Hunter surfer Mike Clayton-Brown narrowly missed out on winning back-to-back state titles at the NSW Junior Shortboard Titles in Coffs Harbour last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Clayton-Brown finished runner up by a margin score of 0.87 in what was an impressive under-18 boys final despite the slow, but decent one-foot waves on offer.
His sister, Elle, was in the final of the under-18 girls and finished fourth.
After making the four-surfer finals, the Corlette-based siblings have both qualified for the Australian Junior Titles in Western Australia at the end of the year.
The NSW School Surfing Titles were held as part of the last two days of competition at the state titles in Coffs Harbour, with Mike Clayton-Brown finishing second in the under-19 boys.
Newcastle's Madison Poole finished third in the under-19 girls.
St. Francis Xavier College picked up the under-19 girls MR Shield.
CRICKETERS' TRIP OF A LIFETIME
FIVE hunter cricketers have returned from the trip of a lifetime touring the United Kingdom.
Isaac Barry, Eden Brichta, Callum Rainger, Zane Pearce and Nathan Hillier were part of the NSW Combined High Schools under-19 cricket team that spent a month playing against various domestic sides.
The boys played 11 matches, recording an impressive eight victories.
Two of the defeats went down to the wire and could have gone either way, including a last-ball loss in a T20 game.
Amazingly, not a ball was lost to weather during the tour with no sign of pitch covers the entire trip.
The Newcastle contingent, Eden Brichta (Wests), Zane Pearce (Belmont) and Nathan Hillier (Cardiff-Boolaroo), all contributed well in the field and in their individual strengths.
Brichta picked up the player of the tour award for notching two centuries and another score of 91.
Pearce enjoyed a match-winning four wickets in the final T20 match against Hampshire.
Hillier led the side's attack and worked well with the younger fast bowlers.
He shouldered the responsibility of bowling in the opening power-play and again in the final overs.
He picked up a coaches' award for his positive attitude throughout the tour.
State sides to be announced
Six Newcastle girls are in contention for selection in the NSW under-13 hockey side after trials at Port Macquarie at the weekend.
Maliah Abell, Hannah Baxter, Hannah Hewat, Tahne Hodson, Matilda Woolnough and Lucy Wilson were chosen in a squad after the state championships in Parkes, where Newcastle finished third, a fortnight ago.
Two state sides will be named on Tuesday.