THREE of the region’s best young surfers made their boardrider clubs proud, when they represented NSW in the Australian Junior Surfing Titles in Wollongong.
Zeke Woollam and Harry Stephens competed together in the U14s, while Joey Silk competed in the U16s.
The tournament started on 28 November, with the country’s top 30 surfers vying to be the best in the country.
Zeke Woollam, a Camden Haven local, had a good start through the early rounds.
He was top of his third heat, with an impressive total score of 13.03, but was hit by heavy hitters in the fourth and did not progress.
He managed to finish 10th overall, which will give him confidence going into future campaigns.
Zeke’s friend and competitive counterpart Harry Stephens also had a successful week at Thirroul Beach.
The Port Macquarie local’s approach through the early rounds was consistent.
He squeezed through the fourth round, edging past Billy Daniel with a score of 9.83, to Daniel’s 9.33.
Harry dominated the quarter-final, where he beat Lennox Lindsay to qualify for the semi-final.
Two solid waves of 5.88 and 6.13, then gave him a total of 12.01.
This proved too much for the Queenslander, Jaxxon Sands, who could only manage a combined score of 7.43.
Harry faced Lennox Lindsay again in the final, where the two friends battled it out for glory.
It was to be the youngster Lennox Lindsay’s day, though, as Harry went down by an agonising 13.40 to 13.28 in the final.
Joey Silk represented the area in the U16s, and also liked the waves at Thirroul Beach.
The Crescent Head local was classy through the rounds, but stepped it up in the semi-final with a combined score of 13.13, defeating Lucas Deffenti, who could only manage a score of 9.21.
He faced Ashton Crowley in the final, who had proven to be a class above the rest during the week.
Silk nailed two early waves, a 5.50 and 6.60, to give him a big chance of grasping his hands on the trophy with his combined score of 12.10.
Deffenti proved his class though, pulling out two big waves of 8.13 and 7.30 to take his total to 15.43.
By Jules BARDON
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