Alley Masters

The 36th annual Northies Alley Masters surfing contest was won by 18 yr old Jake Brown as he snatched the coveted blue jacket and shark jaws trophy from experienced campaigners Hayden Blair and Reece Hunt in perfect 6ft North Cronulla waves.

Much improved Tate Browning and Matt Gall finished in front of defending champ and three-time-champion Jay Brown.

Blair caught an eight-point ride seconds into the event and waited 20 minutes for a big back-up wave score, which he didn’t catch. Meanwhile, Elouera, goofy Hunt, who set the standard all day, caught the highest-scoring wave but didn’t catch a second wave.

Brown said he was stoked to take the win.

Ian Spencer took the Masters crown over Fletch Haylar and Bevan Gosby, and daughter Grace went back-to-back in the Women’s Masters, just defeating aspiring junior champs Zara Highland and Jasmine Gosby.

The 13s and 10 were called off because of the extreme conditions and the U16s was won by Ben Auchterlonie over Elijah Haylar who caught a winning score that wasn’t countered seconds after the hooter blew.

There was a special visit by two-time winners Richard ‘Dog’ Marsh and Simon Taylor, Marsh flying in from Olympic coaching duties in Tahiti, looking after Connor O’Leary in his unsuccessful Japanese medal bid.

Former World Tour surfer Marsh said it was good to see such solid club surfing still going on in Cronulla.

Surfing Australia’s Chief of Sport Luke Madden also made an appearance to check up on the club where he started as a junior.

Whilst the Olympic surfing in Tahiti was making all the international headlines, local Surfing Sutherland Shire competitors had their own statements to make surfing in Cronulla’s longest-running boardriding contest.

Held in some serious waves at the North Cronulla Alley which has been stripped of sand following a week of huge seas Jake Brown now joins former high-profile professional winners Occhilupo, Marsh, Flintoff and Pro-Am victors Glenn Pringle, Andy King, Matt Griggs, Adam Brown, Jared Hickel and reigning Cronulla Club Champion Jay Brown amongst others whose names are on the famous shark shield.

First won by World Qualifying circuit surfer Adam Brown in 1989 the contest was held in front of club patron Joe Santa-Maria’s Milkbar on the famous Alley left.

This year also saw the 22nd woman crowned Queen of the Alley and it was the current U16 NSW champion Grace Gosby who took the win, going back to back in the big wave event.

Sponsored by Northies Hotel who used to supply a keg back in the day, for the last decade the event is now celebrated in the Old Joes Bar- after the surfing.