Whangarei surfer Thomas Robinson claimed his first national level win this weekend taking out the Sticky Johnson Primary School Championships run by the Eastland Community Trust. Robinson was joined by Mount Maunganui surfer Georgia Wederall, who was victorious in the girls division.
A return to the more familiar surrounds of the northern end of Makorori Beach saw the grommets greeted with a solid 1m swell and light onshore winds.
Robinson was the lone goofy-foot surfer in the final but used that to his advantage setting himself apart from his opponents with some exceptional backhand surfing both in the final and the earlier round-robin heats.
Robinson finished with a 9.83 point heat total to claim victory over event standouts Tom Butland (Taranaki) and Finn Johnson (Gisborne), who had both been undefeated until that point. Butland got the nod over Johnson, posting an 8.4 point heat total for a runner-up finish with James Ririnui (Mount Maunganui) finishing fourth.
Earlier, it was Butland and Ririnui who eliminated Manawa Ruru (Gisborne) and Myka Black (Christchurch) in the first semifinal while Robinson and Johnson defeated Cory Vercoe (Mangawhai) and Maddy Barclay (Oamaru).
