"Peterson Best on Big Waves," The Age, April 24, 1973

Michael Petersen, of Queensland, rode the big waves at Bells Beach brilliantly yesterday to win the Easter surf riding contest.

Last year Petersen won the Australian title in four-foot surf. Yesterday's was his first win on big waves. He narrowly defeated Tony Hardwick and Simon Anderson of NSW. A feature of Petersen's riding was his consistency and good combination surfing maneuvers.

Midget Farrelly, who led after the second round, dropped hack to finish in fifth place.

The president of ASA, Stan Couper, said Farrelly had suffered a virus overnight and was not at his top.

Ted Spencer surfed very aggressively to finish fourth, and also won an award for the best tube ride.

Kim Thompson, 21, of South Australia, competed In the final round with two broken ribs and a gashed forehead. He suffered the injuries earlier In the day when he crashed into the rocks on the beach.

David Byrne, 17, of NWS, turned in an impressive performance to finish sixth, and later won the junior title.

All competitors agreed the contest—with a new judging system and $3,500 prize money—had been very successful.

Former Australian champion Peter Drouyn, of Queensland, who won the best noseride award, said it was probably the best contest Australia had seen.

Farrelly also agreed the contest had been succesful. "The judging system was 100% [better] than the old one," he said.

Colin Smith of NWS performed very well and won an award for the most radical re-entry.

The waves ranged from eight feet to more than 15 feet—the best surf for a Bells Beach contest since 1965.

More than 10,000 people attended the champioship over the past four days.

The women's event was postponed because the surf was too big.

Prize money:
1. Michael Peterson, $1,000
2. Tony Hardwick, $250
3. Simon Anderson, $125
4. Ted Spencer, $75
5. Midget Farrelly, $60
6. Dave Byrne, $40

1973 Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro

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