The happy lads from Trigg Point Boardriders club celebrate with the Beam girls.

Gas Bay, Margaret River – Trigg Point Boardriders have become the first Perth based team to win the WA Jim Beam Surftag Title in ten years. In chunky 1.5m wind swept waves the Trigg team (88.89) came from behind in the one hour final to finish ahead of Margaret River A (72.29), Margaret River B (62.35) and Geraldton (51.5)

After each teams first surfer Trigg sat in fourth position with Darcy Maynard scoring 11.83. Next up for Trigg was WQS campaigner Luke Campbell who scored 22.46 and after Marc Lee’s 23.5 the Trigg team had taken the lead. With time running out it was Trigg’s Captain Mick Jardine who extended the lead posting 19.9 with fifth surfer Mitch Taylor adding 11.2.

Luke Campbell took time off the WQS to smash out a big score for eventual winners Trigg Point.

Mick Jardine said “It was tough to compete against Margaret River on their turf. The key to our success was just a consistent performance all day. We were all in good form and were lucky to have it roll on throughout the day”

Margaret River’s A team looked the team to beat during the early rounds winning their Heat and Semi Final but in the Final they ran out of time with fifth surfer Dave Delroy-Carr only having time to catch one wave. Brett Hardy (15.59), Matt Baldock (25.6), Tom Innes (11.73) and Jethro Headstrom (16.37) had all scored well but had taken too long to catch their three waves.

Judges loved the buckets from this up and over from Matt Baldock.

Geraldton started the final strong but costly fall off’s to Ben McDonald (7.7) midway thru the final saw them drop out of contention and missing out on a spot at the Australian Championships.

Trigg Point Boardriders are also the first Perth based team to qualify to the Jim Beam Surftag Australian Championships being held on the East Coast in February. With the top three teams qualifying from WA Margaret River’s A and B teams are still alive in the series.

The standout surfer of the event was Margaret River’s Matt Baldock who scored 28.69 in heat 1, 22.86 in Semi 1 and 25.6 in the final. Baldock’s 28.69 was the highest score of the event winning him a 7 day boat trip to the Maldives courtesy of the Perfect Wave Surf Experience.

Baldock narrowly beat teammate Brett Hardy (28.17) to win the boat trip with Hardy winning $200 for the best Powerwave of the event, 8.5 in heat 1.

WA Jim Beam Surftag Results

1^st Trigg Point 88.89                        $1500

2^nd Margaret River A 72.29            $700

3^rd Margaret River B 62.35            $600

4^th Geraldton 51.5                        $500

5^th Cottesloe

6^th City Beach

7^th Contacio

Bringing a bit of old school Panache to proceedings with this layback was Ben McDonald from Geraldton.

The 2012 Jim Beam Surftag Australian Series next stop is Gunnamatta in Victoria being held on Saturday 3^rd December. Torquay Boardriders are the defending champions with South Australian Clubs Seaview Road, Seaford and South Coast joining 13^th Beach, Phillip Island and Peninsula in the draw.