Event Reports

Round one completed in ideal surf at Keramas River-mouth Bali

Thursday October 8 2009, Keramas River Mouth Bali): Two days of surfing perfect  three-to-four-feet waves yet only six heats completed and at this stage none of the 18 select world pro juniors eliminated!
 
It’s a scenario only possible in an event like the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge Final for 2009 which is placing these elite world pro junior surfers into an ideal location to determine the best.
 
Organizers again ran three superb quality heats across the prime incoming mid tide with surf fanned by offshore winds allowing performance levels to go through the roof.
 
“We’re expecting and patiently waiting for some big waves over the coming days but these conditions are perfect to begin the event and allow these future stars some real quality contest time and to familiarize them with the break” said co contest director Andrew Stark from Surfing Australia.
 
“With $US165 000 in prize money up for grabs and the prestige of this event surfers will have maximum opportunity to win this showdown “added Stark.
 
Today’s heat winners were Brendon Gibbens from South Africa, Balinese local surfer Dewa Made Ardika and Brazilian Jesse Mendez.
 
Gibbens won the day’s opening heat combining excellent tube rides with stylish and on-edge on face surfing.
 
“I love surfing this wave so much” said 18 year old Cape Town surfer Gibbens after his heat.
 
“I’ve free surfed here a number of times in the past few years and it’s a favourite for sure.
 
“With such a high profile field here I feel good surfing here as I’m really unknown and can just go about my surfing and do my best - Hopefully that might be good enough to win – we’ll see!”
 
The local Indonesian surfers excelled today.
 
 Dewa Made Ardika lead throughout in his heat to take a popular win while Mustofa Jeksen was unlucky, relegated to third position and round two in the dying seconds of his heat which saw French surfer Marc Lacomare take a late ride, smash the sections with some precise top-to-bottom moves to snatch second place and advance straight to round three.
 
Ardika’s win was the heat of the day. Second and third placed surfers in this heat,  Australia’s Davey Cathels and Brazilian Alejo Muniz showed flashes of brilliance throughout the heat both falling on some huge moves suggesting both were refining their surfing here as the event now heads into the all-important elimination rounds.
 
When round two hits the water, consisting of just two three man heats made up of the 6 third placed surfers from round one, the two surfers who finish last in these two heats will be eliminated while first and second go through to the man-on-man round three heats.
 
The familiarization and warm–up sector to this event is complete, from here on in it’s cut throat elimination heats as all these surfers chase the $US20 000 first prize purse.
 
Today’s results:
 
Round one: 1st and 2nd to round three, 3rd to round two.
 
Heat 1: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 15 .27, Sam Wrench (AUS) 12.83, Charly Martin (FRA) 4.17
Heat 2: Billy Stairmand (NZ) 16.34, Granger Larson (HAW) 11.67, Dillon Perillio (USA) 6.66
Heat 3: Kai Barger (HAW) 12.24, Arashi Kato (JPN) 10.03, Noa Deane (AUS) 7.17
Heat 4: Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 11.00, Marc Lacomare (FRA) 8.83, Mustofa Jeksen (IND) 8.40
Heat 5:  Dewa Made Ardika (IND) 12.00, Davey Cathels (AUS) 11.67, and Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.26
Heat 6:  Jesse Mendes (BRA) 14.00, Nat Young (USA) 10.84, Clay Marzo (HAW) 6.73
 
Round Two: 1st and 2nd to round three; 3rd eliminated and placing equal 17th $US1500
 
Heat 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA), Clay Marzo (HAW), Noa Deane (AUS)
Heat 2: Charly Martin (FRA), Dillon Perillo (USA), Mustofa Jeksen (IND)