In a closely fought surfing battle in the half-hour, four-woman heat, 15-year-old Sarah Mason was also up against her 20-year old sister Arini in the final at New Plymouth’s Back Beach this afternoon.
Sarah returned from the Gold Coast with her sister especially for the event, and says she’s really happy to have the opportunity to go into the Dream Tour event and compete against the world’s best.
“I’m working towards competing on the ASP circuit and will be competing in the ASP Under 21 Pro Junior event.”
Competing against the Mason sisters in the final were Wini Paul and Laurie Rishworth. They competed in ideal three foot waves, with light offshores and clear skies, says Festival Director Craig Williamson.
“The judges and the surf-mad Taranaki crowd were really impressed with the level of the surfing throughout the day,” says Mr. Williamson.
“During the final half-hour heat, the scores came down to a really close battle between the two sisters. But Sarah surfed well all day earning the highest score during the day – and the highest scoring wave in the final.”
Sarah Mason now goes through as 18th, and the wild card entry on the Taranaki leg of the ASP Women’s “Dream Tour” series. Competing alongside Taranaki’s own Paige Hareb, this will mean that for the first time in New Zealand surfing history, two Kiwis will be competing and the ASP circuit.
Conditions permitting, tomorrow (Monday, April 11) will see the start of the ASP’s Dream Tour event and Under 21 Pro Junior.
Also to be concluded in the coming days are the other divisions within the New Zealand Women’s Open. These events include the final of the Under 16 division, the semi-finals and finals of the Under 14 division, as well as the Senior and Longboard divisions.
ends
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.surfingtaranaki.org
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