2010 Billabong Junior Series

Surfing South Africa
Victoria Bay, Southern Cape
1 - 4 September 2010

SA’s top Pro Juniors shred Herold’s Bay on Day 2 of Billabong Junior Series

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 September, 2010 : - - The country’s top Pro Junior surfers shredded the 1 to 1.5 metre waves on offer at Herold’s Bay in the Southern Cape on Day 2 of the Billabong Junior Series today (Thursday), using the hollow wedges and boostable sections to deliver top-class performances in the chase for prize-money, points and prestige.
 
Organisers had no hesitation in moving the event from the main venue of Victoria Bay at first light and competitors in the Round of 32 of the R37 500, internationally rated Billabong Pro Junior enjoyed the best conditions of the day.
 
Davey Brand set the tone for the day by earning two scores of 6.75 out of 10 early in the first heat of the day before shutting out his opponents with an excellent 8.0 just before the siren. Brand advanced to the last 16 along with runner-up and fellow Billabong team rider and Kommetjie resident Matt Bromley.
 
Billabong’s Dale Staples (St Francis Bay), the fourth seed here and winner of the Billabong Pro Junior on KZN’s Dolphin Coast in April, kept his challenge alive by progressing along with heat winner Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) before Kommetjie’s Mikey February blitzed the highest heat total of the day, 16.25 out of 20, in Heat 3.
 
Top seed Chad du Toit (Berea) controlled his opening encounter but 14 year-old Billabong rider Benji Brand (Kommetjie) gave Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga) a fright by securing the heat victory with the second seed having to settle for the runner-up spot. David van Zyl (Glenashley), Nick Godfrey (St Francis Bay) and another 14 year-old standout in Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) clinched the remaining heat wins.
 
After one heat of U12 boys where rising stars Ford van Jaarsveld (Kommetjie) and Billabong’s Max Elkington (Cape Town) eliminated Rewaldo Abersalie (J-Bay), international campaigner Tarryn Chudleigh opened the Pro Junior women’s event with a stunning performance.
 
Determined to make an appearance at her sponsor’s contest, the Billabong team rider shrugged off 48 hours of travel, including rising at 4am for the five-hour drive to Herold’s Bay from her home in Kommetjie, to dominate the heat and relegate top seed Bianca Buitendag, currently SA’s currently highest placed surfer on the ASP Women’s World Rankings, to the runner-up spot.
 
Sarah Baum (Athlone Park), another with strong international credentials, clinched victory in the next heat with while Heidi Palmboom (Bluff) and Holly Armstrong (Scarborough) upset higher ranked rivals for their heat wins.
 
The eight remaining Pro Junior Women were back in contest vests in more intimidating overhead conditions at the end of the day when the crosswind had freshened and the tide had turned. Baum and Buitendag eliminated Kirsty Delport (Durban) and a clearly exhausted Chudleigh to move into the one-on-one semifinals where they were joined by recent SA Open Women’s champion Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand) and Palmboom.
 
In between the U14 boys battled with elements that saw the lifeguards on standby on the beach. Max Armstrong (Scarborough) had no problem in winning the opening heat while Jason Harris (Scottburgh) snatched his berth in the last eight with a great 6.25 point ride in the final seconds. Jordy Maree (Kalk Bay) reveled in the peaky lefts to win Heat 2 before Benji Brand recorded the highest single ride score of the day with – 9.0 out of 10 – in Heat 3.
 
The last heat saw the lead change hands on virtually every ride with all four competitors in front at some stage. When the final siren sounded it was Matt McGillivray (Port Elizabeth) in first place with Steffen Burrows (Strand) in second and joining him in the semifinals.
 
The trials for U12’s and U14’s to qualify for Saturday’s VonZipper Air Show, where the surfer completing the most outrageous aerial manoeuvre pockets a winner-takes-all R2 000 prize-purse, were held in daunting conditions at the end of the day and not one air was completed.
 
The rising swell may well see the season-ending Billabong Junior Series back at the main venue of Victoria Bay on Friday and organisers will make a call at 7.30am on when and where the day 3 action will commence.
 
Anyone who would like to be included onto the Billabong Junior Series event SMS notification database can send their name and mobile number to brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za
 
There are daily video and picture uploads for each day of the event on www.billabong.com/za and the heat results can be followed as they happen throughout the event on Twitter and Facebook (Username- BillabongSA).
The country’s top Pro Junior surfers shredded the 1 to 1.5 metre waves

The Pro Surf Tour (PST) events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International.
 
The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy.
 
www.billabong.com/za

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Brendon Kegel
Billabong South Africa
brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

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