SNZ Grom Series Done and Dusted
The long competition road came to the end last weekend for New Zealand’s top ranked junior surfers under the age of sixteen. After eight events stretching back to the beginning of January they have slogged it out to better one another and come out on top of the country’s emerging talent pool. With wins in the last event of the year – the Rip Curl GromSearch both Paco Divers (Whangarei) and Paige Hareb (Tara) took top honours in the premier under 16 divisions.
Ryan Hawker (Piha) has been away on international duties so Divers got his ratings win a little easier than first thought. The two surfers battled out every event this year missing only one final each and had Hawker been in the final two events we would have likely seen a title battle unfold in the final of the last event but it was not to be. Likewise in the under 16 girls Hareb had to contend with Grace Spiers (WGM) throughout the year with Spiers finishing runner up at the first four events before back trouble kept her high and dry through the winter months. By this time Hareb’s lead was unassailable and she went on to win every event she entered in 2006!
The under 14 boys was thought to be a two horse race for much of the year. However, as is always the case with the groms at this age, new talent began to emerge. Stalwarts Karne Pitcher (WGM) and Johnny Hicks (Gis) began to be challenged by the likes of Alex Dive (Mnt), the ever consistent Blake Myers (WGM) and winner of the last event Mark Pathmore (Tara). Pitcher ended up running away with the ratings win despite the emergence of some great talent and it will be the likes of these surfers who come through the ranks in 2007. In the girls the two horse race was won by Grace Spiers at the last event and in the absence of her closest rival Alexis Poulter (Piha). Spiers while playing bridesmaid to Hareb in the under 16s managed to win four of the five events she entered in the under 14 girls division to show a piece of her own domination.
The under 12s were completely dominated by Piha’s Tane Wallis who stormed away with the ratings lead. The only surfer to stop him this year was runner up Ben Poulter (Piha) who managed a crowd pleasing win at Whangamata early in the year and a further win in Wallis’ absence in the middle of the year. With both surfers now out of the under 12s, we will see a new breed of keen young groms enter the fray and they appeared to be lining up in the dozens if the last event of the year was anything to go by. In the under 12 girls it was Gabe Marriot (Gis) who completed a comeback of sorts to win the ratings. In the latter half of the year Marriot was bed ridden after a serious infection in her foot but that was not enough to stop her from placing second in the last event of the season and retaining her slender lead over Ella Williams (WGM).
Please see below for the top five rated surfers in each division. Go to www.surfingnz.co.nz to see full results of all divisions. These ratings combine the Hyundai Nationals, the three Billabong Grom Series events and the four Rip Curl GromSearch events.
Under 16 Boys Top Five
1 Paco Divers (Sandy Bay)
2 Ryan Hawker (Piha)
3 Keone Campbell (Tara)
4 Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
5 Braedon Williams (Whmata)
Under 14 Boys Top Five
1 Karne Pitcher (WGM)
2 Johnny Hicks (Gis)
3 Alex Dive (Mnt)
4 Landem Collier (Gis)
5 Blake Myers (WGM)
Under 12 Boys Top Five
1 Tane Wallis (Piha)
2 Ben Poulter (Piha)
3 Damien Tafu (Piha)
4 Kahu Craig Te Ranga (Waihi Beach)
5 Peri Matenga (Mnt)
Under 16 Girls Top Five
1 Paige Hareb (Tara)
2 Grace Spiers (WGM)
3 Alexis Poulter (Piha)
4 Anna Hadfield (Mnt)
|5 India Wray Murane (Muriwai)
Under 14 Girls Top Five
1 Grace Spiers (WGM)
2 Alexis Poulter (Piha)
3 Georgia Cooper (Auck)
4 Rosa Thompson (Auck)
5 Ella Williams (WGM)
Under 12 Girls Top Five
1 Gabe Marriott (Wainui Bch)
2 Ella Williams (Whmata)
3 Ella Spiers (WGM)
4 Jayda Fitzharris (Gis)
5 Crystal Hale (Northland)
Source: Surfing New Zealand
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