Seaford Boardriders Club has taken out the South Australian Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle State Qualifier, defeating Roaders in 2-3ft waves at Middleton Point.
Seaford secured their win in the first round, propelling them straight into the final leaving Roaders and South Coast to battle it out.
Seaford team coach and captain, Shayne Forbes said they were stoked to take the win over their arch rivals.
“It means a lot to get one over them (Roaders). They stitched us up last year. Club surfing in South Australia is very competitive. Anyone can win on the day. We were confident but the other teams were so strong you can never be sure. It was a huge relief to make that first final and allowed us to compete a bit more freely in the final.
Luke Sykora played a pivotal role in Seaford’s success.
“The way Luke was surfing today, free surfing in such a pressure cooker situation. As soon as he stood up on a wave you just felt safe with him. It was fantastic,” Forbes said.
“Across the board I was super happy. We put in a lot of our junior surfers. Jemma Crowley started us off with a bang. Ashton Crowley is only 13-years-old and put up one of the biggest scores. The future looks pretty bright for the club.”
Roaders competitor and team captain, Gary Haworth said the final was a nail-biter.
“The whole way through was really close. We were a bit unlucky in the first one. In that second one against South Coast we just had a bit more consistency across the board.
“Corey Taylor was our standout surfer for the event. I thought the whole team did really well. Keira Hunt and Arley Partridge did their job in all three of our heats. Bit bummed we lost to Seaford but the best thing is two teams can go through to the final at Burleigh, which is amazing.”
Both Seaford and Roaders have secured a spot in the Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle Grand Final, scheduled to be in Burleigh Heads, Queensland next year.
Keira Hunt received the e Le Tan Breakthrough award. Luke Sykora was Oakley Prism’s Standout Surfer of the Day and Seaford Boardriders took out the Jim Beam Club Spirit award.
Results HERE
2023/24 Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle series:
EVENT 1 – TRIGG, WA – SEPT 10, 2023
EVENT 2 – PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC – SEPT 24, 2023
EVENT 3 – FLEURIEU PENINSULA, SA – OCT 1, 2023
EVENT 4 – NSW NTH – COFFS HARBOUR, NSW – OCT 15, 2023
EVENT 5 – CLIFTON BEACH, TAS – OCT 22, 2023
EVENT 6 – SUNSHINE COAST, QLD – OCT 29, 2023
EVENT 7 – NSW CENTRAL – NORTH NARRABEEN, NSW – NOV 11, 2023
EVENT 8 – NSW SOUTH – KIAMA, NSW – NOV 18, 2023
GRAND FINAL* – BURLEIGH HEADS, QLD – MAR 9-10, 2024
*entry by qualification
The 2023/24 series is proudly sponsored by Hyundai, Le Tan, ACCIONA, Jim Beam, BC™ Bars and Oakley.
The Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle is supported by Major Events Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.
Event website HERE.
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