CRONULLA BEACH (25TH January, 2015): Snapper Rocks Surfriders have won the Original Source Australian Boardriders Battle for a second successive year at Cronulla.
The defending champions from Queensland were on top of the leaderboard heading into Day 2 and maintained their consistency as a series of threats fell by the wayside. Despite finishing second in the last event of the day in the teams’ relay division, Snapper had enough points to take the overall title home again.
Coffs Harbour Boardriders will be celebrating long and hard after knocking over Snapper to win the teams’ relay division and take second place in the overall points in their 50th year celebrations. Coffs were outstanding on the final day led by Jayke Sharp. Culburra Boardriders finished third overall despite being eliminated from the teams’ relay division on Saturday.
The powerful Snapper Rocks lineup consisted of: Joel Parkinson, Mitch Crews, Mitch Parkinson, Reef Doig, Holly-Daze Coffey Sheldon Simkus, Quinn Bruce, Jay Phillips, Wayne Bartholomew (coach) and Lorraine Bryant (coach).
“Thanks very much for another amazing event down here,” said Snapper Rocks captain Jay Phillips. “We love coming down here, we love the locals and enjoy the atmosphere with all the clubs.
“To our team, we can’t really do it without all the great people and our top gun Joel Parkinson put on a great show for us to stay in the game.
“We don’t bring many supporters down but we come down with pride and honour and to all our supporters at home at Snapper Rocks we love them and we’re bringing it home. This is what I live for. I love club surfing.”
Parkinson said the club was extremely proud to be taking home the title back to Queensland.
“It’s one thing to be Australia’s best club once, but to do it twice is something to cherish forever. See you next year for three times hopefully.”
The Original Source Australian Boardriders Battle is the country’s biggest grassroots, boardriders event series with $120,000 in prize money. It involved Australia’s best boardriders clubs in eight State qualifying rounds starting last October and culminating in this weekend’s, two-day National Final.
Each club team included one junior (Under 18) surfer, four Open age surfers, and one over 35 surfer. Each team must include one female surfer. An exciting event format had teams battle it out in a women’s division, five-person teams’ division and a men’s skins competition for the overall title.
North Narrabeen was expected to mount a serious challenge to Snapper, but the Sydney club was surprisingly eliminated from the first heat of the teams’ relay division in the morning and finished fourth. Avoca Boardriders also remained a major threat and could have still taken the overall title had they reached the final of the teams’ relay division but were eliminated in the semi-finals to finish fifth.
In several special awards also presented, Jayke Sharp (Coffs Harbour Boardriders) was awarded the Wayne Bartholomew Medal for the best performing male surfer at the National Final. Stacey Holt (Point Lookout Boardriders) won the Layne Beachley Medal for best performing female. Each surfer also received $1000.
Nick Squiers (Scarborough Boardriders) won the Milwaukee Heavy Duty Hack Award for the surfer who displayed the biggest and best power move and won $1500 in Milwaukee equipment and $1000.
Bondi Boardriders won the Fox Sports Patriot Award and $5000 for the club that demonstrated the most passionate spirit during the National Final after bringing a robust support crew to Cronulla complete with three-piece band.
Snapper Rocks and Coffs Harbour also won $1000 and $500 of FCS product for finishing first and second.
FINAL LEADERBOARD:
Snapper Rocks Boardriders 5525
Coffs Harbour Boardriders 4800
Culburra Boardriders 4262
North Narrabeen 4250
Avoca Boardriders 4174
Merewether Surfboard Club 4062
Point Lookout Boardriders 4050
Bondi Boardriders 3862
Byron Boardriders 3851
Le Ba Boardriders 3850
Scarborough Boardriders 3762
Margaret River Boardriders 3750
Kirra Surfriders 3674
South Coast Boardriders 3550
Cronulla Sharks Boardriders 3362
Philip Island Boardriders 3162
Peninsula Surfriders 3063
Burleigh Boardriders 3062
Coolum Boardriders 2750
South Arm Boardriders 2550
For full results head to www.australianboardridersbattle.com.
