Snapper Rocks Surfriders have stormed home late to win the Sailor Jerry Surftag QLD & Northern NSW Qualifier ahead of LeBa, Cabarita and Kirra at Cabarita Back Beach.

Trailing LeBa (Lennox Ballina) deep into the one-hour final Snapper Rocks fourth and fifth surfers Mitch Parkinson (25.83) and Jay Phillips (20.73) both scored in the excellent range to take Snapper's team total to 97.13, nine points clear of runners-up LeBa - 87.57.

Snapper Rocks new brigade of rippers Max Kearney (17.30), Dexter Muskens (16.27) and Reef Doig (17.00) kept Snapper in the hunt during the early stages of the final but when Mitch Parkinson posted a 7.83 and 9.00 point Powerwave, Snapper Rocks had mowed down a big lead held by LeBa courtesy of some big scores from Adam Melling (23.00) and Stu Kennedy (18.40). Snapper's fifth surfer Jay Phillips kept the big scores coming posting an 8.00 and 6.37 to secure the victory.

Snapper's victorious team (Photo Bernadette McAlinden)

Snapper Rock's Team Captain Jay Phillips said he is so happy to still be in the Snapper Rocks team which now includes the next generation of surfers coming thru the ranks, "I am stoked to be apart of such a great club and to be still representing the club alongside the younger guys who all surfed so good today", Phillips said. "The Leba team on paper looks unbeatable but we knew we just had to keep grinding away and Mitch really put us in a good position when he scored the 9 point Powerwave. We are really looking forward now to the Australian Championships in a few weeks at D'Bah which is a world-class wave".

LeBa were the team to beat going into the final after some big heat wins in Round 1 and the Semi Finals and for the majority of the decider held a comfortable lead.

LeBa won the Surftag Australian Championships six years ago in 2012 and Stu Kennedy is looking forward to competing at Duranbah in a few weeks, "We have a good team and this weekend we showed what we are capable of doing", Kennedy said. "It's great to be representing the club alongside a few new guys that are coming thru, we are really concentrating on growing the club and creating a strong competitive culture".

Stu Kennedy (Photo Bernadette McAlinden)

With the top six teams qualifying to the Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Championships, Snapper Rocks, LeBa, Cabarita and Kirra will be joined by D'Bah and Kingscliff at Duranbah Beach on 27th & 28th April.

In the Women's Division D'Bah Boardriders (65.27) peaked in the final to finish ahead of North End Boardriders (51.50) who had earlier in the day beaten D'Bah in Round 1.

The D’Bah team of Amiya Doyle, Brodie Doyle, Audrey Styman-Lane, Grace Styman-Lane and Freya Prumm had a slow start to the event and were almost knocked out of the competition in Heat 1 by Alley Boardriders who narrowly finished 0.3 behind the D’Bah team.

In the final Prumm was a standout for D'Bah scoring a 9.40 that was backed up by Audrey Styman-Lanes two-wave total of 15.53. D'Bah will now head into the Australian Championships looking to secure their fourth straight Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Title, a feat that has never been achieved in the seventeen-year history of Surftag.

Freya Prumm (Photo Bernadette McAlinden)

The top 24 Men’s teams and 10 Women’s teams will contest the Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Championships at Duranbah Beach, Tweed Heads on 27th & 28th April. Defending Men’s Australian Champions North Shelly Boardriders (Central Coast) will go into the Australian Championships as No.1 seeds after taking out the Newcastle Qualifier in January.

Results - 2018 Sailor Jerry Surftag Cabarita – Men

• 1st Snapper Rocks 97.13 Q
• 2nd LeBa 87.57 Q
• 3rd Cabarita 68.17 Q
• 4th Kirra 62.40 Q
• 5th D’Bah Q
• 6th Kingscliff Q
• 7th North End
• 8th Burleigh
• 9th Alley
• 10th Palm Beach
• 11th Noosa
• 12th D’Bots D’Bah

Best Powerwave – Connor Lyons (Noosa)  – 9.93

Results - 2018 Sailor Jerry Surftag Cabarita – Women

• 1st D’Bah 65.27 Q
• 2nd North End 51.50   Q
• 3rd Alley

Best Powerwave – Sayaka Muramatsu (North End) – 8.33

2018 Sailor Jerry Surftag Australian Series

• 13 January – Newcastle (Area - Umina to Port Macquarie)
• 20 January – Northern Beaches (Area – Northern Beaches, Sydney)
• 17 March – VIC & SA (Area – Victoria & South Australia)
• 24 & 25 March – Cronulla (Area – Bondi to Ulladulla)
• 14 & 15 April – QLD & Northern NSW (Area – Coffs Harbour to Noosa)
• 27 & 28 April – Australian Championships – Duranbah Beach, Tweed Heads

(Includes Trials for TAS & WA Clubs)

Follow Sailor Jerry Surftag at:

https://www.facebook.com/sailorjerrysurftag
Instagram - @sailorjerrysurftag

For more info on Sailor Jerry, please go to:

https://sailorjerry.com/en

https://sailorjerry.com/en/norman-collins/hori-smoky

https://www.facebook.com/SailorJerryAus

https://www.instagram.com/sailorjerryaus