Billabong Pro

Corona Crown Series Event 3
Whangamata, NZ
26 - 28 January 2008

Feast Or Famine on Day One

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 25 January, 2008 : - - Day one of the Billabong Pro being held at Whangamata was cut short mid afternoon today (Saturday 26th January) when a combination of a building swell and outgoing tide made conditions too dangerous to send out the junior boys division (Under 18). 

Earlier in the day two rounds of the Open Men's division were contested with some outstanding surfing taking place.  The Billabong Pro is the third event of six on the 2007/08 Corona Crown Series. The building three metre swell saw some surfers ride to excellent scores while other surfers barely caught a wave coming back to the beach in disbelief.  While Whangamata beach is generally protected from big surf, some swells were breaking a kilometre out to sea.   

New national champion Jay Quinn (Gis) made easy work of his first heat in round 2 scoring 12.3 out of a possible 20.  Quinn along with fellow Gisborne surfer Bodhi Whitaker and local surfer Braedon Williams only caught two waves each.  Quinn scored the heats high of 7.25 on his first wave and backed that up with a 5.0 point ride.  He progressed alongside Whitaker who scored a heat total of only 7.75.   

Quinn progresses through to the third round where he faces good friend Bobby Hansen (Gis) as well as Felix Dickson (Dun) and Keone Campbell (Tara).  He will hope to replicate his fine form and success at the 2008 Hyundai National Championships last week where he won two titles at his home break Gisborne. 

Quinn was not the highest scorer of the round however.  That feat went to Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Hewitt who had surfed through from the first round.  Hewitt posted 15.3 points in his second heat after surfing to an 8.0 point ride on his last wave.  Hewitt arrived back in the country on Friday afternoon and is only back in the country for five days before heading back to Australia where he has been contesting the Australasian Pro Junior Series. 

Hewitt will now face two other surfers from the Mount in round 3 – Mark Dovey and Nick White as well as Batchelor Tipene (Tara) who progressed this morning.  Hewitt will also contest the juniors division which will be contested on Sunday.  Two other standouts included Hawkes Bay surfer Jeremy Evans and West Coast surfer Jai Earnshaw. 

Evans was a late entrant into the event but looked comfortable in the big conditions when he completed several huge turns on one wave to post a near perfect 9.0 point ride. He then backed that up with a 5.0 point ride to place first ahead of Australian surfer Dru Adler in second with Auckland surfer Rowan Aish in third and Nationals runner up and local Matt Scorringe in a disappointing fourth. 

Earnshaw was in equally good form when he posted an 8.0 point ride on a good righthander with some powerful innovative turns.  He then backed up that wave with a 6.0 point ride.  Progressing in second was Whangamata surfer Dan Scott who together with Earnshaw eliminated junior national champion Sean Peggs and Deane Hishon (Rag). 

The highest heat scorer of the day was Jos Kennings who in the second heat of the day posted a perfect ten point ride for some huge backhand turns and followed that up with an excellent 8.0 point ride. Tonight sees the famous Corona after party at the Palms Tavern.  Sunday night sees the introduction of the Von Zipper Bikini Quest at the Embassy with $1000 up for grabs as well as a New Zealand Surfing Magazine calendar shoot. 

Competition will commence at 7.30 on Sunday morning with a schedule of events to be posted once conditions are assessed. Please see below for a rundown of the heats contested today as well as the round three match ups scheduled to take place on Sunday. 

Billabong Pro – Event 3 of 6 on the Corona Crown Series

Billabong Open Men Round 1

Heat 1
Zen Wallis (Piha), 1
Matt Hewitt (Mnt), 2
Chris Speedy (WGM), 3
Simon Clarke (Mnt), 4

Heat 2
Jos Kennings (Whmata), 1
Ben Poulter (Rag), 2
Adam Cranston (Gis), 3
Nick Ngau Chun (Piha), 4

Heat 3
Jai Earnshaw (W.Coast), 1
Dru Alder (Aus), 2
Ryan Heath (Whmata), 3
Tim Thompson (Auck), 4

Heat 4
Jeremy Evans (HBay), 1
Dan Scott (Whmata), 2
Chris Malone (Gis), 3,

Heat 5
Braedon Williams (Whmata), 1
Morehu Roberts (Gis), 2
Chris Amess (Whmata), 3
Wayne Norman (Tai), 4

Heat 6
Che Whitaker (Gis), 1
Bodhi Whitaker (Gis), 2
Motu Mataa (Tara), 3
Nick McRae (Auck), 4

Heat 7
Scott Casey (Auck), 1
Troy Riley (HBay), 2
Jarred Joslin (WGM), 3
Tyler Anderson (Tara), 4

Heat 8
Eli Smith (Mnt), 1
Tane Wallis (Piha), 2
Phillip Ballantyne (Invercargill), 3
Dean Amess (Whmata), n/s  

Billabong Open Men's Round 2

Heat 1
Kierin Van Der Helder (Rag), 1
Batchelor Tipene (Tara), 2
Zen Wallis (Piha), 3
Ben Poulter (Rag), 4

Heat 2
Matt Hewitt (Mnt), 1
David Van Staden (Rag), 2
Jos Kennings (Whmata), 3
Larry Fisher (Rag), 4

Heat 3
Jai Earnshaw (W.Coast), 1
Dan Scott (Whngmata), 2
Sean Peggs (Whmata), 3
Deane Hishon (Rag), 4

Heat 4
Jeremy Evans (HBay), 1
Dru Adler (Aus), 2
Rowan Aish (Muriwai), 3
Matt Scorringe (Cor), 4

Heat 5
Jay Quinn (Gis), 1
Bhodi Whitaker (Gis), 2
Braedon Williams (WGM), 3
Chris O'Leary (Gis), 4

Heat 6
Buck Woods (Gis),
Keone Campbell (Tara),
Che Whitaker (Gis),
Morehu Roberts (Gis)

Heat 7
Scott Casey (Auck), 1
Sam Willis (Rag), 2
Matt Hishon (Rag), 3
Tane Wallis (Piha), 4

Heat 8
Luke Hughes (Rag), 1
Troy Riley (HBay), 2
Matt Groube (Cor), 3
Eli Smith (Mnt), 4

Billabong Open Men's Round 3 (Yet to be surfed)

Heat 1
Luke Cederman (Rag)
Ben Kennings (Whmata)
Kierin Van Der Helder (Rag)
David Van Staden (Rag)

Heat 2
Mark Dovey (Mnt)
Nick White (Mnt)
Matt Hewitt (Mnt)
Batchelor Tipene (Tara)

Heat 3
Leon Santorik (Rag)
Jarrod Hancox (Tara)
Jai Earnshaw (W.Coast)
Dru Adler (Aus)

Heat 4
Maz Quinn (Gis)
AJ Matthews (Whmata)
Jeremy Evans (HBay)
Dan Scott (Whngmata)

Heat 5
Bobby Hansen (Gis)
Felix Dickson (Ota)
Jay Quinn (Gis)
Keone Campbell (Tara)

Heat 6
Blair Stewart (Gis)
Gauranga Ormond (Whmata)
Morehu Roberts
Bodhi Whittaker

Heat 7
Zennor Wernham (Rag)
Simon Deken (Tara)
Scott Casey (Auck)
Troy Riley (HBay)

Heat 8
Nathan Welch (Gis)
Mike Banks (Rag)
Luke Hughes (Rag)
Sam Willis (Rag)

Previous reports:
# 1 : Coming soon
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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