Local surfers perform well @ National Surf Champs

Ben Poulter stole the show in the Under 18 Boys Division at the Hyundai National Surfing Championships at St Clair Beach on Sunday.
Poulter fired out some mid range scores in the last five minutes of the heat. Requiring an excellent score in the dying stages of the final, Poulter blasted several big backhand turns to score an 8.5 point ride and claim the victory. .
Daniel Kereopa was flawless in his pursuit for a second straight win in the Stand Up Paddleboard Division of the 2011 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour. He eased to victory surfing ‘The Point’ at St Clair Beach. The win gives Kereopa a massive lead on the ratings but more importantly his first national title on Stand Up Paddle Board, a new division contested for the first time in 2010. The title is Kereopa’s sixth and will go alongside 2x Under 18 Boys Division, 1x Open Men’s Division, 1x Longboard Division and 1x Over 28 Men’s Division titles.
Kereopa also placed fifth in the Longboard Division and now sits in fifth on the Hyundai Pro Longboard ratings after two semifinals finishes at the first two events. The next event for both disciplines is at Sandy Bay from the 4th — 6th of February.
Current SOL Surf Series ratings leader Jessica Santorik (Rag) had to settle for third in the Open Women’s Division. The national title eludes Santorik for the sixth straight year despite her complete dominance of the Women’s Division which includes winning five of the last seven events contested.
Other Raglan surfers to also show exceptional form at the Hyundai National Championships included Leon Santorik and Luke Hughes who were both eliminated from the Open Men’s Division in tight quarterfinal match ups.
The next event on the SOL Surf Series is the Billabong Pro presented by Sony to be held at Whangamata on the 29th — 31st January.
The Hyundai National Surfing Championships are the second of six events on the 2010/11 SOL Series.