ASP Grade 2 Mens Pro Junior
Burleigh Heads, Queensland Australia
22 - 28 January 2007

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Tamaroa McComb Takes Charge At Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 January, 2008 : - - Gold Coast - The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior juggernaut continues to roll on with multiple rounds of the coveted junior men’s tournament completed in 3-4ft (1-metre) point break waves on the Gold Coast today. All roads led to Burleigh Heads, with the 8 remaining heats of round three along with the entire fourth round completed on day three of competition.  

Tahitian young gun Tamaroa McComb (Coolangatta, formerly Tahiti) charged towards his maiden Pro Junior victory after demolishing top ranked Australian surfers; no.2 seed Julian Wilson (Coolum) and ASP World Junior Trials winner Owen Wright (Culburra) in his round three heat.  

“I was a little nervous before the heat,” said McComb. “I knew I had to surf at my best. Julian (Wilson) and Owen (Wright) are some of the best junior surfers in the world, so I just surfed it like a final.” 

The powerful natural foot did not take long to follow up his outstanding form from round two, racing across a reeling Burleigh wall before unleashing a high-flying aerial reverse and a series of powerful rail carves to net a heat-high 8.67 (out of a possible 10) on his first wave and leave his opponents jostling for second place. 

Julain Wilson : photo Jake White

“I could tell Julian was going to get a big score on his first wave,” he said. “I just knew I had to go big on the wave after. Everyone was watching on the point, so I didn’t want to fall off.” Making his intentions clear, McComb backed it up with a high scoring 6.84 to finish with the morning’s highest heat scoring win with a two-wave combination of a 15.50. 

Wilson, who scored a runner-up finish at stop two of the ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series in Victoria last week, finished in second with a 13.50 combination, whilst Wright and Bonny Hill’s Josh Bull were eliminated from the $25,000 tournament in third and fourth place. Final scores: McComb 15.50, Wilson 13.50, Wright 11.23 and Bull 7.53.  

The major upsets continued in the fourth round with no.3 seed Craig Anderson (Newcastle) being bundled out of the prestigious tournament.  Fresh from victory in the junior series event in Victoria last week, Anderson ran into the inform duo of Jayke Sharp (Sandy Beach) and Josh Johnson-Baxter (Ocean Grove, Victoria), who made their mark on the Burleigh Heads line-up.  

Sitting in second place with 30 seconds remaining, Anderson watched on as Johnson-Baxter netted a 6.23 for a series of forehand carving moves and with it a place in the next round. Sharp, who is the reigning event champion, produced a dazzling performance in the superb conditions and is on track to record back-to-back victories 

Mitch Crews : photo Jake White

Meanwhile, top seed Stuart Kennedy (Lennox Head) easily made it through his round four heat after posting a two-wave total of 13.73. Other Aussies to post round four victories included Matt Wilkinson (Copacabana), Dane Atcheson (Central Coast NSW), Blake Ainsworth (Coolangatta) and Ben Webb (Coolangatta).  

Competition is likely to continue tomorrow with Quarterfinalists being decided, before the Gold Coast surfing community gathers for a memorial paddle out on Burleigh Point at 2pm to celebrate the life of Denis Callinan, who died on January 16 due to complications following a heart attack a week prior.

The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior is the 3rd of 12 stops on the 2008 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series and offers a seven-day surfing window, from Tuesday 22nd January to Monday 28th January, 2008, for only five days of competition surfing. The main event site will be at Burleigh Heads, however the tournament has the option of going to the best surf from Southport Spit to Duranbah. 

The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior is proudly supported by Nike 6.0, Electric, Redbull, Brothers Neilsen, Australian Surfing life, Surfing Queensland and ASP Australasia. 

Previous reports:
# 1 : The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior ready to rock Gold Coast
# 2 : Hurley Burleigh Pro Jr Day 1 scores big Burleigh barrels
# 3 : Stuart Kennedy flares at the Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior
# 4 : Coming soon  

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