City BeachTwelve State Titles have been decided over an action-packed three-days of surfing in the south-west, with the 2022 West Coast Suspensions Surf Masters WA State Championships presented by SunSmart concluding in epic waves yesterday at Injidup.
After two day of large, and at times challenging conditions at Cobblestones in Gracetown, finalists were greeted to epic surf as clean 3-4 feet swell lines poured in the bay at Injidup, offering a perfect canvas for what was an exceptional standard of surfing from all divisions that hit the water.
In an exciting turnout of local and grassroots talent, the Surf Masters Championships brought together some of WA’s very best including, former World Surf League (WSL) Tour competitors, rising junior stars, past state, and national champions, big wave chargers, as well as surfers with years of competition experience.
Margaret River’s Alex McGuffin claimed victory in the Open Men’s final, with a dizzying display of backhand surfing that saw him claim the his first State Championship since 2019. McGuffin, who will leave to compete on the WSL Qualifying Series (QS) in NSW next week was excited to be pushed all the way in a closely contested final.
Using his razor sharp backhand McGuffin kept busy, catching the most waves of all surfers in the final, and built his scores under priority of fellow goofy footers, Pascal Hutchinson (Trigg), Jack Thomas (Yallingup) and Josh Cattlin (Yallingup). McGuffin dropped an excellent 8.05 and backed it up with a 7.25 to finish on a combined total of 15.30 (from a possible 20).
“I’m so stoked to get that win, it gives me a lot of confidence heading in the run of QS events on the East Coast,” said McGuffin. “It’s been a sick event and so good to finish on a high in such good waves. Well done to Jacob Willcox on his win on Phillip Island and I look forward to catching up with him next week!”
Former WSL Championship Tour surfer, big wave charger, and more recently reality TV star, Felicity Palmateer (Yanchep) had to draw deep from her years of competition to win the Open Women’s division, taking down a crop of WA’s best female surfers.
Palmateer peaked when it mattered most, dropping an 8.00 (from a possible 10) on her opening wave of the final to finish on a combined two-wave total of 13.20 (from a possible 20), defending her 2020 Open Women’s State Title in the process.
In an inspiring exhibition of West Australian female surfing, Palmateer was too strong for locals Claire Bevilacqua (Yallingup), Emma Cattlin (Yallingup) and Bailee Hastie (Gracetown), who all performed well, but were left chasing scores in hopes of claiming the win.
“I’m so happy to be here and thanks to everyone, especially the girls in the water with me,” said Palmateer. “It was nice to have a little rematch with Claire from the QS here a few years ago, but it was just nice to finish an event in good waves like we’ve had.”
A host of different age divisions also highlighted what was an amazing day of surfing, with competitors battling hard in hopes to claiming a prestigious State Title and representing WA at the 2022 Australian Surf Championships in NSW.
Jack Mitchell (Margaret River) took out the hotly contested Under-21 Pro Junior division, using his strong backhand to advantage, taking the win ahead of a hot and hungry pack of shredders nipping at his heels.
Richard Sills (Dunsborough) was the best of the Over-35 Masters, using his strong and powerful rail game to pick apart the lineup, scoring 15.00 (from a possible 20).
Ian Macpherson (City Beach) showed his love of competition surfing, claiming an impressive victory in the Over-40 Men’s division, after only recently returning from injury.
Samantha Vanderford (Green Head) was the first double winner of the event, taking out the Over-35 and Over-50 Women’s divisions.
Paul Paterson (City Beach) was on fire, also claiming multiple State Titles in the Over-45 and Over-50 Men’s divisions with some flawless surfing at one of his favourite waves.
Chris Twomey (Karrinyup) had to dig deep in an exciting Over-55 Men’s final, holding off a past finishing Brad Cowan (Margaret River) for the win.
In other results from the weekend, Brent Moss (Esperance) took out the Over-60 Men’s final, with Michael Molloy (Geraldton) the best of the Over-65 Men’s surfers.
After a hugely successful start to the 2022 competition season, eyes now turn towards the King of the Point, the next open aged surfing event to be held at Trigg Point on the 12th and 13th March 2022.
Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks was thrilled with the calibre of surfing on offer and the level of stoke on offer amongst the competitors. “That was a memorable event with some world-class performances to match, logistically we had some challenges, but Injidup is such a great competition venue,” said Majeks. “Congratulations to all our State Champions and well done to everyone that pulled on a vest in big surf on Friday and Saturday.”
Paul Paterson captured the West Coast Suspensions ‘Wave of the Weekend’ for an excellent 9.25 (from a possible 10) during the Over-45 Men’s final. Alex McGuffin and Felicity Palmateer walked away with the Auto Masters Memorable Moment Awards for their wins in the Open Men’s and Women’s finals. While, Paul Dupuy (Albany) was the lucky surfer to pick up a brand new Firewire Surfboard for simply entering the event.
The Surf Masters State Championships are integral to the continued development of surfing in Western Australia. The three-day event has attracted some of WA’s very best shortboarders who will compete across multiple divisions in hopes of claiming a prestigious WA State Surfing Title.
Surfing WA acknowledges the State Government’s support through the Road Safety Commission and reminds all our traveling competitors and families of the dangers of sending a text message or using a mobile phone while behind the wheel – Remember #NoTxtNoWrecks.
Surfing WA will be streaming live heat scores and results for people to follow via their new live event site: www.surfingwalive.com.au. Stay tuned to www.surfingwa.com.au for news, photos and updates relating to the 2022 West Coast Suspensions Surf Masters WA State Championships.
FINAL RESULTS 2022 WEST COAST SUSPENSIONS WA SURF MASTERS TITLES:
Open Men:
1. Alex McGuffin (Margaret River) – 15.30
2. Pascal Hutchinson (Trigg) – 14.95
3. Jack Thomas (Yallingup) – 14.60
4. Josh Cattlin (Yallingup) – 11.45
Open Women:
1. Felicity Palmateer (Yanchep) – 13.20
2. Claire Bevilacqua (Yallingup) – 12.40
3. Emma Cattlin (Yallingup) – 9.75
4. Bailee Hastie (Gracetown) – 7.75
Under 21 Pro Junior:
1. Jack Mitchell (Margaret River) – 17.00
2. Brock Launders (Margaret River) – 15.90
3. Macklin Flynn (Cowaramup) – 13.60
4. Maverick Wilson (Dunsborough) – 13.10
Over 35 Men:
1. Richard Sills (Dunsborough) – 15.00
2. Tim Grime (Secret Harbour) – 9.75
3. Dale Moore (Yanchep) – 9.55
4. Michael Williams (Margaret River) – 7.30
Over 35 Women:
1. Samantha Vanderford (Green Head) – 13.50
2. Belinda Adams (Busselton) – 12.35
3. Shae Sheridan (Dunsborough) – 3.00
Over 40 Men:
1. Ian Macpherson (City Beach) – 16.75
2. Tommy Trigwell (Dunsborough) – 13.65
3. Richard Sills (Dunsborough) – 11.60
4. Russ Bird (Trigg) – 8.30
Over 45 Men:
1. Paul Paterson (Yallingup) – 16.50
2. Tommy Trigwell (Dunsborough) – 13.60
3. Shane Drew (Mandurah) – 10.40
4. Paul Dupuy (Alabny) – 7.20
Over 50 Men:
1. Paul Paterson (Yallingup) – 15.90
2. Paul Dupuy (Albany) – 12.80
3. Peter Cannon (Broadwater) – 7.65
4. Brad Cowan (Margaret River) – 6.60
Over 50 Women:
1. Samantha Vanderford (Green Head) – 7.75
Over 55 Men:
1. Chris Twomey (Karrinyup) – 12.55
2. Brad Cowan (Margaret River) – 11.00
3. Greg Dutch (Margaret River) – 9.35
4. Ian Ainsworth (Dunsborough) – 5.25
Over 60 Men:
1. Brent Moss (Esperance) – 6.65
2. Michael Whiteley (Mandurah) – 1.00
Over 65 Men:
1. Mick Molloy (Geraldton) – 12.25
2. Mal Hardy (Gracetown) – 4.75
3. Michael Whiteley (Mandurah) – 1.20
About West Coast Suspensions:
West Coast Suspension formally commenced trading as Jenkins Springs Pty Ltd in Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia in 1924. The West Coast Suspensions name was registered in 1990 to further reflect the company’s progression as a specialist suspension supplier to road transport, mining, recreational 4×4 and off road vehicles. More information: www.westcoastsuspension.com.au
