Consistent performance wins it for Wallis

Piha's Tane Wallis won the big
prize in the Schnappa Rock
Polar Bear Surf Classic at Sandy
Bay on Sunday.
Wallis headed home to
Auckland with a cheque for
$1000 in his pocket after
defeating second-placed J C
Susan of Mount Maunganui in
the men's open final.
Susan scored the best wave
of the final but failed to back it
up while Wallis was more
consistent, scoring well enough
on two waves to win the final.
North Coast Boardriders
competition organiser Mal
Egginton said the conditions on
Saturday were  poor  and the
competition had been shortened
in the hope of better waves on
Sunday. Fine conditions on
Sunday with a milder breeze
vindicated their decision but
surfers still had to rely on a bit
of luck to get a good  wave.

 The showdown between
Northland's top competitive
surfer Paco Divers and
defending champion Ryan
Hawker never eventuated with
both surfers failing to progress
further than the semifinals.
If Wallis had everything his
own way in the open final, things
didn't go quite as planned in the
 under-18 final, with the Piha
surfer forced into second place
by Mimiwhangata surfer Joe
Moretti.
Moretti out-surfed Wallis in
the final with Patxi-Scott Arrieta
third, with Arrieta's 12-year-old
brother Manu, in fourth.
Manu also showed off his
talents by reaching the finals of
the  under-14 division, which he
won easily beating local surfers
Zane Hicks and Bernard Cowen.
The women's event was won
by Auckland surfer Mischa
Davis, who outpointed
Whangarei surfers Heather
Easterbrooke and Rene Lee, and
Mangawhai's Jessica Costello.
Orewa's Thomas Kibblewhite
won the men's longboard
competition. Kaitaia's Billy Hale
won the men's over-40
competition, while the men's
over-55 national champion, John
Gisby of Gisborne, won the over-
50 division. Egginton won the
 over-60 division ahead of Dave
Gould and Malcolm Pullman.