Surfers young and old turned on the fireworks for the final event of championship season 2015, with The Reef serving up clean lefts and rights all day.
With the sun shining and the breeze offshore for most of the day, the wave-riding action was supersonic – attracting worldwide streaming and a crowd bigger and more excited than anything seen at the Banzai Pipeline.
The coveted Championships in Open, Juniors, SuperGroms and the Over 40s Masters were all up for grabs, generating feverish levels of surfing from every competitor – from title contenders to those just wanting to see out the season on a high.
With Club Life Member and Shoes Legend Graham Reno Gillespie in the vast crowd, every competitor wanted to impress – and the big manouevres came thick and fast heat after heat.
In the Opens, two time Club Champ Jesse Horner – surfing in only his second event of the year – poured on the air grabs, Loop the Loops and gauging cutties to edge out title frontrunners Tommy Mulder and reigning Champion Matty Cook. The six man final was just a blaze of glory, with every rider going like a bat out of hell to secure top points for every ride.
The “Muldster” secured second place and Cookie third to provide a photo finish on the points table. Mark Campbell came in fourth, John Bonello fifth and Greg Ferrow sixth.
The jury is now out until the Club Presentation Night on 5 December to determine who toppled who for the 2015 Open Crown as well as who has clinched the Over 40s Masters Title.
The Junior title fight has been just as dramatic all year long, and as one would expect the major contenders turned on some gripping surfing all the way to the Final.
The judges were forced into decimal points to separate the frontrunners, with Riley Lee claiming first place, his older brother Sam Lee second, Henry Fuller third and Blake Sawtell fourth. Those placings will have an impact on who takes the crown.
Reigning Champ Dion Earle was surprisingly knocked out in the heats, so calculators are now running hard and fast to sort out the final standings!
Meanwhile, as has been the scene all season, it was a battle royale in the SuperGroms . No rider took any prisoners as competitors slashed, bashed, mashed and crashed every wave that came through.
The action was more explosive than the scenes in the trailer for the new James Bond movie!
And that meant the final championship placings went down to the wire. Jarvis Earle did his chances no harm by claiming victory from Jetson Kuch, Charlie Chegwidden, Sam Cornock and Harry Fisher.
Hollywood simply could not have scripted a more challenging, exciting, finger chewing and gripping contest!
Big congratulations to all surfers for an amazing wrap-up to the season.
The Shoes Reef certainly rules!
DON’T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR SELF, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS IN FOR THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTATION NIGHT ON SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER. FROM 6PM AT THE SOUTH CRONULLA BOWLING CLUB. DINNER AND ENTERTAINMENT ALL FOR A GOLD COIN DONATION.
THOSE MEMBERS WHO DIDN’T COLLECT THEIR NEW CLUB T-SHIRT LAST WEEKEND, THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE PRESENTATION NIGHT.
We salute the Club’s Outstanding Sponsors: Dr John Murray, Only Organic Foods, Tina and Nicole’s Home Delivery, PCC Surboards,Northies,Tengirri Surf Charters, WJ Partners Accountants, Vestal, Lipman Construction, Cronulla Travel, Pure Sea Surf Shop, Little Parrot, STC, Cronulla Surf Design and Hot Yogi.
Leave a Reply