The 25th Jesus Pro Am at Manly had great waves , good weather and even better it came down to two locals who would fight it out for victory . Yes the Open Men’s Division was outstanding and it came down to QBC verse NSB Nick Riley Vs Dustin Atkinson.
With the Men’s final replicating a local inter-club heat, Queenscliff Boardriders Club member Riley, faced the in-form Atkinson from the North Steyne Boardriders Club.
In excellent 1m surf at Queenscliff Beach, both Riley and Atkinson displayed great early round form, with each progressing undefeated to the man-on-man 20-minute final.
Dustin was the standout of the field and he showed that he has the skill to match any pro in this country. It would be great to see him test himself more often but like a lot of great surfers with no sponsors its a tough ask. His radical attack took a lot of people by surprise and he did fly under the radar a bit. His boards looked awesome and his ability to sniff out great waves was impressive.
The highlight was his perfect 10 point ride, the only one of the event which came in round 3. He unleashed a series of massive controlled turns in the pockets before throwing buckets on what was a heavy closeout section.
The final wasn’t the greatest with long waited between sets but when they did come both guys really unleashed. Riley got off to a lead but after the form he showed leading into the final you always knew Dustin would challenge and he did mount late charge netting a strong 7.20 scoring ride after holding priority through an extended lull in waves, but in the end time ran out for the natural footer.
Riley was extremely pleased with his win in what was his first contest after sustaining a severed tendon in his foot which forced him out of the water for 3 months.
“I’m absolutely stoked”, exclaimed Riley, “To come back from injury with a win, especially here at home and against my good mate Dustin, is great”“The win is a huge confidence booster for me and will set up the rest of my year competitively”.
For his win, Riley took home $1000 cash and a trip to Samoa courtesy of Line Up Surf Travel.
It sucked big time that Dustin got a, shitty little prize pack for 2nd. How they worked that one out in beyond me. It really was very poor that a surfer can get through 6 heats and come away with a one hundred dollar prize pack, while the winner collected $1000 and trip worth another 4 grand.