2024 Cronulla Surfing Titles

by: John Veage

The first Cronulla Surfing Titles were held in the early 1960s by the original Cronulla Boardriders Club – they were the only club on the beach at the time and surfing was a new competitive sport in this country before Manly hosted the inaugural 1964 World Surfing Titles.

The Sutherland Shire was first represented as a region by the Cronulla Boardriders Association which formed around 1970 with surfboard shaper and NSW champion Denny Childs winning the Cronulla title.

In the late 70s the name was changed to the Sutherland Shire Surfing Association and later still Surfing Sutherland Shire who now annually runs the Ocean and Earth juniors surfing titles and the Cronulla Open Surfing Titles.

Last year unassuming goofy foot Harrison Martin from Sandshoes won the battle of the Sutherland Shire boardriding clubs but this year the contest was won by Elouera’s Ben Dewhurst over Cronulla Sharks 16 yr old ripper Kash Brown.
This year the event was held at Elouera Beach in fun 2-3ft left and right handers which gave everyone an equal chance.

Brown’s Cronulla clubmate Grace Gosby made it back to back titles in the Open Women’s and Soren Smith also caused Kash some pain in the u18 final with a hard fought win.
Matt Mulder took the men’s Malibu title and Phoebe Hick kept her women’s Malibu crown.
NSW state title seeding saw Sonny Leong win the u12 boys and Zara Hyland and Phoenix Black the U14s.

Halon Tanko and Mia Martin took the u16s and Smith and Gosby the U18s.

Photo: Cronulla Open Men’s Champion Ben Dewhurst (yellow) holds the 110 year old Paddy McCue Cronulla Titles trophy. Picture John Veage