KIWI SURFER WINS
Posted on Thursday, April 15, 2010 by Shem Banbury
Mason and compatriot Paige Hareb both advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will meet, but it was the last-gasp performance of Mason that drew hoots and screams from a sizeable crowd at New Plymouth's Fitzroy Beach.
Needing a score of 6.56 on her final wave with two minutes remaining to catch three-time world champion Gilmore, tour debutant Mason managed 7.10 off a long ride that included two inside moves and finished with a sharp hook where she did well to remain on the board.
That pushed Mason's total to 14.03, pipping Gilmore's 13.66 and recording one of the biggest imaginable boilovers on the Dream Tour.
Mason received a wildcard invitation on the eve of the event and finished a fighting last in her first round heat on Tuesday.
She survived the subsequent elimination round to advance to Thursday's third round where few gave her a chance against Gilmore.
Quality waves deserted her until the final six minutes of the 30min heat, where she recorded her two scoring rides.
Gilmore did all her scoring early in the inconsistent 1-1.5m waves.
Hareb was less stressed in beating Australian Rebecca Woods, scoring 13.83 to 8.07 in a heat which the Taranaki local always led.
It sets up a home town quarterfinal featuring Hareb, in her second year on the Dream Tour, against national champion Mason, who grew up in Taranaki but is now based in Queensland.
Other early third-round winners on Thursday were Hawaii pair Carissa Moore and Melanie Bartels, with Moore winning with a particularly impressive score of 17.00.
Earlier, organisers were happy to move the event's location to the No.1 beach at Fitzroy after being forced to use an isolated location south of New Plymouth for the first two rounds. Competition on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday was postponed because of inadequate conditions.
The event is scheduled to finish on Friday.
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