Redman misses Classic title

Yallingup longboarder Justin Redman just missed out on top honours after a title battle in the final of the Whalebone Classic Trophy at the weekend.

Conditions held up for an exciting day of ASP Longboard Qualifying Series finals action at the Classic in Cottesloe, with 2ft-3ft clean peeler waves on offer at Iso’s Reef.

The men’s and women’s finals were an East Coast against West Coast match-up and the tally ended with one win a piece as WA’s Georgia Young won and New South Wales’ Heith Norrish took the men’s title.

Norrish defeated good friend Redman in a tight battle that finished with scores of 17.00 to 16.60.

Redman was the most consistent in the final, posting a pair of eight-point rides for an early and ominous lead.

In the dying minutes, Norrish executed technical nose rides to earn the single highest wave score of the event, a 9.25, to steal the win and move to number one on the ASP Australasia LQS rankings.

Norrish said he did not know he had won at first.

“Justin surfed really well and I thought he had actually won it, ” he said.

“They were great waves, so smooth and the judges really liked the more traditional style of surfing out there, which suited me.”

The women’s final was also a close encounter, with Cottesloe local Young claiming the win by one point over Erin Dark from NSW.

In similar circumstances to the men’s final, the lead changed in the final two minutes, when Young mixed nose rides and powerful turns to post a 7.60 and seal her fifth Whalebone Classic title.

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