Nathan Tayler surfed his way to a scintillating victory in the premier U16 boys division at last weekend’s Rip Curl GromSearch in Durban.

He was joined on the winner’s podium by Marcello Zedde (U14 boys), Coco Clark (U14 girls) and Ella van der Made (U12 girls), ensuring that North Coast surfers claimed half of the gold medals on offer.

The event was the final competitive outing before junior surfing moves north for the Rookie Rippers section of the Ballito Pro, set for June 22-24. Local youngsters will be eager to capitalise on home conditions.

The Durban GromSearch was the third of five elevated competitions on the South African junior surfing calendar, with the U16 boys and girls division winners earning the prestigious ‘premier’ titles.

Tayler looked at ease throughout the contest, qualifying in first place through his heat, quarter-final and semi-final.

The final was not smooth sailing and he trailed Strand’s Loghann Tilsley for most of the heat. But when it mattered, Tayler delivered, landing a big aerial manoeuvre that scored 7.67 and secured him the title. He also finished third in the U18 boys division.

Marcello Zedde clinched the U14 boys final, edging out the field by just over a point. The heat also featured iLembe surfers Tyler Balfour (third) and Sean Tayler (fourth).

In the U14 girls final, Coco Clark stayed composed in challenging conditions, scoring a combined 9.50 to finish ahead of teammates Ella van der Made (second) and Lila Prinsloo (fourth).

Van der Made went one better in the U12 girls division, edging out St Francis Bay’s Summer Harding by just 0.26 points in a nail-biting finish. Prinsloo added another fourth-place result.

Meanwhile, iLembe surfers featured in five other finals. Max Kauffman placed second in the U16 girls and fourth in the U18 girls divisions, while Keira Fletcher (third, U18 girls), Jackson Myers (third, U12 boys), and Johnjon Clark (fourth, U12 boys) capped off a strong local performance.

Find full results at liveheats.com.

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