<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An early relocation to the estuary beach was required after the day dawned to solid 2.0m plus waves on the main beach which would have proven difficult for most competitors. The southern end of Whangamata offered up small waves around the 1.0m mark with onshore winds and sunny skies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Griffin won his final posting a 15.7 point heat total in a tight contest over Jack Lee (Whaka). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It’s been five years, it’s taken its time since my last win that’s for sure” said the small young surfer who put the win down to riding the right equipment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I ride my brother’s boards and he has finally hit the mark and this board is working for me and I think that was the difference today” he added. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It was also about getting consistent in my heats instead of making a semi or a final and missing out. I was just trying to get the good waves and get the good scores and it worked”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jack Lee had to settle for back-to-back runner up finishes this weekend despite finishing with a 14.9 point heat total but managing to relegate Luis Southerwood (Whaka) into third place and current ratings leader Caleb Cutmore (Rag) into fourth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A recent return from South Africa has seen Kai Woolf return to the winners podium in New Zealand. After residing in South Africa for the past three years, Woolf has returned for her last year of school and is attending Raglan Surfing Academy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Very happy with the win, it is my first comp travelling with the surf academy so there was heaps of support this weekend” said Woolf. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I have enjoyed being back in NZ. Deane and Larry gave me so much support through the event this weekend. They said go out there and do what you do and gave me the confidence to do that. There was a bunch of opportunities out there which made it easy” she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Woolf defeated Estella Hungerford (Chch) in the final, Hungerford finishing with a 10.0 point heat total ahead of Gabrielle Paul (Piha) in third and Baylin Klein Ovink (Auck) in fourth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Raglan’s Jayden Willoughby claimed his first win in the Under 16 Boys Division after being the form surfer all weekend. Willoughby posted a 15.3 point heat total which included an 8.43 point ride in the final. Current rankings leader Tom Butland (Tara) racked up another runner up finish in the final with Kora Cooper (Rag) finishing in third and Tom Robinson (Whngrei) finishing in fourth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ava Henderson (Chch) continued her ascent up the rankings. After a fourth place finish at the National Championships and a runner up finish at the first event of the series, she has now claimed a win in the Under 16 Girls Division. The 13-year-old Christchurch surfer finished with a 13.5 point heat total for a comfortable win over Alice Westerkamp (Auck), Brie Bennett (Rag) and Liv Haysom (Piha) who finished second through fourth respectively.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ryder Pennington (Tara) claimed another big win of the day with a 15.1 point heat total in the final of the Under 14 Boys Division. It was Pennington’s first win of the New Zealand Grom Series after winning the Primary School Champs in 2018. Pennington defeated Bill Byers (Piha) and Navryn Malone (Rag) and Tai Erceg – Gray (Whangarei).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mount Maunganui’s Brock sisters dominated the Under 14 Girls Division finishing one-two in the final, older sister Anna getting the nod over Sophia. Gisborne’s Asia Braithwaite finished in third with Amanda Gouldsbury (Tara) in fourth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please see below for final results from the second event of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge completed at Whangamata today (Sunday 10th February 2019).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 18 Boys Division Semifinals</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 12.3, 1, Luis Southwood (Whaka), 7.9, 2, Hunter Petersen (Tara), 7.6, 3, James Scott (Whangapoua), 4.67, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luke Griffin (Mnt), 16.2, 1, Jack Lee (Whaka), 12.1, 2, Alex O'Dwyer (Whaka), 9.87, 3, Ethan Kelland (Auck), 6.44, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 18 Boys Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luke Griffin (Mnt), 15.7, 1, Jack Lee (Whaka), 14.9, 2, Luis Southwood (Whaka), 11.2, 3, Caleb Cutmore (Ham), 9.07, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 16 Boys Division Semifinals</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tom Butland (Tara), 12.8, 1, Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 12.34, 2, Jack Hinton (Mnt), 11.67, 3, Jacob Buckle (Whngrei), 8, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kora Cooper (Rag), 14.1, 1, Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 12.03, 2, Josef Jungwirth (Rag), 8.57, 3, Harper McBride (Mnt), 7.1, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 16 Boys Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jayden Willoughby (Rag), 15.13, 1, Tom Butland (Tara), 11.77, 2, Kora Cooper (Rag), 11.2, 3, Tom Robinson (Whngrei), 10.03, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 14 Boys Division Semifinals</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 1</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ryder Pennington (Tara), 10.23, 1, Navryn Malone (Rag), 9.5, 2, Cooper Roberts (Mnt), 8.4, 3, Mathias Thompson (Piha), 8.13, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Heat 2</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tai Erceg-Gray (Whngrei), 13.24, 1, Bill Byers (Piha), 10.73, 2, Kalani Louis (Tara), 9.87, 3, Daniel Cox (WGM), 4.7, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 14 Boys Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ryder Pennington (Tara), 15.1, 1, Bill Byers (Piha), 11.5, 2, Navryn Malone (Rag), 10.6, 3, Tai Erceg-Gray (Whngrei), 8.3, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 18 Girls Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kai Woolf (Rag), 13.0, 1, Estella Hungerford (Chch), 10.0, 2, Gabrielle Paul (Auck), 3.9, 3, Baylin Klein Ovink (Auck), 3.16, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 16 Girls Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ava Henderson (Chch), 13.5, 1, Alice Westerkamp (Auck), 8.87, 2, Brie Bennett (Rag), 8.44, 3, Liv Haysom (Piha), 4.56, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Under 14 Girls Division Final</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anna Brock (Mnt), 9.17, 1, Sophia Brock (Mnt), 6.64, 2, Asia Braithwaite (Gis), 5.4, 3, Amanda Gouldsbury (Tara), 4.04, 4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 2019 edition of the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge is split into three divisions for boys and girls ranging from Under 14 through to Under 18 in two year increments.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the fourteenth year that Billabong has sponsored the series in partnership with Oceanbridge who have been a proud long-time supporter of surfing in New Zealand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Entry into the final Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge event can be completed <strong><em><a href="http://www.surfingnz.co.nz/event-enter-calendar/" target="_blank">here</a></em></strong>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Event 3, 23 – 24 February, Piha Beach, Auckland</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Further Information</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For further information on the 2019 Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge please contact Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Event Hotline</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Surfing New Zealand event hotline is 0211134506. This will be updated daily at approximately 7am with venue, divisions contested and conditions for the day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Partners</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Generous support from Billabong, presenting sponsors Oceanbridge, Kustom, Da Kine, Von Zipper and Amazon Surf has made this series possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to Whangamata Boardriders for hosting the event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Follow the event</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Follow the action via social media @billabong on Instagram and @surfingnz across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Follow the series hashtag - #BillabongGromSeries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Surfing New Zealand is proudly partnered by:</em></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sport NZ</div><div style="text-align: justify;">SunSmart</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Water Safety NZ</div>