Bells Beach pumps for Round 2 of Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles

ROUND 2 of the 2023 Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles was an absolute thriller, with six new event champions crowned in excellent waves at Bells Beach/Djarrk.

Held across two days, the state title event saw the best surfers from across Victoria put forward their best surfing to try to gain vital ranking points and inch closer to a Victorian State Surfing Team position.

The 6.30am start was no dampener for Round 1 U/18 Boys event champion Willem Watson (McCrae) who showed off his extensive rail game to secure the biggest score of the entire event of 19.00 (out of 20 points).

Carrying his amazing form into finals day, Watson didn’t lose his touch, but was made to work for it by another in form talent in Lucas Hickson (Rye).

In the final, Watson started off strong with a progressive series of manoeuvres to land himself a 7.00 point ride, but Hickson would fire back with an excellent 8.33.

Recognising it was now or never, Watson put the foot down, attacking the remainder of the heat with aggression to post a 7.33 and 8.03, leaving Hickson trailing when the buzzer sounded.

“It feels good going back-to-back in both round thus far, it certainly helps boost my confidence,” Watson said.

“The 10-point ride was also an awesome wave to start the day as it allowed me to hit multiple sections without any gaps in between.”

Willis Droomer (Jan Juc) and Jack Bassett (Barwon Heads) finished third and fourth respectively.

The highlight of the girls’ divisions came in the form of fellow Mornington Peninsula local Rose Holland (Dromana), who stepped up her game in the pristine conditions.

With Bells Beach pumping on the low tide, the U/14 Girls finalists showed off their best, with Holland scoring a whopping 10-point ride for three belting turns on one of the biggest waves of the day.

While Cape Woolamai’s Scarlett Rennie made a late run for the win with an 8.00 ride, Holland fired back with a strong 7.00 ride to take out the win.

“On my 10-point ride I knew all I needed to do was to stay steady and once I did that it felt really good,” Holland said.

“The final was so fun with great conditions also.”

Chloe Muscroft (Jan Juc) and Evie Lutz (Cowes) finished in third and fourth place respectively.

Other Round 2 event winners included Sarsha Pancic (Blairgowrie, U/18 Girls), Jerry Kelly (Barwon Heads, U/16 Boys), Ava Holland (Dromana, U/16 Girls), and Arch Rayner (Inverloch, U/14 Boys).

For full results and scores, head to surfingvic.com/live