Davey Cathels from the winning North Narrabeen eam lets the fins go free.
Credit – Jim Beam Surftag/Robertson
Sydney surfing club North Narrabeen have claimed their fourth Jim Beam Surftag National title, defeating rival clubs Snapper Rocks, Avoca and Byron Bay in clean 1m waves at Avalon Beach.
24 Clubs from around Australia contested the two-day national final after qualifying through regional events in December and January.
Cruising through the early rounds undefeated, the North Narrabeen team of Nathan Hedge, Davey Cathels, Nathan Webster, Ben Short and Christo Hall dominated the final from the opening siren and never looked in danger of losing the crown.
Hedge, who rocketed Narrabeen into an early lead with his unique brand of front-side power surfing, said the victory couldn’t be sweeter.
“The boys are all over the moon,” said Hedge. “We have such a solid club and that’s what it comes down to, everyone knows the job they have to do and they don’t fall off.”
Narrabeen are now firmly established as the most successful club in Jim Beam Surftag history having claimed four national titles in five years.
“We were missing Chris Davidson this year and he has been a big part of our success over the years but the boys stood up, it was a well surfed event.”
North Narrabeen, L to R, Nathan Hedge, Nathan Webster, Davey Cathels, Ben Short, Christo Hall. Credit – JBS/Robertson
“If you look at the history of the North Narrabeen club we are one of the oldest in the world, there have been so many champion surfers that have come from the ranks,” said Hedge. “To get another win is huge for the club, not just for us who were surfing but the entire support base.”
First time finalists Byron Bay, led by former world tour surfer Danny Wills made a run at Narrabeen in the dying stages of the final thanks to the aerial surfing of Beau Walker. Sitting in fourth place prior to Walker hitting the water, Byron jumped into second place and went within 8 points of pipping Narrabeen at the post.
“We’re pretty happy with how it finished,” said Walker. “We all come down here for a bit of fun and anything else is a bonus so to make the final and finish second was unbelievable.”
The Byron Bay team consisted of Walker, Wills, Ben Simpson, Luke Stickly, and Jarrad Sullivan
“Club surfing is a great part of the surfing culture in Australia, not many other places in the world have boardriding clubs with the passion and support as what we do here.”
After finishing runner up in the 2009 Jim Beam Surftag National Final, central coast club Avoca had to settle for third place in the final. Team surfers Brent Power, Dane Atchinson, Beau Atchison, Brendan Back and Sam Chell pushed hard through early rounds but struggled to match Narrabeen in the decider.
“We were pretty depleted this year so to the make the final was a huge effort for our boys,” said Avoca team captain Sam Chell. “North Narrabeen deserved the win, they surfed really well, good on them.”
The Snapper Rocks Surfriders team of Blake Ainsworth, Mitch Crews, Shaun Gossman, Mark Occhilupo and Jay Phillips were on fire early in the event but couldn’t keep their clubs momentum running into the final. Looking to even the score with North Narrabeen, the two-time national champions (2002, 2006) had to settle for last place in the final.
The final scores had North Narrabeen 81.15, Byron Bay 71.82, Avoca 59.17 and Snapper Rocks 57.16.
The FCS Manufacturers Cup was finalised today with Emery Surfboards claiming back-to-back titles. The dynamite team of Adam Melling, Stuart Kennedy, James Wood and Alan Emory were too good for opponents from Chilli Surfboards, Warner Surfboards and Island Surfboards. The final scores had Emery 68.43, Chilli 56.24, Warner 45.34 and Island 35.41.
It was a fitting end to 10-years of the Surftag competition with Jim Beam reiterating their connection to Club Surfing in Australia.
“Jim Beam is proud to be associated with grassroots surfing in Australia for the 10th year,” said Jim Beam Brand Manager Lisa Spencer. “The series goes from strength to strength and we look forward to continuing the support for Boardriders Clubs to live up to our name, the Spirit of Surfing.”
A full list of results and images can be found at http://www.globalsurftag.com
The 2011 Jim Beam Surftag is proudly supported by FCS, Sanyo and O’Neill. Media partners for the series are Swellnet and Tracks surfing magazine.
Jim Beam Surftag National Final – Final 12 Clubs (Sunday)
Final Results
1st $15,000 – North Narrabeen (Nathan Hedge, Davey Cathels, Nathan Webster, Ben Short, Christo Hall)
2nd $5000 – Snapper Rocks (Blake Ainsworth, Mitch Crews, Shaun Gossman, Mark Occhilupo, Jay Phillips)
3rd $4000 – Byron Bay (Ben Simpson, Luke Stickly, Danny Wills, Beau Walker, Jarrad Sullivan)
4th $3000 – Avoca (Brent Power, Dane Atchinson, Beau Atchison, Brendan Back, Sam Chell)
National Final – Qualified Clubs
Queenscliff (NSW)
Umina (NSW)
Ulladulla 1 (NSW)
Ulladulla 2 (NSW)
North Shelley (NSW)
Bronte (NSW)
North Narrabeen (NSW)
Avoca (NSW)
Port Macquarie (NSW)
Byron Bay (NSW)
Cabarita (NSW)
Long Reef (NSW)
North Steyne (NSW)
Cronulla (NSW)
Noosa (QLD)
Kirra (QLD)
North End (QLD)
Snapper Rocks (QLD)
Torquay (VIC)
Phillip Island (VIC)
Margaret River (WA)
Geraldton (WA)
Yallingup (WA)
Seaford (SA)
2010/11 Jim Beam Surftag Dates And Locations
Oct 15 Industry Challenge (Curl Curl) (Winner – Quiksilver)
Oct 16 Trade Off (Curl Curl) (Winner – Bondi Life Guards)
Nov 13 Women’s Surftag (Dee Why) (Winner – Norah Head Women In Waves)
Dec 11 NSW North Surftag (Newcastle) (Winner – North Shelley Boardriders)
Dec 18 Victoria Surftag (Jan Juc) (Winner – Torquay)
Jan 8 West Australia Surftag (Gas Bay) (Winner – Yallingup Boardriders)
Jan 15 Queensland Surftag (Coolangatta) (Winner – Kirra)
Jan 29/30 NSW South Surftag (Cronulla) (Winner – Queenscliff)
Feb 3/4/5 Surftag Australian Final (Northern Beaches, Sydney) (Winner – North Narrabeen)
