Central Coast tyro Molly Picklum was glad she made a late decision to compete in the Mattara Surf Classic for the first time after she downed locals Sarah Baum, Philippa Anderson and Ellie Lambkin in the final on Sunday at South Bar Beach.
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Picklum, who scored a perfect 10 in her semi-final victory, edged out Baum 14.17 to 12.9. Anderson, after a fourth consecutive Mattara title, was third with 11.16 ahead of Lambkin (9.07).
After a slow start, Picklum earned scores of 6.43 and 6.6 to jump from last to first. Baum challenged late but Picklum finished with a 7.57 to improve her lead.
The 17-year-old was pleased for another chance to compete after surfing at the Tweed Coast Pro last month along with Anderson.
"I didn't have the best start but I kind of went for the under-priority fightback and I got two good scores up," Picklum said.
"Competing now is crucial, because there's not much of it. I entered this comp super late and then I looked at the draw the day it started and I was stoked there was some high seeds in it who would test me and my skills."
Sydney's Jordy Lawler won the men's title, dominating the final with a total of 16.67 ahead of Joel Vaughan (12.66), Lennox Chell (10.9) and Jackson Baker (9.06).
Craig Kerry
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
