surfer who claimed the 2017 award for Most Outstanding Performance. “I would like to get similar results to last year, especially with the strong field of surfers that are here in Gisborne with the likes of Ricardo and all the Gisborne surfers competing”.
A trio of fervent juniors has advanced to the final of the Open Women’s Division as they look to topple Albany’s Gabriella Sansom and claim their first title. Local Saffi Vette and Mount Maunganui surfers Elin Tawharu and Raiha Ensor all advanced through to the final.
Ensor left her run late but an 8.9 point ride for two powerful backhand turns in the dying seconds of her heat pushed her well into the lead.
“I was happy with that last wave because I was struggling out there until then, I was getting some waves but was not surfing well” said Ensor. “So it was good to get that last wave and give me some confidence” she added.
“This will be my first final in the Open Women’s Division so I am looking forward to it”.
For Sansom, it is all about avoiding the pressure of the young girls chomping at her feet. Sansom herself is only 21 years old despite winning her national title three years ago and seeming somewhat a veteran against her younger opponents.
“It adds a little bit of pressure I guess, I am just stoked to get into the final so we will see where it goes from here” said Sansom.
The swell is expected to remain around the 1.0m mark for day four of the event on Wednesday. The longboard divisions will be added to the agenda as well as several junior divisions who will surf for the first time at the event.
The draw for the premier Open Men’s and Women’s Divisions plus juniors can be found on the Surfing New Zealand website.
Please see below for results from day three of the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships 2018 held at Makorori Beach, Gisborne today (Tuesday 9th January).
Open Men’s Division Quarterfinals
Heat 1
Elliott Brown (Dun), 14.27, 1, Zen Wallis (Piha), 11.57, 2, Jared Gebert (Ohope), 7.9, 3, Keone Campbell (Tara), 6.8, 4
Heat 2
Paul Moretti (Mimiwhangata), 11.07, 1, Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 10.63, 2, Billy Stairmand (Rag) , 10.4, 3, Damon Gunness (Gis), 6.68, 4
Heat 3
Elliot Paerata Reid (Piha), 14.06, 1, Nick White (Mnt), 12.34, 2, Maz Quinn (Gis), 12.3, 3, Dylan Preston (WGM), 10.03, 4
Heat 4
Richard Christie (Mahia), 12.2, 1, Johnny Hicks (Gis), 11.14, 2, Bobby Hansen (Gis), 10.9, 3, Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 9.7, 4
Open Women’s Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Gabriella Sansom (Auck), 12.93, 1, Elin Tawharu (Mnt), 12.73, 2, Bianca Sansom (Auck), 5.13, 3, Abigail Daunton (Gis), 2.94, 4
Heat 2
Raiha Ensor (Mnt), 14.6, 1, Saffi Vette (Gis), 6.74, 2, Tegen Bishop (Chch), 6.4, 3, Zhana Hutchieson (Tara), 6.03, 4
Over 30 Men’s Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Chris Malone (Rag), 12.8, 1, Jeremy Grainger (Tara), 9.33, 2, Alan Te Moananui (Kaik), 8.6, 3, Ryan Bridges (Gis), n/s
Heat 2
Jarred Hancox (Tara), 13.2, 1, Larry Fisher (Rag), 12.3, 2, Damon Gunness (Gis), 9.37, 3, Jonas Te Aho (Gis), 8.3, 4
Over 35 Men’s Division Semifinals
Heat 1
Jarred Hancox (Tara), 15.2, 1, Chris Malone (Gis), 13.2, 2, Damon Gunness (Gis), 10.7, 3, Jamie Andrews (Tara), 9.34, 4
Heat 2
Nick White (Mnt), 14.4, 1, Jeremy Grainger (Tara), 12.1, 2, Sean Hovell (Gis), 9.43, 3, Luke Jenssen (Hbay), 8.2, 4
Over 45 Men’s Division Round 1
Heat 1
Matt Groube (Pau), 13, 1, Geoff Hutchison (Rag), 12.1, 2, Phill Wallis (Piha), 5.7, 3, Gary McKenzie (Gis), N/S
Heat 2
Scott Braithwaite (Whaka), 10.7, 1, John Roussey (Chch), 6.07, 2, Trent Milton (Auck), 5.47, 3, Phill Willoughby (Rag), INJ, 4
Heat 3
Patrick Braithwaite (Gis), 15.1, 1, Andrew Mann (Auck), 13.3, 2, Luke Darby (Piha), 6.4, 3, Andrew McCulloch (Gis), 5, 4
Under 18 Girls Division Round 1
Heat 1
Zhana Hutchison (Tara), 13.3, 1, Stella Smith (Gis), 8.1, 2, Tegen Bishop (Chch), 5.66, 3, Hannah King (Gis), 3.14, 4
Heat 2
Elin Tawharu (Mnt), 17, 1, Brie Bennett (Rag), 6.93, 2, Kea Smith (Arataki), 5.26, 3
Heat 3
Georgia Wederell (Mnt), 8.53, 1, Estella Hungerford (Chch), 7.63, 2, Tiana – Breeze de Mooj (Mnt), 6.93, 3
Heat 4
Saffi Vette (Gis), 10.77, 1, Aimee Brown (Auck), 7.17, 2, Ariana Shewry (Tara), 6.74, 3
Below is a schedule of events that will take place with surfing being held from 8am – 4pm daily.
Day 1 – Open Men, Junior Boys divisions
Day 2 – Addition of Women’s divisions
Day 3 – Addition of Men’s senior age group divisions
Day 4 – Addition of Longboard divisions
Day 5 – Addition of SUP Divisions
Day 6 – Addition of SUP Divisions and Kneeboard
Day 7 – All divisions plus SUP Race
The event runs along the Gisborne coastline from 7th – 13th January.
The Health 2000 National Surfing Championships forms the first leg of the 2018 New Zealand Surf Series.
In the 54 year history of the event, the Health 2000 National Surfing Championships has grown to encompass 29 divisions spread across all disciplines and age groups from Under 14 through to Over 60 for males and females, longboard, kneeboard, and paddleboard. Over 300 entries have been received for the event.
2018 marks the fourteenth time the event has been held at Gisborne, the most out of any location in the country. The event was last held in Gisborne in 2014. The event would not be possible without the support of Health 2000, Eastern Institute of Technology and Gisborne Boardriders.