Auckland overpowers Canterbury to take the lead on Day 3 at the National Scholastic Surfing Championships contested at Meatworks, Kaikoura.
A murky night of cold rain gave way to glossy waves in the 3-4 foot range at Meatworks as the National Scholastics Surfing Championships resumed with Day 4 of competition this morning.
The day’s objective was to bring each division toward finals day with the pointy end of the event taking some big scalps out of contention. Among them was the form favourite, Jack Hinton, of Mount Maunganui. Hinton had been the man to beat all event in the Under 18s, but a lapse in concentration in the last heat of the day saw him take off on a wave while James Millar, of Christchurch, had priority. The resulting penalty discounted Hinton’s second score – effectively wiping him out of contention. Millar, himself an event favourite, capitalised on the situation.
Among other upsets was the early exit of Karne Gabbott, one of Otago’s form surfers, along with Tom Robertson for Christchurch.
Finals day tomorrow will be broadcast live in Sky Sport Next. In the meantime here’s our 40 frames from Day 4 …