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Kai Stubbs © Kody McGregor
East Beach, Port Alfred – Leah Lepront and Kai Stubbs Win Premier.
Good, contestable surf conditions off the pier at East Beach saw high-performance surfing on the final day of The Rip Curl GromSearch, presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel and supported by Sea Harvest.
The Rip Curl GromSearch Port Alfred is an anchor event for the Port Alfred Easter Festival.
U16 Girls Final
Leah Lepront and Kai Stubbs Win
Leah Lepront was on form throughout the event and won the Premier U16 Girls Division. She surfed an impressive final to take the win from Emily Jenkinson, with Taylor Emslie and Maya Malherbe in the minor positions.
“I’m so stoked. I’m just very happy at the moment,” said an ecstatic Leah. “I was chasing a score, and I got that good wave, and did a check-turn and then a big turn for a 5.93 score. That got me the win.”
Leah Lepront © Kody McGregor
U16 Boys Final
The U16 Boys Final was spirited, with Kai Stubbs first out of the blocks with a good 6.5 on the scoreboard. He managed to hold onto the lead until the final siren despite a fierce counter-attack from Ben Esterhuyse. Esterhuyse eventually placed second, ahead of Marcello Zedde, with Loghann Tilsley in fourth.
“It was the first wave that made the final for me,” said Stubbs. “It was quite a slow heat with not that many good ones out there, and that first wave score put me in the lead from the beginning.”
Summer Harding was the standout surfer in the U12 Girls division. Her energetic performance saw her win comfortably, with Ella van der Made in second.
Summer Harding © Kody McGregor
The U12 Boys Final was a brilliant heat, with all surfers putting in impressive displays. Natural footer Lazaro De Bruyn was the deserved winner, with goofy footer Leo Macleod fighting hard until the end. Macleod didn’t get enough to outpoint De Bruyn, even with the highest-scoring wave of the heat on his score sheet.
Lazaro De Bruyn © Kody McGregor
The U14’s
In the U14 Girls division, Maya Malherbe outpointed a determined Emma Schermbrucker after a close tussle. In the U14 Boys, a tenacious Slayde Shooter took the win from Marcello Zedde.
The U18 Girls Division saw a flurry of excellent waves pouring through, with Louise Lepront making the most of the long right-handers to bank an inspiring 14.67 points, beating her sister Leah into second place. Lily Heny and Taylor Emslie were third and fourth, respectively.
Matt Canning picked up one of the best waves of the day in the U18 Men’s Final to bank a solid 7.60 to win the final from Clay Turrell, with Rylan Jarvis in third and Kai Hall in fourth.
The Expression Session took place in fun, onshore conditions the previous day. Leah Lepront was the runner-up behind Women’s winner local surfer Lily Heny, while Cooper Smith was second behind Men’s winner Kai Hall.
Kai Hall’s winning move © Kody McGregor
Full Results are available on LiveHeats.
The Rip Curl GromSearch has U12, U14, U16 and U18 Girls and Boys divisions. The U16 division is the prime division, and the winners of this division, decided from three out of four results, will win an entry into the Rip Curl International GromSearch Final, which will be held in September.
The Rip Curl GromSearch is presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel, and is a Surfing South Africa event, supported by Sea Harvest.
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Event scaffolding and hub set-up by iHIRE
Website – iHIRE
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Event WiFi by LinkOnline
Website: LinkOnline
Distributed by Surfing South Africa
Craig Jarvis
t. 082 376 4443
ends./
About Surfing South Africa
Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for Surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Surfing South Africa is responsible for developing the sport, hosting National tournaments, sanctioning International events, and selecting National teams in all SSA disciplines. SSA is a member of the African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA), the sport’s World governing body.
About The Royal St Andrews Hotel
The historic Royal St. Andrews Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre In Port Alfred has an outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art conference centre and offers free high-speed WiFi. The elegant rooms and suites at the hotel are air-conditioned and feature a flat-screen TV, private bathroom and tea-and-coffee-making facilities.
The Thistle Restaurant is ideal for intimate dinners or special occasions, serving fine cuisine and a good selection of South African wines. Locally crafted beer and traditional pub cuisine can be enjoyed at The Highlander Pub. Overlooking a courtyard and a garden, the casual Paper Nautilus Deli serves coffee and breakfasts.
Contact:
T. +27(0)46 604 5400
Facebook – www.facebook.com/RoyalStAndrewsHotel
Instagram – @royalstandrewshotelandspa/
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