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hot water beach - jesus surf classic 03
20/3/03
By Brendan Hull
At 6am on Saturday the overcast beach looked hopeless as waves barely reaching 1 foot high, lapped at the high tide mark. Some quiet prayers were offered to Jesus, then a spot was chosen to set up the contest site. The contest kicked off by 9am in glassy conditions with head high sets and 64 stoked competitors started to battle it out for a title in the first Jesus H2 series contest for 2003.
A glassy left-hand bank provided the setting for some solid Qualifying Round action with stand-out surfing from Che Whitaker (Ohope) who took the waves to pieces with his fins and rails, posting a hefty heat score of 24.50 out of 30. In close contention to Whitaker was Jesus Classic competitor for 14 years running - Matt Groube (Pauanui) with a heat score of 19.70.
In the first Championship round, Zennor Wernham (Raglan) was the one who couldn't be beaten with a healthy 22.50 points following his explosive back-hand attack. Dark horse - Kane Duncan (Auckland) was the Plate Division standout of the day with a whopping 26.00 point heat score. Other standouts in day one included Wayne Norman (Tairua), Dan Farrell (Mount), Glen Patterson (Ohope), Ryan Glover (Mount), Andrew Henderson (Auckland) and RPM owner Mike Smith (Mount).
Finals day presented a mixed bag of conditions with cross to onshore winds and shoulder to head high surf. Wernham worked with the elements, putting together another solid back-hand performance to finish as winner of the Championship Division. This opened his 2003 Jesus H2 Series account with 10,000 points. Matt Groube fought hard throughout the final, challenging Wernham with his fast and radical forehand assault but had to settle for a close 2nd place and 9000 series points. Andrew Henderson found enough tricks in his bag for third place. Fourth went to Coromandel local, Wayne Norman while Che Whitaker came in fifth place in the five man final.
The Plate Division was overflowing with new-comers and several women surfers performed well to advance with the guys into the Quarter finals. However, the final was an all guys affair with new face - Sam Browne (Mount) clinching top place and clocking up 1600 series points. Second place went to Auckland surfer Kane Duncan with a heat score only 0.50 points behind Brown. Paul Glucina (Piha) placed third while Jason Bonne (Ohope) settled for 4th.
Highest Placed Woman went to Thandi Durham (Raglan) who gained 690 points from 9th place in the Plate Division. Sisters Jacky and Rosie Stewart both surfed well in the qualifying round becoming the only women to advance to the Championship Division. They both ended their brave campaign in Championship round one which ranked Jacky as 2nd highest and Rosie the third highest placed woman surfer overall.
The Highest Placed Junior (under 18) was Sam Brown who walked away with two medals and plenty of loot after winning the Plate Division. Tim O'Connor (Mount) was the Highest Placed Grommet (under 14) with 2290 points after his outstanding achievement of 15th place in the Championship Division.
The novelty "Skins" event provided some fun entertainment for spectators as competitors names were pulled from the hat to challenge each other man-on-man. With 8 minutes to catch two waves, the winner stayed out and the next surfer selected went out to challenge him. The aim was for the competitors to win as many heats as they could, each heat worth $5 and Zennor Wernham did just that, winning the most heats and gaining $25 cash and a RPM jacket for his efforts.
The weekend was well rounded with a Saturday night BBQ, giant chocolate cake and a big screen showing of a brand new surf vid plus a freshly edited review of the days surfing to boot.
A big thank you goes out to Christian Surfers for a huge team effort coordinated by Fraser Hungerford and to Hayley Wood and crew for the giant cake & BBQ. Thanks to our sponsors Backdoor Surf shop, West, RPM Board wear and Island Style who have been loyal supporters over many past years. Last but not least a special thanks to Jesus for his grace to provide surf, good weather, and offering the way to eternal life for every surfer.
Full results summary is written below. To find out your ranking, go to the Series Points Table in this site. Click here to find out about coming Jesus H2 Series contests.
Results Summary
Championship Division
1. Zennor Wernham - 22.30
2. Matt Groube - 20.40
3. Andrew Henderson - 17.40
4. Wayne Norman - 16.80
5. Che Whitaker - 14.20
Plate Division
1. Sam Brown - 13.70
2. Kane Duncan - 13.30
3. Paul Glucina - 12.30
4. Jason Bonne - 10.50
Women’s Ranking
Highest - Thandi Durham
2nd Highest - Jacky Stewart
3rd Highest - Rosie Stewart
Junior Ranking (under 18)
Highest - Sam Brown
2nd Highest - Paul Glucina
3rd Highest - Tom Graham
Grommet Ranking (under 14)
Highest - Tim O'Connor
2nd Highest - Bodhi Whitaker
3rd Highest - Malachi Farrant
Skins Division
Most heats consecutively won - Zennor Wernham
Photos captured off live video footage taken by Jack Page.
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