MARRAWAH/TASMANIA (Monday 21st April/2025): In two of the tightest fought Open Men’s and Women’s Finals in the event’s long history, Tasmanians Hamish Renwick and Ava Carlton have won the blue-ribbon divisions of the 50th Rip Curl West Coast Classic presented by Surfing Tasmania.
1976 Classic Winner Shannon Davey was on the beach over the easter long weekend, checking out all the action. He was joined by two-time winners Martin Keil and Matt Dayton. The later is the only surfer to ever win the Junior Men’s and Open Men’s titles in the same year.
ABOVE: 1976 Classic Winner Shannon Davey on Lighthouse Beach
Under two points separated first and fourth in the Open Men’s final, with locals Jy Johannesen and Renwick taking on super hot mainland talents Lennox Chell and Henry Dowling in overhead offshore waves at Lighthouse Beach, Marrawah.
Renwick, whose powerful rail game had seen him quietly progress through the draw, stepped it up another level when he added some searing vertical attack to said power game, resulting in a first ride score of 7.5 points on a bowling Loghthouse Beach left-hander. The big South Arm Boardrider backed it up with another good score of 7.17 points to pile the pressure on his competitors.
ABOVE: Hamish Renwick on his way to victory over the weekend
The two young mainland talents took a while to get going but did post excellent scores of 8 points(Chell) and 8.30 points (Dowling) to keep the pressure on Renwick and Johannesen (five-time winner). The latter also posted a 7.0 point ride early on to stick with Renwick the entire heat. In the end, consistency proved the key to success with Renwick’s pair of sevens winning by just .10 of a point over Chell in second.
ABOVE: Mainland talent Lennox Chell almost pulled off a huge win, just falling short to local legend Hamish Renwick
OPEN MEN’S FINAL
1st Hamish Renwick 14.67 points
2nd Lennox Chell 14.57 points
3rd Henry Dowling 14.53 points
4th Jy Johannesen 13.43 points
In the Open Women’s big dance, Ava Carlton came out of the blocks all guns blazing with a quick fire 6.17 and 7.0 point two wave combo to pile the pressure on Dara Penfold from the get go. It was a two-horse race after Penfold returned serve with a 6.40 point wave, hacking the face with a savage power carve. A second wave score never materialised for the former World Junior Champion, and it was Carlton basking in the biggest win of her young career.
ABOVE: Ava Carlton in the Open Women’s Final
OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL
1st Ava Carlton 13.17 points
2nd Dara Penfold 9.73 points
3rd Claire McBride 3.37 points
4th Sienna Lawrence 2.83 points
With 6500 National Junior Rankings Points on the line, the Under 16 and 18 divisions were stacked with local and mainland talent.
Sunshine Coast young gun Henry Dowling put on a clinic in the Under 18 Boys Final, posting nearly half a dozen excellent scores to win 18.40 points to 15.67 points(Mac Brindley), 9.10 points ( Riley Redman) and 6.73 points ( Charlie Gibson).
Local talent Poppy Woodberry posted the biggest win of her junior career, riding the winning wave with only seconds on the clock in the Under 18 Girls Final.
