4 February 2018
(Stockton Beach, Newcastle, NSW, AUSTRALIA)
LOCAL team Frenchmans A has taken out the 2018 Orica Teams Challenge at Stockton beach in Newcastle NSW and pocketed $5000 for their effort.
The team consisting of Newcastle Surf School owner Dan Frodsham, Ethan Hartge and James McMorland racked up a score of 41.27 in the final to defeat North Steyne A (31.94) made up of former world number seven Kai Otton, 2003 Surfest champ Dayyan Neve and George Pittar.
North Steyne took home $2000 for their effort froma total prize pool of $10,000.
A total of 20 teams from along the NSW coastline took part in the weekend’s event.
The win in the competition today was the first at Stockton for Frenchmans since 2013 when the team – also helmed by Frodsham – won the inaugural Orica Teams Challenge.
“All these team events are really growing. We have a great team of supporters and we’re just a small club from down near Caves Beach. Everyone down there gets right behind us and it means so much to the town.
“The money we’ve won goes back into the club and helps produce better juniors. Club surfing takes away the individual emphasis of surfing and gets the team working together.
“It’s a pretty individual sport surfing but the team event means your surfing for others not just yourself. We intend to keep coming back every year to this event, but the depth of ability in these young guys in the club will them push me out of my spot -but how good is that?” the 42-year-old Frodsham said.
Surfest chief Warren Smith said the event continues to attract high quality surf teams from along the NSW coast.
“We are seeing quality surfers being sent here by the clubs and there’s a growing demand for involvement in the event. We had the 3Peas markets so there was heaps of things to do out of the water.
‘It’s a real family vibe. These teams come to Orica Team Challenge, many of them come on Friday night and they rent accommodation and they spend money in the shops and pubs and clubs. It’s a great boost for Stockton and the Northside Boardriders who host the event as part of Surfest,” Smith said.
The next event at the 2018 Surfest is the WSL 1000 nib Pro Junior scheduled for Merewether beach on February 10 & 11.
