True to Form
Monday 12 June 2017 The WSL Speciality Longboard event at the Tiger's Milk Winter Classic went with the form book as former ISA World Champions Matthew Moir and Simone Robb took top honours.
TOE TO TOE: Simone Robb was in command of the final from start to finish. Photo Ian Thurtell
Moir and Robb showed their class in tiny Muizenberg surf yesterday in tiny but contestable lines, a far cry from the giant surf that struck the Cape Peninsula on Wednesday last week.
The Men’s final saw the four contestants posting high scores in marginal surf. With just minutes to go, defending champion Alfonso Peters held a narrow lead and looked certain to take his second title in a row but the double World Champion Moir never gave up and with just seconds to go caught the wave that gave him the lead and the title.
Moir won the 2015 Tigers Milk Classic but had to settle for second last year behind Peters. Both longboarders competed in a WSL World Championship event in Papua New Guinea a month or so ago. Tristan Lev was third yesterday, while Muizenberg local Nobel de Castro came fourth.
MOUSE BERG: Matthew Moir hooked the winner seconds from the end. Photo Ian Thurtell
Robb, the defending Tigers Milk Women’s Division Champion, took command from the beginning of the Final and was well ahead when the siren sounded for the end of the heat. Shannon Hughes was second and Angela Craemer secured third place with Raylin Wynne taking fourth spot.
In a fitting climax to the Men’s surfing Division four local surfers featured in the Final. The final was included 2017 SA Team members Brandon Benjamin and Western Province surfers, Dillon Fernandez, Papi Makanyane and Paul Chudleigh. Event top seed Benjamin made a good start but in the end Fernandez took the honours. Makanyane was third and Chudleigh took fourth place.
Top ranked South Africa surfer Faye Zoetmulder won the Women’s Surfing title edging defending champion Tarryn Chuleigh into second place. Danielle Johnson came third and Natasha Van Greunen was fourth.
STYLING: Alfonso Peters won last year but had to settle for 2nd in 2017. Photo Ian Thurtell
Michael grendon won the Over 40 Longboard Division with Gavin Moir taking second place ahead of SA Longboard President Paul O’ Connell. Whaldo de Kock was fourth. U23 Men’s and Women’s honours went to Dylan Swindale and Caroline Brown respectively while the SUP Men’s and Women’s champions were Nathan van Vuuren and Chelsea Van Rooyen.
Finalists shared R50,000 in prize money and won product prizes from Mami Wata, the support sponsor for the event. A stoked William Stander, who entered the U23 Longboard division and was eliminated in Round One, won the beautifully crafted Mami Wati longboard shaped by Hugh Thompson.
All the Results and photos are posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za - the Tiger’s Milk Winter Classic Outreach initiative featuring 55 young surfers from nine programmes in the Cape Peninisula that use Surfing to change the lives of boys and girls, also took place on Sunday.
SHREDDABLE: Dillon Fernandez took the Men's surfing. Photo Ian Thurtell
Waves for Change, the 9Miles Project, Choose 2 Care,Surf Outreach, Projects Abroad, Learn 2 Surf, Dreams 3 Reality and the Ladybugs group participated in a Tag Team contest which saw groups of five surfing together as teams.
At the prize giving in Tigers Milk where all 55 contestants were treated to a five star burger the results were announced and medals were presented to members of the top four teams. The Choose 2 Care team from Surfshack in Muizenberg won gold, the Learn 2 surf Team took home silver medals, Dreams to reality won bronze and the Ladybugs won a copper medal each.
The Tiger’s Milk Winter Classic was supported by Mami Wata in partnership with Wavescape. The Men’s and Women’s Longboard divisions were WSL Speciality events and the other divisions were Surfing South Africa Speciality events.
U23 Women's Longboard
Caroline Brown 1
Amber Borton 2
Jayde Scagell 3
Angelica Schon 4
U23 Men's Longboard
Dylan Swindale 1
Mbuso Zozi 2
Jake Schoeman 3
Kola Cohen 4
Sup Women's
Chelsea Van Rooyen 1
Michelle Schoeman 2
Malin Kirjonen 3
Emma Jane Pieters 4
Sup Men's
Nathan Van Vuuren 1
Tyran Cooper 2
Michael Oxley 3
Mike Teron 4
Men's Over 40 Longboard
Michael Grendon 1
Gavin Moir 2
Paul O Connell 3
Whaldo De Kock 4
Men's Surfing
Dillon Fernandes 1
Brandon Benjamin 2
Papi Makanyane 3
Paul Chudleigh 4
Women's Surfing
Faye Zoetmulder 1
Tarryn Chudleigh 2
Danielle Johnson 3
Natasha Van Greunen 4
Men's Longboard
Matthew Moir 1
Alfonso Peters 2
Tristan Lev 3
Nobel De Castro 4
Women's Longboard
Simone Robb 1
Shannon Hughes 2
Angela Craemer 3
Raylin Wynne 4