Today saw a slight increase in swell with offshore conditions and the best surf Usher Cup has seen so when the World Club Challenge commenced at 7.30am.
It was all about team glory today with the World Club Challenge taking place over eight heats and quarterfinals with top two teams in each heat making the quarterfinals before the Open Men’s heats recommenced.
Round One World Cup Challenge was underway at 7.30am with pods of playful dolphins seeing Le-Ba on a combined score of 29.37 and North Shelley with 25.64make it to the Quarter Finals in a tight contest with Santa Cruz USA on 25.47 and New Zealand needing a little more with 19.13, LE-BA’S Bohdi Williams shone with a great wave scoring 8.57 and Shane Holmes from North Shelley with an 8.17 ride.
Round Two saw host club Snapper Rocks take on last year’s winners MNM along with VIC favourite Torquay and even a 9.0 wave from Joel Parkinson was not enough to keep MNM out scoring with 31.07 over Snapper’s 29.44 knocking out Torquay with 24.46. MNM bought a large supporter base erupting when Ellie J Brooks rode an 8.17 wave and Sean Gunning with 7.17.
It was a hard fought contest to the final minutes in Round Three with Dbah on 26.96 taking the lead by 0.6 over Coffs Harbour, while Florida’s Space Coast are knocked out with 24.80 along with North Shore on 20.64
The competition was tight as clubs came to compete in Round Four with NASA on 30.30 narrowly winning over USAs Huntington Beach on 29.50 and even consecutive rides of 8.20 and 8.77 from Noosa’s Noah Stocca in the dying minutes wasn’t enough for the team to progress scoring 27.83 and Newport are also out on 23.53.
Nathan Hedge and Dylan Moffat dominated Heat Five for North Narrabeen with a 9.47 and 9.07 ride assisting in their winning score of 34.94 from Windansea 26.77 knocking out the San Diego Encinitas on 22.00 and Scarborough on 15.56.
North Straddie’s Point Lookout won Heat Six with a 31.46 combined score with Curtis Ewing ‘s 9.93 ride and Lincoln Taylor clocking an 8.33 while Kirra Pinkerton made the most of Snapper with an 8.67 ride taking her USA’s San Clemente Club into the quarters with 30.50 knocking out Bali’s Legian on 28.63 and North End 25.07.
0.27 split first and second in Heat Seven with Hawaii’s Kauai on 27.80 narrowly beating Byron Boardriders on 27.53 knocking new contenders Juraki on 22.60 an Maui on 16.63. Kauai’s Malia Manuel and Rylan Beavers showed how Snapper is done with an 8.17 with 8.47 while Harley Walters kept Byron alive with 8.57.
Jackson Baker’s 9.13 and last year’s winner Morgan Cibilic’s 8.33 contributed to Merewether’s win on with 32.46 making it through to Quarter Finals along with Burleigh Heads on 29.83 thanks to Maddy Job’s 7.9 and Rico Haybittle’s 7.37. Kawana and Japan just weren’t able to make the most of conditions bowing out with a 23.96 and 21.00.
Quarter Finals One – Last year’s winner MNM took on host club Snapper Rocks, North Shelley and Le-Ba in a tight battle coming down the last minute with solid rides for Snapper’s Sheldon Simkus 8.00, Joel Parkinson 8.23, Korbin Hutchings 8.10 taking them to the Semi Finals with 34.56 along with Le-Ba 32.44. North Shelley narrowly missed out on 31.76 and last years winners MNM bowed out on 25.80.
In the second heat of the Quarter Finals, the close contest continued with the lead changing every few minutes and coming down to the wire with Dbah 29.77 going to the semis thanks to Jimmi Hill’s 8.00 wave and Brent Dorrington’s 8.07 with NASA’s Fraser Dovell riding an 8.83 to bring them into the semis on 28.80. It was a disappointing day for California’s Huntington Beach who were in contention until the final minutes with 26.54 and Coffs Harbour is out with 22.50.
North Narrabeen’s Jordy Lawler with a 9.0 placed his club firmly in first place in the third Quarter Final with USAs San Clemente having a great day with solid score from the entire team taking them to Semis tomorrow with 28.77. Point Lookout 25.94 and Windansea 16.64 have been knocked out.
Fourth and final Quarter Final saw a Rylan Bevers from Kauai surf a 10 point wave in the final moments taking the Hawaiian team into the Semi’s with 31.73 alongside Byron Bay on 27.42 knocking out Burleigh Heads with 26.43 and Merewether 25,63.
Tomorrow’s World Cup Challenge Semi Finals are;
Heat One
· Snapper Rocks
· NASA (North Avalon)
· Le-Ba
· Dbah
Heat Two
· North Narrabeen
· Kauai
· San Clemente
· Byron Bay
Due to conditions fading yesterday, the Mens Round Two Heats Thirteen to Sixteen was delayed until today and came out with some big names straight after the Club Challenge Heats.
Heat Thirteen saw Byron’s Harley Walters 17.06 and Chris Zaffas from North End 11.56 progress with Jackson Merewether on 9.77 and it was not Jay Occhilupo’s day with 9.37.
Luke Brumby form North Shore was never in doubt in Heat Fourteen with 16.30 progressing to Round Three with Brett Simpson from Huntington Beach on 13.80 leaving Le-Ba’s James Wood 13.44 and Dbah’s Nathan Cook on 12.03 without a spot.
Heat Fifteen saw Point Lookout’s Lincoln Taylor progress on 13.67 with Reef Hazelwood on 11.80 from Wndansea leaving Scarboroughs Mannix Squires nd Space Coast Kyle Garson ending their campaign with 9.33 and 4.74.
Final heat, Heat Sixten saw Snapper favourite not disappoint with Joel Parkinson never in doubt with 15.234 over I Made Darma Yasa on 14.44 from Legian smoking Ben Coffee from Santa Cruz on 7.93 and Kaleo Roberson who was filling in for his some who blew his knee yesterday with a 3.4.
The day concluded with the first four of eight heats in Round Three. Wildcard Snapper local Thomas Carvalho took the heat on 16.00 and Legian’s I Made Joi Satriawan landed the second spot on 14.30 only just beating out Huntington Beach’s Age Guinaldo on 13.37 and Dbah’s Brent Dorrington 11.50 who both are now out for the contest.
It is a day for Snapper with Sheldon Simkus taking Round Two with 15.43 from Shane Holmes from North Shelley on 12.36 and knocking out Mikety Clayton-Brown from Merewether on 10.53 and Torquay’s Troy Brooks with a 7.00.
North Narrabeen’s Dylan Moffatt was never in doubt winning Round Three with 15.00 taking Jayke Sharpe from Coffs Harbour into the Quarters with 12.54. Sebastian Zietz from Hawaii’s Kauai bowed out with 11.16 along with Caleb Crozier from Encinitas on 9.33.
Final round of the day, Round Four saw Zeb Stokes from Kawana take the heat on 12.94 with local favourite Jagger Bartholomew 11.57 also going through. Timothy O’Connor from New Zealand missing out by a whisker with 11.27 along with DBahs Jimmi Hill on 10.37.
It will be all action on Sunday with the Men’s and Women’s finals and the naming of the overall winning club in the World Club Challenge.