Eva Bassed and Will Watson claim second round of Woolworths Junior Surfing Titles at Gunnamatta

Local surfer Will Watson (Mornington Peninsula) and South Gippsland’s Eva Bassed (Sandy Point) have taken out the second round of the Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles at Gunnamatta Beach on the Mornington Peninsula over the weekend.
 
In fun but challenging conditions at the open ocean beach break, the best juniors from around the state battled it out for crucial rating points in the race for a spot in the Victorian Junior Team.
 
Surfing on his local break, Will Watson outclassed his opponents in every heat of the Under 18 boys division showing excellent knowledge of the break.
 
Putting his rivals in a combination situation in the final (surfers requiring two new scores to overtake), Watson finished with an 18.00 heat total.
 
“The state round this weekend ended up being a lot better than I expected,” said Watson. “The forecast was saying super big and onshore but it ended up being super clean and 3ft”
 
“Finals day was really fun just trying to get some of the rights out that back. That’s where all the bigger scores were coming from and I just had to wait and try and find the right waves. For my heat, I was lucky enough to find two good waves and get a win.”
 
Finishing in second was Lucas Hickson (Mornington Peninsula) on a 13.27 heat total. Jack Bassett (Barwon Heads) finished in third on 11.77 points with Remy Roberts (Barwon Heads) in fourth on 10.33 points.
 
In the Under 18 Girls division, Eva Bassed took home top honours on a heat total of 14.60 points ahead of Emily McGettigan (Torquay) who finished on 13.34 points.
 
“There was plenty of swell and offshore winds making it super fun to compete in over the weekend,” said Bassed.
 
“I got pretty lucky in the final and managed to find a right-hander out the back that linked through to the left and gave me the opportunity to do some good turns. Had a blast competing with all the other girls, they were absolutely shredding. I can’t wait for Round 3 at Jan Juc “
 
Finishing in third place was Ruby Armstrong (Mornington Peninsula) on 8.63 points with Sarsha Pancic (Mornington Peninsula) on 5.83 points.
 
Other event champions for the weekend included Sara Hickson (Under 16 Girls, Mornington Peninsula), Jarrah Cicero (Under 16 Boys, Sandy Point), Dune Pruvot (Under 14 Girls, Torquay) and Jarvis Barrow (Under 14 Boys, Jan Juc).
 
The Final event of the series will be held on the Surf Coast on May 7^th & 8^th. Entries open via www.surfingvic.com/events
 
Round 2 of the Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles is presented by Surfers Rescue 24/7, Surfing Victoria and Surfing Australia.
 
 
Finals Results
Under 18 Girls
1^st Eva Bassed – 14.60
2^nd Emily McGettigan – 13.34
3^rd Ruby Armstrong – 8.63
4^th Sarsha Pancic – 5.87
 
Under 18 Boys
1^st Willem Watson – 18.00
2^nd Lucas Hickson – 13.27
3^rd Jack Bassett – 11.77
4^th Remy Roberts – 10.33
 
Under 16 Girls
1^st Sara Hickson – 18.00
2^nd Sophie Wilkinson – 9.67
3^rd Juliet Muscroft – 7.35
4^th Sarah Seuren – 6.57
 
Under 16 Boys
1^st Jarrah Cicero – 14.70
2^nd Rye Cicero – 12.67
3^rd Harry Farrer – 12.10
4^th Nalu Belyea – 11.93
 
Under 14 Girls
1^st Dune Pruvot – 13.00
2^nd Lillian Bassed – 10.94
3^rd Chloe Muscroft – 6.80
4^th Billie Cook – 5.66
5^th Cedar Davie – 4.17
 
Under 14 Boys
1^st Jarvis Barrow – 12.87
2^nd Remy Filer – 12.50
3^rd Jack Lindsay – 9.60
4^th Angus Kennedy – 4.47