Bondi babe’s and bar’s float Wilko’s boat, he does the same for them in return. Pic: JBST/Wes Lonergan
North Narrabeen delivered its famous morning alley rights on Day 1 of the Jim Beam Surftag NSW South Series, under treacherous skies the tense heats provided a spectacle for everyone who braved the wet conditions.
Local North Narrabeen Boardriders proved almighty with Nathan ‘Noodles’ Webster clinching the highest heat total in the last few minutes and moving through with Southbridge tomorrow after placing 1st and 2nd in their heat.
Current WCT surfer Matt ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson returned to the water for the first time in competition surfing since injury, proving he is still on top with a massive 9.93 (out of a possible 10), giving him the highest single score of the series.
Wilko rode with close mates at Bondi, after years of surfing for Avoca, causing quite a stir giving Bondi Boardriders a win in their event Debut of the Jim Bean Surftag Series.
“It was really fun out there today, I have been on holidays since pipe so I was pretty stoked to surf competitively again – it feels good, “said Wilko.
“The Bondi boys were happy today, I always have a great time with them so the win is great. I couldn’t make the Newcastle event and Avoca surfed without me, I’m not sure if we will be in the finals yet, but I think I will be in the bad books with the Avoca boys”, said Wilko.
In the 3ft contestable conditions tight heats were the standard, as Curl Curl’s Parker Graham pushed his club into 2nd place behind Bondi, Dee Why were eliminated from the series in an upset by the highly fancied WQS surfer.
Boardriding clubs from the Southern Beaches of NSW made their mark in Northern Territory as Cronulla’s Dylan Hayler scored a combined heat total of 17.76, and fellow shire surfer Joe Seers netted a 26.54 combined heat total for Eloura.
Sam Wrench stood out for Ulladulla who placed first in their heat with an 87.91, followed by Werri Beach with top surfer Tully Robinson dominating with an impressive 18.44.
A mammoth thirty clubs from the NSW South and Sydney Coast compete in the tag team format, which pits teams of five surfers against each other in one-hour heats. Each surfer has 12 minutes to catch three scoring rides with their second wave score doubled as a ‘powerwave’.
The National series is Australia’s largest team surfing competition featuring a combined prize pool of over $130,000. The Jim Beam Surftag Australian Series provides a national competition for over 80 boardriding clubs to determine Australia’s No.1 club
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2012 Jim Beam Surftag Schedule:
October 21 – Surf Industry Challenge – Winners – O’Neill
October 22 – Trade Off – Winners – The Labourers
November 19 – WA Championships – Winners – Trigg Point
December 3 – VIC Championships at Gunnamatta – Winners – Phillip Island
January 7 – NSW North Championships at Newcastle
January 14 – QLD – Winners – Snapper at Duranbah
January 21/22 – NSW South Championships at North Narrabeen
February 5 – Women’s Championships at Curl Curl
February 21 – Boardriders Cup at Ballina
February 22/23 – Australian Championships at Ballina
