Pictures: Alan Dillon
THE Peninsula Surfriders Club (SRC) have celebrated a significant achievement after claiming the top spot in the 2024 Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB) regional qualifier.
Hosted at the iconic Smith Beach on Phillip Island on October 6, surfers battled it out with waves of two to three feet high. The first semi-final saw 13th Beach and Torquay start off evenly matched, with both teams’ first surfers scoring high 6-point rides. Then, Torquay’s second surfer, Xavier Huxtable, broke the tie with a 7.27-point ride for two big backhand hooks. But with five out of their six waves scored, Peninsula were comfortably in front with team captain Lachy McDonald executing a powerful forehand slash, giving his team the motivation to finish off strong. Torquay were unable to find a wave in the dying moments, leaving 13th Beach and Peninsula to head into the final.
Phillip Island won the second semi-final scoring the highest heat total of the day, 39.34, with Jan Juc Boardriders Club equally displaying quality surfing to take second place, nudging out South Coast BRC. Heading into the final, the stakes were high with the top three teams qualifying for a coveted spot in the grand final to be held at Burleigh Heads in Queensland early next year.
Peninsula’s women’s surfer, Sara Hickson, delivered three massive backhand snaps, earning the highest score of the day—a remarkable 8.33— propelling her team to first place. Her performance saw her earn the Boost Mobile Wave of the Day.
Sara’s brother, Lucas Hickson, brought it home by catching a quick wave to finish on time and avoid a five-point deduction. This secured a solid win for the thrilled Peninsula SRC at stop number three of the ABB, with 13th Beach also excited to come in second.
“We’re stoked! It’s tricky because there’s obviously some great clubs and it was sad to see Torquay drop out early, they’re the benchmark in many respects,” McDonald said. “The Island didn’t have a great final, but we’ve been really consistent for a long time. “We’ll definitely keep training heading to the national final as that has been working out well for us with the consistency we’ve delivered. We can’t wait to get up to Burleigh’s fun waves! “Hopefully it’s not as big and stormy as last year, which was actually kind of a little bit difficult to deal with, so hopefully it’s just easy and fun.”
Jan Juc Boardriders Club secured third place and a qualifying spot after a tight battle with Phillip Island, which, at one point, was in first place thanks to a brilliant show by Codie Jeffery who unleashed three huge backhand snaps.
But Phillip Island faced an unfortunate run of positioning themselves on the wrong side of waves, leaving the competition wide open.
Hyundai ABB Victorian Qualifier Results:
1st – Peninsula SRC, 27.47
2nd – 13th Beach BRC, 22.56
3rd – Jan Juc BRC, 22.07
4th – Phillip Island
First published in the Mornington News – 15 October 2024
