Locals shine on Day 2 of Rip Curl GromSearch at Phillip Island
Phillip Island's Angus Kennedy is into the quarter-finals and Sandy Point's Lillian Bassed is through to round 2 at Cape Woolamai.
TWO local surfers have put themselves in contention at the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, with the national junior event wrapping its second day of competition at Cape Woolamai on Wednesday.
Phillip Island’s Angus Kennedy booked a spot in the quarter-finals after winning his round 2 heat with two 7-point rides, while Sandy Point’s Lillian Bassed advanced to round 2 of the under-18 girls with a pair of 5-point rides.
“It was really fun out there, the waves kind of turned on and it’s been pumping the last two days,” Kennedy said.
“It’s so good having such a high level of surfing on the waves I surf every day; it’s pretty inspiring to watch.”
Bassed used her local knowledge to squeeze through the under-18 girls and keep alive her goal of taking out the competition.
“It’s definitely great surfing with the girls from the other states because they’re all very good and it makes me surf my best; I can’t surf safe,” she said.
“It’s been a great time on the island. The banks have all been really good, and the weather’s been pretty solid for the most part, too.”
Day 2 delivered waves in the 3ft range and an all-day offshore breeze, with many competitors posting big heat totals.
Defending champion Locana “Loci” Cullen, from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, posted 18.53 in his under-16 boys round 2 heat, while Lachlan Arghyros, of Casuarina in NSW, won his under-18 boys heat with a 7.83 in the dying minutes.
“At that point in the heat I hadn’t had a wave, but I ended up finding a steep little pocket further to the right, so it hugged the bank better,” Arghyros said.
“Phillip Island is probably one of my favourite places to come, good waves and cold weather, which is not a bad change from back home.”
The event opened at Cape Woolamai on Tuesday in clean 3ft waves, with Cullen setting the standard with a perfect 10 for a full 360-degree aerial on his way to a 19.43 heat total in the under-16 boys.
“We’re back down here at Phillip Island, won it last year,” Cullen said on Tuesday.
“Waves are cooking right now, perfect right-hand rip bowls as usual.”
Sunshine Coast surfer Kai Coleman won his first under-16 boys heat with a total of 12, Snapper Rocks surfer Maddison Kenchington posted 5.00 and 6.07 in the under-16 girls and Mornington Peninsula surfer Raff Morris won his under-14 boys heat with multiple 6-plus rides.
Organisers expect another full day of competition, but a wind change and storm later in the week could make the back end of the waiting period more challenging.
The event, presented by Bass Coast Shire, is the final 10,000-point event on the GromSearch calendar, with results counting towards qualification for the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final at URBNSURF.
