The performances across the last day of the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, presented by Bass Coast Shire Council, were exceptional, with Ruby Berry (Margaret River, WA) and Mitchell Peterson (Noosaville, QLD) taking out the Under 18 divisions.
With a feeling of stoke in the air and a light side shore wind combined with fun 1-2 ft waves rolling into Cape Woolamai’s Rip Banks, the final day was set for multiple high performances and tight battles.
The Under 16 Boys final looked to be a one-sided battle throughout most of the heat, with Max McGillivray (Evans Head, NSW) dominating the right-hand rip bowls, executing powerful forehand hacks and smooth slashes. It wasn’t until the last five minutes that Lachlan Arghyros (Kingscliff, NSW) threw down a series of backhand hammers, sending spray flying and earning the best score of the final — an 8.33 point ride.
Utilising the rip to get back out as quickly as possible, Arghyros knew he needed another solid score, with McGillivray sitting on a combined total of 13.33 points. With just 30 seconds remaining McGillivray, who was holding priority, blocked Arghyros and unleashed another incredible layback snap followed by a huge carving manoeuvre. As he glanced behind, Arghyros stood up with 10 seconds to go and went back-to-back smashing out multiple vertical backhand snaps.
With both surfers on the beach, a nervous energy filled the air as the crowd waited for the scores. McGillivray’s last wave scored a 6.50 point ride, improving his combined total. Arghyros now needed a 5.50 point ride to take the win, but as the score dropped, he narrowly missed out by just 0.03, scoring a 5.47 point ride. This secured the win for McGillivray on a 13.83 combined heat total.
“It could of gone either way at the end there, I ended up bettering one of my scores which helped me out a lot but it was so tight and could of gone either way,” exclaimed McGillivray.
“It’s just the best feeling to take out the comp, I definitely needed to get another win as I believe it puts me first on the ranking so that’s such a great achievement,” he added.
The Under 16 Girls final saw both Lani Cairncross (Kiama Downs, NSW) and Savannah Rielly (Dicky Beach, QLD) finding waves that allowed them to perform turns all the way to the shore. Throughout the final it was a tight battle with Cairncross only just getting the nod over Rielly. However, on her final wave, Cairncross made the difference by finding a solid section out the back, scoring a 7.00 point ride to win the final.
“At the start I saw the boys before my heat get a lot of good waves but when I was out there hunting for them there wasn’t many coming through so I had to go the smaller ones, but luckily on my last wave I did an alright turn out the back and stuck it all the way through,” said Cairncross.
“It’s been so fun down here, I always look forward to coming down here, there’s always a spot to surf no matter the conditions,” continued Cairncross.
“It feels pretty good to win, this is my second win this year and I’m pretty stoked as it’s a big comp.”
The Under 18 Boys final saw two different approaches from the competitors. Mitchell Peterson (Noosaville, QLD) stayed busy, catching multiple rides and scoring a 6.17 point ride on his first wave for a strong rail carve and a sharp snap. He backed it up with a minor score of 3.60 to hold the early lead. Meanwhile, Samuel Lowe (Thirroul, NSW) waited patiently with just a 3.83 in his scoreline, hoping for the right wave.
Lowe finally made his move, putting his backhand attack to work, but only managed a 5.10, leaving him needing more to take the lead. Peterson, still staying active, executed an impressive tail slide, scoring a 6.93, which left Lowe needing an 8-point ride to take the lead.
With 5 minutes left, both competitors split the peak at the rip bank. Peterson went right, connecting with two decent sections and drifting the fins over the lip, while Lowe laid into multiple solid carves and finished with a quick snap. Peterson scored a 7.03, increasing the score Lowe needed. On Lowe’s ride he earned a 6.07 point ride leaving him requiring a 7.89 in the final seconds.
As the final due to a close Peterson paddled over to Lowe and used his priority to block him, securing the win on 13.96 combined heat total.
“Two heats before Maxy got the win and I noticed all his best waves were on the inside so I really just tried to follow his gameplan,” said Peterson.
“I was actually getting really nervous at the end because I couldn’t see what Sammy was doing on the left. I could only see him taking off from behind and every time I would try to get over to the left I kept on seeing a good right and kept on swinging and going them. Eventually I made my way over and it was stressful ‘cause I just didn’t know what he had done on those lefts,” he added.
“The last two finals I’ve been in I have been buzzer-beatered right on the beach and it’s been pretty heartbreaking so I was pretty stoked to get the win this time!”
The Under 18 Girls final began with Ruby Berry (Margaret River, WA) choosing the left-hand side of the bank while Isla Huppatz (Bilinga, QLD) opted for the right hand side. However, after Berry picked up the first ride, Huppatz also moved to the left to catch a wave for herself. Berry really kicked things off on her second wave, racing down the line and hitting multiple sections with speed, earning a 5.83 point ride and taking the early lead.
Huppatz struggled on the inside, trying to make something work and in an effort to get away from Berry, she paddled back to the right and found an inside wedge. Attacking the oncoming whitewater section she scored a 4.17 point ride, giving her a chance to overtake Berry only needing a 5.50 point ride with just under 2 minutes remaining.
Berry then made a priority error, allowing Huppatz a chance at a wave and the score she needed however she couldn’t capitalise, leaving Berry victorious on 10.73 points.
“The waves were super challenging and Isla rips so definitely either of us could have won so I’m stoked to win,” Berry stated
“There was a minute to go and I had priority and I lost it and I was kinda stressing but there were lots of sets coming through so I was hoping I could get a wave as well as her. I ended up getting a wave but it was definitely a stressful 30 seconds,” she added.
All in all, the final day of the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island event was as action packed and exciting as it gets with plenty of close calls and excellent performances.
As an added bonus, the top four competitors in the Under 14 and Under 16 divisions will be awarded wildcards into the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final, to be held at URBNSURF Sydney on October 21 this year.
Under 18 Boys
1st – Mitchell Peterson (Noosaville, QLD), 13.96
2nd – Samuel Lowe (Thirroul, NSW), 11.17
Under 18 Girls
1st – Ruby Berry (Margaret River, WA), 10.73
2nd – Isla Huppatz (Bilinga, QLD), 8.84
Under 16 Boys
1st – Max McGillivray (Evans Head, NSW), 13.83
2nd – Lachlan Arghyros (Kingscliff, NSW), 13.80
Under 16 Girls
1st – Lani Cairncross (Kiama Downs, NSW), 12.60
2nd – Savannah Rielly (Dicky Beach, QLD), 8.00
Under 14 Boys
1st – Locana Cullen (Avalon Beach, NSW), 12.23
2nd – Harvey Colivas (Collaroy, NSW), 9.37
Under 14 Girls
1st – Mali Adam (Crescent Head, NSW), 10.47
2nd – Scarlett Rennie (Cape Woolamai, VIC), 6.87
Live scores and schedule can be found via https://surfingvic.com/ripcurlgromsearchphillipisland/
Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island presented by Bass Coast Shire Council and supported by the Victorian Government Significant Sporting Events program, Park Lane Phillip Island, Cancer Council Sunscreen, GoPro, SurfBetterNow.com and Surfing Victoria.
