Northland surfers showed their class at the National Scholastic Championships at Manu Bay in Raglan, claiming berths in today's finals. One hundred age-group competitors from 12 regions across the country gathered at the West Coast township for the championship which began on Monday. Northland had a 12-strong contingent for the event andhave performed impressively throughout the week. In the under-16 boys section, Cody Hale, Joe Moretti and Patxi Scott-Arrieta moved through to the quarter-finals, with Todd Hale coming close but missing out after his second round elimination. Paul Moretti will try his luck today in the under-14 grade semifinals, while Demi Poynter would have contested the under-18 girls semifinal had she not broken her leg on Tuesday evening by jumping off a bridge after her competition. Conditions at Manu Bay for the event were reasonable on Monday, but competition shifted 30 minutes south to Ruapuke on Tuesday due to flat seas. Competitors made the most of the 1m waves at Ruapuke, and yesterday returned to Manu Bay, where swells had risen. Ideal conditions were forecast for today's finals. While scheduled to run until tomorrow if necessary, surf conditions meant the event was set to wrap up today, Scholastics Championship spokesperson Ben Kennings said.
