Billabong Pro-Teen 2006

ASP Australasia Pro Junior
Wollongong, QLD
7 - 12 February 2006

Results & Heat draws

Matt Wilkinson Claims Ratings Lead with Victory

Two in a Row for Brendan Leckie

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 February, 2006 : - - (Wollongong, Bulli Beach) Junior surfer Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana, NSW) win in the Billabong Pro-Teen Series final at Wollongong was just enough for him to claim the ASP Australasian ratings lead from former frontrunner Julian Wilson (Sunshine Coast).  Wilkinson became the youngest surfer to ever sit at the ratings helm as a 16 year-old last year and the now, 17 year-old holds the narrowest points lead in the Series history positioned just a mere 18 points ahead of Wilson.   

Wilson opted not to compete rather than surf from the opening round due to a late entry. 

“I saw Julian win the event last week and I bombed out in the first heat,” said Wilkinson.  “Coming down here, I was pretty surprised not to see his name in the draw, and to go on to win the event, I’m just stoked.  It’s going to be a really tough year, everyone is surfing really well and the guys at the top are all getting good results in pretty much every event so it’s definitely going to be hard.” 

It was a see-sawing final, with both Leckie and Wilkinson trading the lead for the first 20-minutes, but in the dying stages it was Wilkinson’s explosive forehand that sealed him the win, picking up one of the heats better waves and performing seven searing frontside re-entries followed by a close-out fin bust to score a 9.00 ride.  Leckie, left requiring a near perfect 9.15 of his own was unable to find another scoring ride despite holding priority in the line-up.  At the final siren it was Wilkinson 15.65 to Leckie 11.85. 

“Last week when I heard Leckie was through to the final I was, whoa Leckie!, and now to have him in the final again here, he is definitely going to be a threat for the year,” said Wilkinson.  “There wasn’t many waves for the start of the heat, and he kept coming back at me and taking the lead, but after I got that 9.00 I was feeling pretty confident.” 

Matt Wilkinson : photo Steve Robertson

With two second placing’s under his belt Leckie proved that last weeks runner-up result at Duranbah, Gold Coast was no mere fluke   The previously underrated 17 year-old has marked himself as the seasons big mover and is now on target to qualify for the Billabong World Junior Championships positioned at 8th.  Ending the run of ‘inform and on fire’ Mitch Coleborn (Maroochydore) in the Semi, Leckie again stepped up to the plate in this event, blowing away his competition.   

“I’m really happy to make another final, I didn’t think I was going to, but I had a bit of confidence throughout the event to get me through heats, I was just happy to be there in the end,” said Leckie.  “Wilko on his forehand is lethal, I always new he only needed one good wave, and he did it, which made it really hard for me to come back.” 

“My goal was to get into the top twenty but this should boost me up into the top ten, so I jump a few more spots, I’m stoked.” 

Joining Wilkinson as the only other contender able to re-take the ratings lead in today’s final day of competition win was Sunshine Coast surfer Coleborn.  The 19-year-old looked on track to complete the task ahead of him, well suited to the left hand rip-bowl style bank on offer and consistently posting high wave and heat scores throughout the five day competition.  After winning through to the Semi finals, Coleborn came unstuck to eventual runner up Leckie in a wave starved heat where his opponent used smart surfing tactics to take the win and eliminate him. 

Breandan Leckie : photo Steve Robertson

“He has been surfing really well in the last couple of contests and he was just lucky enough to get that one wave in the semi,” said Coleborn.  “Whoever was going to get that one, was going to get through and he belted the crap out of it, so good on him.” 

“I was hoping to grab the ratings lead going into this event, but there is still a lot more events to go , so hopefully I can grab the lead down the tack,” said Coleborn.  “I’ve been third all year, just sitting in that same spot, so it’s good to be up at the top.” 

Also securing an equal third position was fellow Sunshine Coast surfer Blake Wilson (Alexandra Headlands) after being beaten by Wilkinson in the semi final.  An outstanding display of powerful backside surfing saw the tall natural footer secure his best result on the junior series to date and lifted him to 17th position on the ratings.   

Culburra’s Owen Wright has his competition ended by Wilkinson in the Quarter finals by the narrowest of margins.  After 10 minutes of cat and mouse, where both surfers paddled each other around the line-up trying to gain the upper hand and take priority, it was Wilkinson who took control, locking in two mid scoring rides of a 6.00 and a 5.50.  Within the final few minutes, Wright took one of the heats better rides, requiring a 7.0 to take the lead, the young goofy surfed initially safe before blowing the wave apart on the inside.  Rewarded with a 6.90 from the panel of five judges, it was 0.10 short of the score he needed, the last remaining south coast surfer out of the event. 

Breandan Leckie : photo Steve Robertson

South Australian surfer Dion Atkinson (Seaford) was handed his third equal 5th placing of the year today after being convincingly beaten by Wilson (Blake) in the quarter finals.  The big natural footer was in form throughout the event, only dropping one heat on his way through to the quarters, but couldn’t find the 7.25 score he required to match Wilson and earn what would have been his best result of a semi final equal third.  Atkinson’s result however improved his standing on the ASP ratings, lifting him one position from 6th to 5th. 

“I sat there with priority for 15 minutes, and was just too patient I think,” said Atkinson.  “Looking back, I should have just caught more waves and got my count up.  It’s a good result but I’m starting to get rattled that I can’t get past that round.  That is my third fifth this year and I’ve had a seventh, I just can’t seem to get past that first round of man on man heats, you could say I’ve been consistent though.” 

On Saturday emerging South Coast emerging star Sally Fitzgibbons dominated the Billabong Pro-Teen Girls final winning in sensational form over Bronte’s Nicola Atherton.  It was the second Pro-Junior win for the 15-year-old, who jumped 15 spots on the ASP Australasian Junior Series ratings to now be in fifteenth position.  Full report www.billabong.com 

In contrast to the 2004 Billabong Pro-Teen at Sandon Point this year’s tournament was plagued by a lack of swell on the NSW south coast forcing organisers to relocate from the preferred location of Sandon Point to the beach breaks of Bulli.  Two years ago an intense low system produced a record breaking day in Hawaiian size Sandon Point right -handers. Five perfect tens were scored by surfers in solid 3 to 4 metre which were described as the biggest waves ever in a junior event  

Next month’s Billabong Pro-Teen Series Raglan NZ is the third stop of the five event Pro-Teen Series which comprises the ASP Australasian Junior Circuit and offers the series winner a prestigious wildcard slot into the trials of the Billabong Pro World Championship Tour event in Tahiti. (May 4th-16th)  The Pro-Teen series also offers 60,000 dollars in prize money and is effectively the back bone of the Australasian Junior Surfing Circuit.

The Billabong Pro-Teen Wollongong is the second of the five event Pro-Teen Series which comprises the ASP Australasian Junior Circuit and offers the series winner a prestigious wildcard slot into the trials of the Billabong Pro World Championship Tour event in Tahiti. (May 4th-16th)  The Pro-Teen series also offers 60,000 dollars in prize money and is effectively the back bone of the Australasian Junior Surfing Circuit. 

The Billabong Pro-Teen Series for 2006 is supported by Panasonic, Vodafone, Coca-Cola, UV Triplegard, Clearasil, Kustom, Von Zipper, Tracks and Palmers Surf.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Billabong Pro Teen event #2 kicks off at Wollongong
# 2 : Wilson blows up at Billabong Pro-Teen Wollongong
# 3 : Towner makes move on ratings lead at Pro-Teen Qld
# 4 : Fitzgibbons defeats Atherton in Pro-Teen Series Final  

Billabong Pro Teen Series Dates and Locations

Feb 7-12                 Billabong Pro-Teen Series Gold Coast
Feb 15-19               Billabong Pro-Teen Series Wollongong
Mar 16-19               Billabong Pro-Teen Series Raglan NZ
Mar 29-Apr 2          Wild Surf Co/Billabong Pro-Teen Series Newcastle
Sep 27-Oct 1          Billabong Pro-teen Bells Beach

www.billabong.com.au

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Mandy McKinnon
mandy.mckinnon@bigpond.com 

Simon Barratt
sbarratt@billabong.com.au 

Steve Robertson
stever@surfingaustralia.com

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