Quiksilver South Africa Surfing Champs final day/results
Keegan Nel U20 Chmpion : photo Pablo Ponzone
Quiksilver South Africa Surfing Championship presented by Peugeot and Samsung.
Surfing South Africa Cape Peninsula 27 - 30 April 2006
Howling Wind and Barrels Galore For The Finals.
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 30 April, 2006 : - - The winds were hitting gale force and the swell was on the small side, so the decision was made to mobilise the 2006 Quiksilver SA Champs to The Hoek (Noordhoek) for today, (Sunday), the final day. Despite the howling offshore winds and freezing conditions, the waves were pumping and the day produced some excellent barrel rides and some thrills and spills for contestants and spectators alike.
The U20 Girls final hit the water in prime low tide conditions, and some thick waves were coming through. Sarah Nicholson (WP) struggled to get waves and finished in fourth. Nikita Robb (Bor) also had difficulty with wave selection and was disappointed with her third. Chantelle Rautenbach (Bol), who had surfed exceptionally well throughout the event scored two good rides to finish second and it was a very stoked Tammy-Lee Smith, representing Zululand, who took the title.
The waves were still looking excellent, with some spitting barrels coming through on the middle bank, and the ocassional one dredging through in the corner, when the U20 Boys paddled out. Clinton Gravett (Bor) lacked the form that he found in his semi to finish 4th. A very determined Chad Du Toit surfed confidently and aggressively on the waves that he caught to get third place. Josh Salie (WP) caught every thing that moved and was stoked to get a second place, but it was a very happy Keegan Nel from Border who got the nod from the judges with two good scoring waves and became the U20 SA Champ..
With the tide filling up quickly, the Open Ladies paddled out into pouring sets. With the peak alternating between some deep bowls and long walls, to shorter waves just in front of the rock, the ladies had choice of where to sit. Tammy Robarts (Bol) chose to sit deep for most of the heat and the bomb waves avoided her completely. She placed fourth. Stacy Guy (WP), despite ripping on the waves she got, was disappointed with her third place. Sarah Maritz (SKZN) was lacking a good second wave and placed in the number two spot behind a blitzing Penny Robarts, also surfing for Boland, who claimed victory.
When the Open Men paddled out the incoming tide was making some of the waves do weird and wobbly things. Ryan Payne, surfing for Southern Cape, went on a barrel-finding mission and pulled into every wave that looked like it might tube. Ryan's tubes, while allowing him some time in the green room, never let him out and he was relegated to fourth place. Ewald van Heerden from Western Province was showing flashes of brilliance but never caught the waves that really allowed him to open up, and finished in third spot. Simon Fish scored the wave of the final and smashed three massive turns on his backhand, but was unlucky not to get a good backup wave. Despite almost pulling off a sick backhand air in the final, Fish came in a safe second, and it was Quintin Jones who took the title. QJ, as he is afffectionately known, had two good waves under his belt that collectively beat Fish's one big score. A former SA Champ who last won the event in 2003 at St Mikes, QJ used his local knowledge to find the waves with good walls on them and milked them all the way to the rocks for maximum points and victory.
Quinton Jones : photo Pablo Ponzone
Western Province stuck to their tradition of always winning the President's Cup in Cape Town and took the trophy by a fairly healthy margin from Border in second and a somewhat disappointed team KZN in third spot.
President's Cup 1. Western Province 43,980 2. Border 41,760 3. KZN 39440 4. SKZN 36,130 5. Southern Cape 31,010 6. Eastern Province 30,950 7. Boland 27,430.
The Zigzag Blowing Up Award was awarded to Simon Fish.
The Quiksilver Super Surfer also went to a stoked Simon Fish.
The Quiksilver Junior Surfer was won by Josh Salie.
Full results of today's surfing will appear on the Surfing South Africa website ( www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za) later.
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