Latest from the Coast Of Origin

Hi All,

World Surfaris are proud to support the Coast Of Origin inter club surfing competition that will ultimately pitch the best Sunny Coast against their Gold Coast counterparts. The latest has just come in its every bit the grand saga that you ‘d expect when two titans clash….. More as follows.

2011 Surfing Queensland ‘Coast of Origin’ Interclub Series

THE initial Area Challenges of the inaugural Coast of Origin Series is underway on both the Gold and Sunshine Coast’s. Each coast enjoyed the stellar run of winter swell that’s graced south-east Queensland in recent weeks, with pumping waves across the four event locations.

Sunshine Coast Area Challenge (North) – Mudjimba Beach

Mudjimba beach provided ideal conditions for the Sunshine Coast Area Challenge (North) in the opening round of the Surfing Queensland Coast of Origin Interclub Series. Noosa Boardriders put on an outstanding exhibition of surfing throughout the day, stamping their authority in the early rounds and maintaining their momentum throughout the event. Showcasing the depth of talent within the club, Noosa Boardriders posted strong performances in several divisions, with high profile surfers including Dean Brady leading the way in the blue ribbon Open Men’s. Noosa Boardriders campaign was also bolstered by Naomi Stevic and Hayden Cervi who both posted excellent results in the Open Women’s and U/18 Boy’s divisions respectively.

Competition throughout the day was close with just six points separating Noosa Boardriders from second place finishers Coolum Boardriders. Final results saw Noosa Boardriders with a total of 92 points followed by Coolum Boardriders (86), Mudjimba Boardriders (61) and Composite North Boardriders (14 points).

Sunshine Coast Area Challenge (South) – Maroochydore Beach

From the onset of competition it was clear that the Sunshine Coast Area Challenge (South) would be an extremely close affair. On numerous occasions throughout the day the lead chopped and changed between North Shore Boardriders, WindanSea and Kawana Boardriders. The day’s earlier heats made the most of the incoming tide and clean offshore conditions. North Shore posted convincing wins in all four heats of the Open Men’s division as well as outstanding performances in the Open Women’s division. WindanSea Boardriders were equal to the challenge proving the dominant Club in U/18 Boy’s and U/18 Girls’ divisions. There was no clear leader for the majority of the competition and the final results were decided in the “All Stars” tag team division, where North Shore emerged victorious on 88 points, followed by WindandSea (83 points), Kawana Boardriders (65 points) and the Composite South club finishing with a total of 15 points.

Gold Coast Area Challenge (North) – Narrowneck Beach

Fantastic conditions at Narrowneck beach on the Northern end of the Gold Coast ensured the Surfing Queensland Coast of Origin Interclub series opened in spectacular fashion. It was a sea-sawing battle for the duration of the day between all three competing Boardriders Clubs who converged in the barrelling beach breaks to decide the champion team of the Northern Gold Coast. Burleigh Boardriders held a slim lead for much of the day with North End and MNM (Miami/Nobbys/Mermaid) producing some exceptional performances sporadically, however, it was MNM who emerged victorious after a late surge in the day. A stunning performance in the Tag Team component of the event sealed victory and bragging rights for the MNM crew.

The MNM Boardriders club will field a healthy component of competitors who will now compete with other club surfers from the Northern Gold Coast area to compete collectively for their region at the upcoming Surfing Queensland Coast of Origin Regional Challenge in August.

Gold Coast Area Challenge (South) – Currumbin Alley

Snapper Rocks Boardriding Club again asserted its dominance, and reaffirmed their status as Australia’s strongest competitive Boardriding Club, with a fantastic victory in the inaugural Gold Coast Area Challenge (South).

However, the victory wasn’t without a challenge with the Alley Boardriders and Kirra Surfriders hot on their heels the entire event, as well as a gallant Palm Beach Boardriders putting in a spirited effort and staying within reach for much of the day.

It was the depth of Snapper though that ultimately saw them take both the Tag-Team and overall titles for the Southern Gold Coast, with their junior stand-outs of Josh Glennon and Kyuss King, through to their Open Men’s surfers of Mitch Crews and Dan Pryor. Stealing the spotlight though was household names Darryl Parkinson, Wayne Bartholomew, and Glen ‘Rocky’ Rawlings in the masters divisions.

The performance of the day went to the Snapper’s patriarch and 1978 World Champion Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew in the over 45’s division, scoring a perfect 10 point ride for a wave that peeled for over 300 meters down the Alley line-up. The crowd erupted throughout the timeless performance from the ‘Bugs’ and it was great to see the older surfers getting just as fired up for the competition as their younger teammates.

We will now see a super-team from each end of both coasts competing in August to find the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Champions respectively before an overall series champion is crowned in October.