A perfect ten point ride from Raglan surfer Taylor Hutchison saw him fly through to the quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Raglan presented by Corona late today (Saturday 20th March). In an action-packed day of surfing, Hutchison led the way amongst a plethora of high scoring performers.
The swell built all day with the final heats of the Men’s Division held in solid 1.0m plus waves and light sea breeze winds.
Hutchison, the event’s number one seed, smashed three big backhand turns for his ten-point ride to the cheers of the crowd. He finished with an 18.67 point heat total in his heat and will now face off against Conor McLennan (Chch), Josef Jungwirth (Rag) and Luis Southerwood (Whaka) in the Quarterfinals.
McLennan was another standout in the final heats of the day winning the tightest of matchups with a 15.9 heat total to advance alongside Jungwirth on 15.8 who narrowly nudged out stalwart Larry Fisher (Rag) who himself surfed to an impressive 15.2 point heat total.
Tom Robinson (Whngrei) and Chris Malone (Rag) pulled back two wins for the goofy foot surfers in the final two heats of the day. Robinson posted a 16.1 point heat total advancing alongside Zen Wallis (Piha) while Malone finished with a 15.04 total to advance to the Quarterfinals with Daniel Farr (Tara).
The surfing in the opening round of the Women’s Division was described as ground breaking with the pristine conditions offering up the perfect platform for explosive performances by the females.
Paige Hareb (Tara) led the pack surfing to a 16.88 point heat total with an outstanding display of speed and power surfing. An 8.6 point ride for her top wave was backed up with an 8.17 for a comfortable heat win advancing alongside her Taranaki counterpart Zhana Hutchieson.
Ava Henderson (Chch) followed Hareb’s heat with a 15.0 point heat total for the win. In a close heat, Henderson connected with three massive backhand turns on her best wave which was immediately followed up by Ariana Shewry (Tara) completing two power hacks in the pocket, the two surfers advancing through to the Quarterfinals.
Gabrielle Paul (Piha) looked sharp in her performance with a comfortable win. She will face off against Saffi Vette (Gis) who was one of many surfers left hunting for a good second scoring ride and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) and Anna Brock (Mnt).
In the upset of the round, Ella Williams (WGM) posted a near perfect 9.5 point ride at the start of her heat but was unable to back it up finishing in third and getting eliminated at the hands of Liv Haysom (Piha), 14.47 and Brie Bennett (Rag), 14.43.
Earlier in the day several big performances unfolded in the first rounds of the Open Men’s Division. Tairua surfer Sean Peggs obliterated his opponents with a 17.53 point heat total – the highest of the first round. Others to advance with big heat totals included Dune Kennings (Piha), Ricardo Christie (Gis), Jay Piper – Healion (Whiti), Paul Moretti (Mur) and Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch).
The Rip Curl pro pres by Corona is the final event before the New Zealand Surfing Team is named early next week with the team set to attend the ISA World Surfing Games being held in El Salvador from May 29 – June 6.
The surf conditions are expected to remain similar for the final day with the swell peaking overnight and slowly decreasing throughout the day on Sunday accompanied with light variable winds.
The Rip Curl Pro will be broadcast live via Sky Sport 9 on Sunday from 10:00am – 2:30pm and on the Sky Sport Next YouTube channel.
The Rip Curl Pro is the second event of the New Zealand Surf Series which heads south to Dunedin and Christchurch in the next month before events at Taranaki and Piha to conclude the season in May.
Please see below for results from Day 1 of the Rip Curl Pro Raglan presented by Corona held at Manu Bay, Raglan today, Saturday 20th March 2021.
Open Men’s Round of 68
Heat 1
Dane Simpson (Gis), 11.1, 1, Billy Gilbert (Whngrei), 7.57, 2, Mike Stockley, 6.57, 3, Tawhia Wellby (Rag), 5.44, 4
Heat 2
Johnny Hicks (Gis), 13.43, 1, Ebony Whitaker, 10.7, 2, Taj Dal Bosco (WGM), 8.63, 3, Peter Brown, N/S
Open Men’s Round of 64
Heat 1
Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 15.13, 1, Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 14.56, 2, Billy Gilbert (Whngrei), 8.6, 3, Mark Becker (Tara), 5.23, 4
Heat 2
Callum Chuter (Mnt), 13.27, 1, Cassidy Mann (Auck), 10.84, 2, Mike Banks (Rag), 10.54, 3, Cole Hareb (Tara), 6.7, 4
Heat 3
Luis Southerwood (Whaka), 1, Larry Fisher (Rag), 2, Ryan Hawker (Piha), 3, Cory Palmer (Tara), 4
Heat 4
Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 13.4, 1, Conor McLennan (Chch), 12.33, 2, Joshua Wallis (Rag), 7.26, 3, Luke Dymond (Mnt), 6.83, 4
Heat 5
Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 11.67, 1, Chris Malone (Gis), 9.64, 2, Sid West (Gt Barrier), 8.53, 3, Sonny Rapira-Martin (Tara), 3.8, 4
Heat 6
Zen Wallis (Piha), 12.4, 1, Zac Curle (Waihi Beach), 11.87, 2, Will Hardie (Piha), 7.37, 3, Geoff Hutchison (Rag), 7.2, 4
Heat 7
Ari D’Anvers (whngrei), 8.83, 1, Shane Kraus (Piha), 7.2, 2, Jack Luke (Tara), 6.36, 3, Jeremy Grainger (Tara), 6.33, 4
Heat 8
Daniel Farr (Tara), 14, 1, Dane Simpson (Gis), 12.77, 2, Navryn Malone (Rag), 10.36, 3, Phill Willoughby (Rag), 6.14, 4
Heat 9
Dune Kennings (Piha), 14.43, 1, Johnny Hicks (Gis), 11.36, 2, Jack Lee (Whaka), 10.83, 3, Nick Dunne (Tara), 8.1, 4
Heat 10
Luke Griffin (Mnt), 10.8, 1, Thomas Carter (Waihi Bch), 10.6, 2, Fraser Falconer (Auck), 10.36, 3, Valentin Gadras (Rag), 4.07, 4
Heat 11
Ricardo Christie (Mahia), 14.87, 1, Buck Woods (Gis), 13.27, 2, Luke Hughes (Rag), 13.1, 3, Kora Cooper (Rag), 7.37, 4
Heat 12
Sean Peggs (Tairua), 17.53, 1, Waretini Wano (Piha), 12.67, 2, Deane Hishon (Rag), 8, 3, Ollie Greetis (Rag), 7.03, 4
Heat 13
Jarred Hancox (Tara), 10.26, 1, Alex Dive (Mnt), 5.93, 2, Jason Ruddell (Whngri), 5.6, 3, Corban Grainger (Tara), 3.8, 4
Heat 14
Jay Piper – Healion (Whiti), 15.27, 1, Rian Boyd (Auck), 11, 2, Tana Clapham (Rag), 10.5, 3, Dawson Tamati (Tara), 9.1, 4
Heat 15
Paul Moretti (Nrthlnd), 16.1, 1, Tom Butland (Tara), 13.3, 2, Jack Hinton (Mnt), 12.47, 3, Bill Byers (Piha), 10.93, 4
Heat 16
Levi Stewart (Waihi Bch), 15.7, 1, Myka Black (Chch), 14.3, 2, Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 13.66, 3, Ebony Whitaker (Ohope), 4.53, 4
Open Men’s Division Round of 32
Heat 1
Conor McLennan (Chch), 15.9, 1, Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 15.8, 2, Larry Fisher (Rag), 15.2, 3, Callum Chuter (Mnt), 13.3, 4
Heat 2
Taylor Hutchison (Rag), 18.67, 1, Luis Southerwood (Whaka), 15.44, 2, Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 15.37, 3, Cassidy Mann (Auck), 11.83, 4
Heat 3
Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 16.1, 1, Zen Wallis (Piha), 13.47, 2, Shane Kraus (Piha), 11.27, 3, Dane Simpson (Gis), 10.24, 4
Heat 4
Chris Malone (Gis), 15.04, 1, Daniel Farr (Tara), 13.06, 2, Zac Curle (Waihi Beach), 12.3, 3, Ari D’Anvers (whngrei), 10.47, 4
Open Women’s Round of 32
Heat 1
Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara), 12.9, 1, Saffi Vette (Gis), 12.06, 2, Pia Rogers (WGM), 7.94, 3, Billie Scott (Whangarei), 4.6, 4
Heat 2
Gabrielle Paul (Piha), 15.8, 1, Anna Brock (Mnt), 14.97, 2, Leia Millar (Piha), 13.1, 3, Chloe Groube (Pau), 11.37, 4
Heat 3
Raiha Ensor (Mnt), 13.93, 1, Georgia Wederell (Mnt), 12.7, 2, Asia Braithwaite (Gis), 11.04, 3, Indi-Lee Ruddell (Whngerei), 5.24, 4
Heat 4
Paige Hareb (Tara), 16.77, 1, Zhana Hutchieson (Tara), 14.37, 2, Aimee Brown (GB), 13.67, 3, Alani Morse (Orewa), 6.93, 4
Heat 5
Ava Henderson (Chch), 15, 1, Ariana Shewry (Oakura), 14.75, 2, Maya Mateja (Rag), 9.37, 3, Sophia Brock (mnt), 7.32, 4
Heat 6
Liv Haysom (Piha), 14.47, 1, Brie Bennett (Rag), 14.43, 2, Ella Williams (Whmata), 12.97, 3, Lola Groube (Pau), 8.93, 4
2021 New Zealand Surf Series Schedule
Emerson’s South Island Championships, Dunedin – 2-4 April
Exit Surf Men’s Canterbury Championships, Christchurch (mobile) – 24-28 April
Backdoor Taranaki Pro, Taranaki – 1-2 May
Super 16, Piha 16th May
Complete event write-ups, results, surfer ratings and images from the event can be viewed at Surfing New Zealand.
Information
For more information on the Rip Curl Pro presented by Corona please contact Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz. Alternatively, please contact Rip Curl Marketing Manager Leon Parkin on 021386473 or email lparkin@ripcurl.co.nz.
Imagery
Web clips and newsfeeds will be distributed free of charge from the event. Please contact Ben Kennings for further details.
High-resolution images will be available to media upon request. Images will be distributed free of charge.
Follow Surfing New Zealand
Keep in touch with all the surfing info from around the country by following Surfing New Zealand’s social media networks – @SurfingNZ. The event hashtag is #RipCurlProRaglan
Event Hotline
The Surfing New Zealand event hotline is 0211134506. This will be updated daily at with venues, divisions contested and conditions.
Sponsors
Generous support from Rip Curl, Corona, and Surfing New Zealand has made this event possible.
Surfing New Zealand is proudly partnered by:
Sport NZ
Skinnies Sun Gel
SunSmart
Water Safety NZ
Ends
