Locals lose out on Day 2 of Ballito Pro Juniors

Inconsistent and patchy surf played havoc with the junior heats at yesterday’s (Wednesday) rounds of the Ballito Pro at Willard Beach.

Many of the country’s top ranked junior surfers tumbled out of contention on Day 2 of the Billabong Junior Series, presented by All Aboard Travel, leading to major upsets.

Salt Rock’s two junior hopefuls, Dominic Southwood and Sophie Bell were unable to make the cut and crashed out of the competition.

Bell started her first semi final with a strong ride that put her in second place but was unable to hold onto the position, finally ending in third and not moving onto the next round.

Also read: Junior surfers kickstart Ballito Pro

Unfortunately with time running out Bell had to make a last ditch effort but missed out on a second place finish and a spot in the next round by less than two points.

A total of six of the top eight WSL Africa ranked junior men were eliminated from the event on Wednesday while only one of the top 10 junior women has reached the last four.

Both the defending event champions, Adin Masencamp (Strand) and Zoe McDougall (Hawaii), squeaked through to the final day of competition after finishing second in their respective quarterfinal heats.

They face the same opponents who relegated them to runner-up berths in the one-on-one format for the semi-finals.

Also read: Full Ballito Pro programme

The other junior men’s semi will see current No 8 ranked Angelo Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) get the chance to force his way into contention for a spot in the four man squad to represent the Africa region at the World Surf League (WSL) World Junior Championships in Australia in January if he can get past former SA U16 champion Ethan Fletcher.

Fletcher eliminated rankings leader and fellow Kommetjie resident Jake Elkington to earn a place in the semis for the first time this year.

“This break can be difficult and the tide was quite high so there weren’t a lot of waves coming though.

“I made one or two mistakes and didn’t get the waves I needed but I have learnt from what happened in that heat and will work on making sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Elkington.

Meanwhile in the girls events, McDougall faces a tricky semifinal encounter against rising Durban star S’Nenhlanhla Makhubu, who wowed spectators with her gritty surfing and willingness to compete for every point.

“That heat was hectic, my first score was a 0.6 and I was panicking,” commented Makhubu.

“But I calmed down and sat where my coaches told me to and then I got the waves.

“So I’m happy, I’m in the final of the U16’s, which I’m hoping to win, and the semis of the U18 and where I’m hoping to make the final tomorrow (Thursday).

“I’ve been training really hard and I hope it pays off.”

Meanwhile in the younger boys’ competition, the favourites for the hotly contested U14 boy’s semifinals include Durbanites Nate Spalding and Luke Thompson and East London’s Daniel Emslie, last year’s U12 winner, and Mitch du Preez.

Zoe Steyn heads the field for the U14 girls while the U12 event features the future of the country’s surf scene including Kyra Bennie, Kai Hall, Joel Fowles and River Gericke.

So head on down to Willard Beach and enjoy the great atmosphere and awesome surfing on show at the 2017 Billabong Ballito Pro.

>>  Expect to find the latest trends in Health, Wellness and Beauty in Ballito.

>> Meet the top players in the North Coast property industry. See our Property People feature.

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