(Phillip Island, VIC – Sunday February 19, 2012): Jan Juc surfer Grayme Galbraith has dominated at the Victorian Masters Titles in testing conditions at Woolamai Beach.
Galbraith mastered the small and inconsistent conditions, to take victory in both the over 50 and over 55 divisions.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Galbraith, he was forced to take a come from behind victory from fellow Surfcoast surfer Rowan Sapwell in the dying seconds of the over 50’s.
Sapwell had amassed a two wave total of 8.17 (out of a possible 20) and looked to have the final sewn up, before Galbraith snuck into a long inside right handed breaking wave, executing a series of critical top turns and cutbacks to score a 7.83 (out of a possible 10).
Third place went to Martin Rennhackkamp (Brighton) and Garry Burns (Point Cook).
Galbraith took his confidence from the Over 50’s win into the Over 55 division ahead of Wayne Roach (Torquay), Alan Bounds (Red Hill South) and Dave Fincher (Cowes).
“I really enjoy competing at Phillip Island, it brings back great memories for me” said Galbraith at the completion of the event.
“I am 56 now and have been competing here since I was 19. I have won a Victorian Open Title and an Australian Over 28 Title at this very beach”
“The swell didn’t pick up as much as we had initially thought, but there was still some high performance waves out there”.
Another hotly contested division was the Over 35 Women’s. In the end Melissa Dart-Harrison (Mt. Eliza) took victory ahead of Michelle Fincher (Cape Woolamai).
Fincher started strongly with a 5.17 scoring ride, but was unable to surpass Dart Harrison’s two wave total of 10.84.
The youngest men’s component of the Master’s titles was the over 35 division. Peter Watts’ (Mornington) performance in this division was as agile of a man half his age, taking victory ahead of Adrian Maier (Cape Woolamai) and Mark Walker (Seaford).
Watts also walked away victorious in the Over 40’s. Cameron Goldsbury (Cowes) finished in second position ahead of Adam Ferrari (Torquay), Andrew Dell (St Andrews Beach) and Pete Smith (Torquay).
The most intensely fought division was by far the over 45 Men’s, with several incidences of competitors pushing the boundaries of the rule book.
Dave Matthews (Jan Juc) emerged from the chaos as the eventual winner, marginally ahead of Ray McIntosh (Jan Juc).
Third place went to David Thompson (Cape Woolamai) and fourth to Jeff Horoch (Bells Beach).
The Victorian Masters Titles is Presented by VB and Supported by Surfing Victoria.
