Mike Clayton-Brown has kicked off his 2020 surfing campaign in the best possible way - by winning a national title.
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The 16 year old from Corlette said he was "so amped to kick off the year with a win" after edging out Marlon Harrison in the Rip Curl GromSearch under-16 boys national final in Wollongong on Thursday.
Surfing NSW said Clayton-Brown and Harrison, from Coolangatta, went "toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow" in the "exciting final" at Woonona Beach.
Both surfers traded off a bunch of decent scores in Thursday's national series final but Clayton-Brown was able to gain the upper hand thanks to a handful of scores in the high seven-point range. The Port Stephens natural-footer finished with a 15.63 total over Harrison's 13.44.
Harrison rampaged his way through the quarter and semi-finals. The Gold Coast natural-footer finished his semi-final against Archer Curtis with a 16.17 two-wave heat total while Clayton-Brown took out the opposing semi-final against Touma Cameron with a 12.93 two-wave heat total.
With the national title under his belt, Clayton-Brown has cemented his position in the Rip Curl GromSearch international final which will be held at Bells Beach, Victoria, in conjunction with the 2020 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
Clayton-Brown won a GromSearch national title in 2017 in the under-14 boys division.
