Surfest Motorola Junior

ASP Australasia Grade 1 Men's Junior Event
ASP Australasia Grade 1 Women's Junior Event
Merewether Beach NSW
27 - 30 March 2008 

Local Newcastle surfers to battle it out for wildcard entry into the Mark Richards Pro - 4* WQS

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 26 March, 2008 : - - Nine surfers from around the Hunter region will contest the Maitland Toyota Trial on Friday March 28 at Merewether Beach in an attempt to secure a wild card entry into the Mark Richards Pro.

Surfest chief Warren Smith says that a wild card may be just the thing to overcome a local hoodoo that has prevented a local ever clutching the trophy at Newcastle's only international, annual sporting event. "The opportunity to skip the early rounds provides a wild card entrant with a real advantage. "And I'm all for seeing a local pull off what has become regarded as near impossible when it comes to winning here," Smith said.

The winner of the Maitland Toyota Trial will head straight into the round of 96 of the 4-star World Qualifying Series event that gets underway at the same beach on Monday, March 31 and runs until Sunday, April 6. Surfers to contest the trial include Merewether's Jackson Richards, Craig Anderson, Jesse Adam, Duncan McNichol, Rhys Smith and last year's highest finishing local surfer, Travis Lynch.

Other surfers seeking to gain the wild card that will place them well into the contest schedule include Michael Spencer (Lake Munmorah), last year's Newcastle Pro Junior winner Drew McPherson (Nords Wharf) and Lincoln Robards (Catherine Hill Bay).

Smith said it was the women's Midori Pro and reigning world champion Stephanie Gilmore that seems to have attracted a lot of interest this year. "The fact that the Midori Pro is a 6-star event means we will have most of the world's best women surfers in Newcastle again this year," Smith said.

The Midori Pro also commences on Monday, March 31 and runs until April 5, with the Motorola Junior Pro starting on Thursday, March 27 and running until Sunday, March 30. Action gets underway at 8am at the 2008 Surfest on Wednesday, March 26, following a "Welcome to Country" ceremony from local Indigenous people.

The Employment Plus Indigenous Classic will be first in the water and they will run alternate heats with representatives from the Fire, Police and Ambulance services who will contest the Triple O Challenge for the third consecutive year. The Mark Richards Pro and the Midori Pro will be webcast on and will be seen by audiences around the globe.

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