The Surf Boardroom Surf League presented by Rip Curl, wrapped up in windswept waves at Scarborough Beach over the weekend, with the Yallingup Boardriders Club claiming back-to-back Surf League victories, backing up their Australian Boardriders Battle win last month, proving they are the best boardriding club in Western Australia right now.
Despite some tricky conditions, the 30th edition of this iconic and prestigious event will certainly go down as one of the best and most tightly contested. A nail-bitting final saw Yallingup defeat longtime rivals Trigg Point, Margaret River and Scarborough in an exciting exhibition of grassroots club surfing.
Since 1992, local surf retailer The Surf Boardroom have supported the Surf League competition, with seven of WA’s best boardriding clubs battling it out along Perth’s metropolitan coast, as part of the Drug Aware GroundSwell Festival presented by City of Stirling.
Small waves and favourable early morning conditions created an exciting on-beach atmosphere that oozed pride, as clubs went head-to-head in hopes of etching their names onto one of WA’s most prized perpetual trophies.
The unique Surf League format saw clubs nominate six surfers (4x Opens, 1x Over-35 Master, and 1x Under-18 Junior), with each surfers top two wave scores added together for a combined team total.
Yallingup and Trigg Point dominated the preliminary heats allowing them to progress directly through to the 2022 Suf League final. While, Margaret River and Scarborough had to surf off against Surf Beach, City Beach and Albany Boardriders Clubs in round two, before joining Yallingup and Trigg Point in the blue-ribbon final.
In a repeat of the Australian Boardriders Battle last month, an enthralling and highly entertaining 90 minute final ensued, with two clubs from the south-west, taking on two clubs from the metro beaches, in what was a simply amazing display of the depth of WA boardriding club talent.
Yallingup’s team of Otis North, Duke Nagtzaam, Dylan Vernon, Felix Leaver, Paul Paterson and Josh Cattlin, went all out with a consistent performance from all six of their surfers, posting a combined total of 89.26 on their way to victory.
Despite the best efforts of all surfers who hit the water in a fresh afternoon sea breeze, Trigg Point finished in a close second place on 87.95, Margaret River had to settle for third on 83.41, ahead of Scarborough in fourth on 77.77.
“That was an epic final and all the boys were ripping today,” said Yallingup’s Club Captain Josh Cattlin. “We’ve got a really good thing going on down at Yallingup at the moment and we’re thrilled to take the win in what was such a close final.”
The Surf Boardroom Surf League has become a rite of passage for many WA surfers and clubs. It embodies what Australian sport is all about; mateship, team spirit, loyalty and unbelievable camaraderie, providing a unique opportunity for mate to verse mate and club to verse club, in a fun, but highly competitive environment.
The Surf Boardroom Surf League forms an integral part of the Western Australian surfing scene, with the 30th pearl anniversary evidence of the event’s place in the hearts of many WA surfers and clubs.
“The Surf League has genuine history here in WA and the event continues to provide a spectacle along Scarborough Beach,” said The Surf Boardroom’s Geoff Counsel. “We’re very proud to support this event and 30 years of support is testament to how strongly we believe in grassroots surfing and what it means to be part of a boardriding club.”
Beyond the amazing surfing on offer, there was no shortage of things for spectators to dip their toes into at the Drug Aware GroundSwell Festival presented by the City of Stirling, with loads of other exciting sports on offer as well as plenty of FREE activities, including complete wellness, sustainability and entertainment programs, plus the return of crowd fave the 78 Hub & Festival Village!
THE SURF BOARDROOM SURF LEAGUE FINAL RESULTS 2022:
1st Place – Yallingup Boardriders – 89.26
2nd Place – Trigg Point Boardriders – 87.95
3rd Place – Margaret River Boardriders – 83.41
4th Place – Scarborough Boardriders – 77.77
5th Place – Surf Beach Boardriders
6th Place – City Beach Surfriders
7th Place – Albany Boardriders
SURF LEAGUE SPECIALTY AWARDS:
Perry Hatchett Medalist (Best Surfer In Final) > Josh Cattlin (Yallingup)
Frank Hayter Freakish Talent Award (Best Junior Surfer) > Tyce Shepherd (Albany)
Creatures of Leisure Cream of the Crop (Best Manoeuvre) > Dylan Vernon (Yallingup)
Reef Big Award (Best Air Of The Event) > Jake Molloy (Scarborough)
Rip Curl Falling Star (Best Masters Surfer) > Luke Hayter (Scarborough)
Creatures of Leisure Award (Highest Individual Score) > Solomon Pogue-Englert (Margaret River)
Rip Curl Coaching Performance (Best Coach) > Damian Kuret (Albany)
Creatures of Leisure Encouragement Award (Best Camaraderie ) > Albany Boardriders
Otis Eyewear Cover Your Eyes (Best Wipeout) > Zen Shepherd (Albany)
Reef Baywatch Award (Best Run / Tag) > Jack Mitchell (Margaret River)
Otis Eyewear Powerhouse Surfer (Best Power Move) > Jared McHale (Surf Beach Boardriders)
Otis Club Jester (Best Mascot) > Nick Muntz (Trigg Point)
For more information on the Surf Boardroom Surf League be sure to check out www.surfingwa.com.au
For more information on the Ground Swell Surf and Skate Festival head to: www.groundswellfestival.org
Surfing WA will be streaming live scores and results from the weekend via www.liveheats.com
About The Surf Boardroom:
The Surf Boardroom first opened in 1988 and from those early days the Boardroom has been all about providing surfers with the latest and best equipment. The boys at the Boardroom are very proud to put back into surfing locally, and they will be continuing this tradition into the future. Local clubs are a huge part of their business and love being a part of this really unique event. Checkout their website www.surfboardroom.com.au for all the latest surfboards, accessories and fashion needs.
