Top four race tightens

WITH the Hells Bells competition signifying the halfway point of the competitive season, marquee divisions being the Open Men’s and Open Women’s divisions are still up in the air and anyone’s game with results between the top four being very close throughout the opening three aggregate competitions.

In the Open Men’s, 2009 Rip Curl Pro runner-up Adam Robertson is in the lead after making the final in every competition thus far this season. Robertson, fresh off a Hells Bells win, will be looking to make it two wins back to back in order to help his chances of taking home this years title. Narrowly trailing Robertson is the 2019 Victorian Wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro main event, Harry Mann. Mann has been in consistent form this competitive season and after some injury interrupted year’s in the past, this could be Mann’s title to win.

In third in the title race is Johnny Hawken. After taking home a second place in the first event of the year, Hawken has set himself up for a great run at taking home the title. A few more good results could see Hawken inch himself closer to an overall Open Men’s win. In fourth at this half way point of the year is up-and-coming grommet from Ocean Grove, Bohdie Williams. After making the move from Point Lonsdale Boardriders last year, Williams has been in amazing form surfing well beyond his years. Williams will be looking to keep up his solid surfing for the remainder of the season and challenge for the title.

The Open Women division is fiercely competitive once again with many women putting some amazing surfing performances together to start the year. A consistent start has seen Roxy team rider Angela Ball take the lead at the halfway point of the year. Ball has had an amazing surfing year thus far, putting up solid results not just in the Boardriders events but also in the Victorian Junior Series. She will look to put a stranglehold on first place and hopefully take out her second Open Women’s title in a row. In second after two consecutive event wins in a row is Bella Wilson who has been starting to hit form at the halfway point of the year. After missing event 1 of the season, Wilson has been dominant in Aggregate 2 and 3 taking them both out in fine fashion. With another few solid results, Wilson will inch closer to taking home the title.

Fresh off a performance in Hells Bells, Emily McGettigan sits in third place in the title race. Surfing well beyond her years, the 14-year-old has made two of the first three finals of the season and will look to put some more great scores on the board to give herself a good chance of being crowned champion. McGettigan is followed in the Open Women’s race by her mother Angie Reiter who is right on her tail only a mere five points behind in fourth. Reiter, a former Australian Masters champion, has been showing why she has such high credentials using her experience in making it past the semi-finals in every event this year, with her best result a third place. Reiter will look to lock in a top four spot and challenge for the title in the back end of the year. Leading other divisions at the halfway point of the year are:

• U/12 Boys: Jarvis Barrow
• U/12 Girls: Anna Huppatz
• U/14 Boys: Willis Droomer
• U/14 Girls: Isla Huppatz
• U/16 Boys: Ethan Huxtable
• U/16 Girls: Jazz Wylie
• U/18 Boys: Indi White
• U/18 Girls: Angela Ball
• Masters: Adam Leslie
• Grand Masters: Damien Wilson
• Legends: Rich Hibbins

Aggregate 4 for the senior season is this weekend and is proudly presented by Quay Osteo. Get on down and watch the action! A big shout out must go to all our young stars who went up to compete in the competitions up north over the school holidays. A special congratulations to former Australian champion Ellie Harrison who
did the club proud taking home the U/14 and U/16 Girls Titles at the Occy Grom Comp at Duranbah Beach and then going on to take out the U/14 Girls division at the Skullcandy Oz Grom Open the following week! A whopping achievement that she and the club should be extremely proud of.

That’s a wrap. See you down at the beach for this weekend’s event. Stay cool.