Big names set scene for sizzling final at Margaret River Pro
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 1 April, 2006 : - - Excellent conditions greeted surfers at the Margaret River Pro presented by O’Neill today, delivering some explosive, great-scoring performances from the top seeds, with most of them winning through their Round Five and Six heats. On a day which saw numerous surfers posting outstanding wave scores, many of the big names prevailed, setting the scene for a day of breathtaking finals tomorrow (Sunday, April 2).
World Championship Tour (WCT) surfer, O’Neill rider Jarrad Howse (Manly, NSW) opened the day with a powerful heat win over Ben Dunn (Old Bar, NSW). Howse had a slow start to his heat, falling on his opening ride and languishing in last position 10 minutes into the heat, though remaining patient to score an excellent final 8-point ride and take a convincing win.
Howse and Dunn caused an upset for local surfer Jason Duffy (Mandurah / residing Dunsborough, WA), who was narrowly eliminated from the heat with a 12.43 to place third. later in the day, Howse won his way through to the Quarter Finals and is certain to be a big threat in conditions suited to his powerful style. Another O’Neill surfer, Californian Tim Reyes hosted convincing win over Australian Drew Courtney (Central Coast, NSW)
Local competitor Tom Innes (Margaret River, WA) performed well with a 15.34 Round Six heat win and will progress through to the Quarter Finals tomorrow, along with Kieren Perrow (Byron Bay, NSW) who scored 12.50 in the same heat. French surfer Eric Rebiere and Hawaiian Sean Moody continued the winning run of the high seeds by winning their morning heats in the excellent 1.5-metre (4-foot) surf.
Tom Innes : photo Mario Vassallo
Sydney surfer Tom Whitaker was the first of the highly-seeded surfers to be eliminated. Rated 17th in the world in 2005, Whitaker was totally out-surfed today by Dayan Neve (Manly Beach, NSW). Neve, a previous finalist at the Margaret River event back in 2002, demonstrated his fondness of the awesome waves today by scoring an outstanding 9.17 early in the heat. Never really threatened, he went on to snatch an easy win.
After his heat, Neve said: “Margaret River is one of the best events in the World Qualifying Series for sure and it’s a favourite of mine. Basically, I’d love to win this! The surf’s great and I’m really pumped for the coming rounds."
The defending event champion Troy Brooks (Gold Coast, QLD) almost faltered in his opening heat today and was extremely lucky to progress through as the second-place finisher in his four-man heat. Brooks only narrowly snuck through, having just edged out young NSW surfer Michael Spencer by a tiny 0.04 of a point. The incredible circumstance of the heat came from Spencer, who scored an amazing 9.5 on one of his waves – the highest single wave score of the event so far – but who could not find a reasonable second-scoring ride to overtake Brooks.
The event’s number one seed, Yallingup’s Jake Paterson (ranked 13th in the world) was supreme in his Round Five heat, displaying his renowned, trademark power in an array of fully-committed powerful top turn slashes. Paterson is eager to snatch back the contest title, having won it eight years ago in 1998. He scored 15.00 to finish first in his heat ahead of the Gold Coast’s Samba Mann with a 14.56 in second.
Marc Occhilupo : photo MArio Vassallo
Another standout performer was Australia's most recognised and iconic surfer, Mark Occhilupo, who excelled in his Round Six heat with a 15.00 ahead of New Zealand’s Maz Quinn who scored a 14.36. Thrilled after his heat win today, Occhilupo said: “The conditions have been spot-on and I’m really stoked to make it through to the last day. A win tomorrow would be huge for me. It would round out a beautiful weekend here at Margies.”
Incredibly, Occhilupo won the first-ever Margaret River contest 21 years ago (in 1985) and is chasing a unique second win by taking out the 2006 title, which he has announced as his last-ever competitive appearance at Surfers Point.
As well as spectacular competition between the world’s top surfers, the event showcases the unique virtues of the State’s beautiful South West, including Margaret River’s stunning beaches, breathtaking natural settings and premium Western Australian food and wine.
To be held in conjunction with the Margaret River Pro will be the ninth annual ‘Mainbreak’ concert, on Saturday, April 1 at Margaret River Oval. Mainbreak features a kaleidoscope of live sounds, including the multi-platinum king of pop n roll, Ben Lee in his only WA show, alongside international drum and bass superstars Pendulum, plus Bodyjar, Butterfingers, Cowtown, Raggabeats, Fdel, Armee, Cooker and Adema. For tickets and full details, visit www.heatseeker.com.au.
Contest runs from 7.00am daily. Monday to Thursday (March 27 to 30) – entry is free. Friday to Sunday (March 31 to April 2) – entry is $8 for adults and free for children under 12. Industry VIP tickets are available for just $50, offering prime viewing from a licensed marquee - contact Surfing WA on (08) 9448 0004, email nadia.auletta@surfingwa.com.au or visit the Beach Life Surf Shop in Margaret River.
For further information on the 2006 Margaret River Pro presented by O’Neill, or to watch the event live online, go to www.margaretriverpro.com. For travel, accommodation and visitor information, contact the Margaret River Visitor Centre on (08) 9757 2911, email welcome@margaretriver.com or visit www.margaretriver.com.
Major sponsors include Tourism Western Australia and new presenting sponsor O’Neill Australia, the world’s leading wetsuit supplier and a committed supporter of Australian surfing and ASP events worldwide. Other sponsors include Nova 93.7, Department of Sport & Recreation, SunSmart, Brownes Chill, Tooheys Extra Dry, Odyssey 2020, Surftech, Coca-Cola, Leeuwin Estate, Chooks Fresh & Tasty, The Sunday Times, Margarets Beach Resort, Margaret River Law, FCS Fin Control Systems, Tracks, Surfersvillage, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, Association of Surfing Professionals and Surfing WA.
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