Gromsearch winners lock in spot at Bells

A FIELD of 72 of the finest junior surfers from around the country descended on URBNSURF to compete for the title of GromSearch National Champion.

Finalists from the recently completed Australian Rip Curl GromSearch series were joined on Monday this week by wildcards from the #GromSearchOnline event to enjoy a day of perfect waves in the 2-hectare lagoon in Melbourne.

Early in the day the competitors were eager to go big, as they were informed the winners of the Under 16 Boys and Girls would receive a spot in the 2023 Rip Curl Gromsearch International Final to be held at Bells Beach ahead of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

The groms were then surprised by the appearance of previous International Gromsearch winner and Olympic bronze medalist, Owen Wright.

During an expression session, competitors went wave for wave with Wright as he showed them how it was done.

Isla Huppatz (Bilinga, QLD) put together a fantastic performance in the opening semifinals but faltered early in the final by falling on her first two waves.

The former Jan Juc resident managed to claw her way back into contention on her third ride with a 7.43 but this was still short of Milla Brown’s (Newport, NSW) 8.53 ride.

Taking advantage of the opportunity with a series of strong maneuvers, Brown backed up her lead with a 7.50 on the right-hand wave, giving her a 16.03 combined total and a commanding lead.

However, on her final wave, Huppatz showed her ability to remain calm under pressure and scored a 9.17 (out of a possible 10) put her in the lead by 0.57 points and secured the championship.

“I was so nervous only having two 2-point rides on the left, but then I ended up getting a 7-point ride,” Huppatz said.

“However, when I got a big score on the right I was thrilled as I really wanted to make it into the International Final at Bells Beach since it is my old hometown.”

Finishing in second place on her combined score of 16.03 points was Milla Brown with Ruby Berry (Augusta, WA) third.

Owen Wright’s Under 16 boys #GromSearchOnline wildcard Fletcher Kelleher (Bogangar, NSW) also had a successful day.

Kelleher found momentum in the final straight away as he reeled off a combination of sharp backhand hits that exhibited a strong, flawless technique and earned him a 9.0 point ride. Maverick Wilson (Dunsborough, WA) and Mitchell Peterson (Noosa, QLD) scored 8 point rides of their own in an attempt to overtake Kelleher.

Going into the final three waves on the right hander, Kelleher was sitting in pole position with the other competitors playing catch-up after their first few rides.

Peterson backed up his previous score with a 7.73 point ride to momentarily put him first before Kelleher put together a strong carve into an array of high hits to earn himself a 7.87 and the win.

“The win felt pretty awesome as I didn’t really expect anything going into the event,” Fletcher Kelleher said.

“I’m psyched to compete against other people from around the world that also won their Gromsearch National finals.”

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