iLembe surfers take flight at annual championships
The event also served as the final selection process for the upcoming South African Championships.
Thirteen local surfers were crowned the North Coast’s best in their respective categories at the iLembe Surf Riders’ annual championships at Willard Beach at the weekend.
In good weather, with waves to match, surfers running the gamut from U12s to over 65s showcased their abilities on Saturday and Sunday.
Most categories were closely fought, as locals gave their all to ensure a place among South Africa’s best.
The female section saw competitors battle it out in the U14, U16, U18, Open and over 35 categories.
Given the smaller field, the U14 and U18 entrants surfed together, with Maxine Kauffman (U14) claiming a well-earned top spot after scores of 7.17 and 5.43 took her clear.
Nine athletes took on the U16 event, which was the largest of the female categories.
Cassidy Duncan delivered flawless surfing to come out on top, winning her heat, semi-final and final comfortably.
Her first two waves of 3.17 and 4.0 were enough to beat out Riley Kauffman in second place.
In the open category, Gabi Lailvaux (7.77) just edged out Olivia Brand (7.36) for the win.
In what was the closest final of the day Tamarys de Maroussem (5.84) squeaked past Zanie Cawood (5.63) in the over 35 category.
Male competitors turned out in 10 categories, from U12 to the over 55 age groups.
Marcello Zedde (14.0) was the runaway champion in the U12 category, as was Nathan Tayler (14.33) in the U14 competition. Both won by more than five points.
The U16 and U18 competitions were far closer, with Joshua Edwards (8.34) and Sebastian Garnett (6.97) claiming gold by less than a point in their respective age groups.
Allan Johns won both the open and over 40 categories, while Ian Duff comfortably claimed the over 35 prize.
Lyle Bottcher edged out Andrew Banks in the over 45 battle, while Chris Baum took down Clint Mansfield in the over 50s competition.
The final event saw Rob van Weirengen (9.13) sneaking past iLembe Surf Riders chairman Brian Dougherty (8.06) in the over 55 age group.
Following these results, teams will be selected for the SA Junior Championships, SA Open and SA Masters Championships between August and October.
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