Mike Clayton-Brown bowed out in semi-finals of the Great Lakes Pro on Friday to record his best result of 2023 on the qualifying series and boost his chances of making the Challenger Series.
The Corlette surfer beat Joel Vaughan 14.17 to 10.83 in quarter-finals of the 3000-point QS event at Boomerang Beach. He then took on Taj Stokes, who opened with an 8.0. Clayton-Brown (5.0 and 3.83) drew level but Stokes' third and final wave was a 6.83 (14.83 total), leaving him chasing a 9.83. He then earned only two two-point scores.
Clayton-Brown, though, gained 1825 points towards his 2022-23 Australia/Oceania ranking. A top seven finish secures a CS spot and he was eighth before the event. Mikey McDonagh and Nixie Ryan won the contests.
In the women's Great Lakes contest, Newcastle's Ellie Lambkin and Amelie Bourke were the Hunter's best, making the quarter-finals.
** World junior champion Jarvis Earle headlines this weekend's Lake Mac City Pro Junior at Redhead.
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