AFTER a decade of trying, Elouera surfer Glen Pringle thought his chances of winning Cronulla's Northies Alley Masters were long behind him.
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Pringle, who won the over-40 Australian title last month, was also the oldest competitor to ever take the title in a contest that has been running for 26 years.
In a contest dominated by young guns, the wild two-metre seas and onshore winds at The Alley played into the experienced surfer's hands when he managed to string several manoeuvres together for the highest-scoring wave in the final.
This led to a tie with young goofy-footer Chris Robbo, who attempted the biggest aerial manoeuvre possible, only to fall on the landing — handing the win to Pringle who accepted the winner's blue jacket from past winner Andy King.
The Northies Alley Masters was the final contest in the annual Triple Crown series. Points accumulated over the Cronulla eliminations, Elouera Carve "Dunny Bowl" and the Masters culminate in the most consistent surfer being awarded the Pat McCabe perpetual trophy.
Cronulla surfer Dylan Hayllar won the Elouera Carve contest that just pushed him past young upcoming star Jared Hickel for the overall victory after falling in the semis in the Cronulla run Alley Masters.
In a dramatic finish, Hickel had to only finish one position higher in the Masters final to overtake the acrobatic Hayllar but could not string enough turns together to win.
The star of the younger divisions was Cronulla's Jay Brown who won the under-13s and under-16s ahead of the national titles in Western Australia next month.