Big guns ready to fire in shot at Flat Rocks glory

Big names and big waves will come out tomorrow when the Geraldton Board Riders start their main annual event in what might be Australia’s longest-running amateur surf contest. The two-day Warren Taylor Homes Sunshine Surf Masters, dedicated to the memory of local surfer Ian “Sam” Salmond, is at Flat Rocks this weekend. South West legend Paul “Antman” Paterson — a big-wave winner for a 15m paddle wave in 2001 and two-time runner-up in the In Memory of Eddie Aikau event, held in giant surf at Hawaii’s Waimea Bay — is here. Board Riders president Nic Chadbourne said the event may be the longest-running amateur contest in the country. The contest at Bells Beach, Victoria did not run this year. “With $10,000 in cash and prizes, it’s also probably one of the richest,” Chadbourne said. “Open men’s and women’s (winners) get berths into the Margaret River Pro trials. “If they get through that, they get on the main stage if and when the World Surf League starts again. “It attracts the who’s who of surfing in WA.” Former Australian champion and Metro Boardriders president Brett Hardy will also be making the trip north. Originally from Margaret River, Hardy said he was “pumped”. There will be strong local representation, with reigning champion Max Marsden seeking to defend his open division title and Australian under-18 champion Coral Durant heading south from the Gascoyne. He said he was happy the club had managed to attract enough sponsorship to be “about where we are usually” for the event, which is its main fundraiser. The event includes open divisions, and divisions for cadets and juniors through to over-60s.