Adam Morley reigns supreme at 2011 Koko's South Coast Bodyboarding Classic
posted by Martin Otto on 24th April 2011
Day 2 of The Koko's South Coast Bodyboarding Classic got underway Saturday 23 April at Uvongo Beach at 7am sharp. Nice clean offshore conditions were the order of the day with the odd 4 - 6ft wave running off the point. The conditions didn't stay good for too long as by the end of the 4th heat of the day, the northeasterly already started rearing its' ugly head. The waves were contestable for the better part of the morning but as the semi-final heats started, the conditions were very poor.
It was decided to finish up the event as even poorer wave and wind conditions were expected for Sunday. Competitors battled it out in various divisions in search of that odd decent wave that connects with the inside and allows one to do more than 1 move on a wave. Plainly put, if you were that guy, you advanced through the heat.
The Pro division final was packed with some of the most exciting bodyboarders in the country today, despite an early charge from guys like Derek Footit (Uvongo), Reinhardt du Toit (Richards Bay), Eugene Meyer (Cape Town) and David Lilienfeld (Cape Town) who all bowed out in the semi-finals but at least were in the money. The four finalists however were hungry for that 1st place not to mention the R3360 cash prize. Local boys Terence Pieters and Rayner Venter seemed like the clear favourites at first but one can never count Wesley Fischer (Durban) and Adam Morley (Mossel Bay) out as they have both had their fair amount of major event titles under their belts. In the end Adam Morley took the win with Terence Pieters right on his heels. Wesley Fischer seemed content with his 3rd place and Rayner Venter settled for a respected 4th.
The Junior division was all out war between Storm Prestwich (Scottburgh) who is currently leading the SABA junior rankings, Stephen du Preez (Durban) who is in awesome form lately, Ian Viljoen (Cape Town) who is also no stranger to tough competition and lastly Wesley Coetzee who is the 2010 SA Boys Champion and surfing his home break. Right off the bat it was Stephen du Preez and Storm Prestwich all the way. Wesley Coetzee and Ian Viljoen just couldn't find their rhythm and took 3rd and 4th place. Stephen du Preez took 1st place over Storm Prestwich and one can only wonder what will happen at the Wedge Classic in July.
Moving on to the Boys division you got the sense that the sloppy conditions favoured these smaller riders as they usually surf anything they can find being so amped up. Locals Jean-Carl Johnson and Michael Mynhardt used the knowledge of their home break to their advantage getting the connecting waves. It was however Tristan Roberts (Boland) who ended up clinching the win from Michael in 2nd place, Jc Johnson in 3rd and Pieter Meiring (Cape Town) had to settle for 4th place.
The reigning SA Ladies Champion, Natasha van Niekerk (Uvongo) was ecstatic to surf her home break against fellow South Coaster Sasha Gibbs (St Michaels) for the Ladies final. Natasha defended her title successfully in the end as she was last years' champion as well despite a valid effort from Sasha. They were kept company by Grand Master Mike van Huysteen (Gauteng) who was the only entrant for this division but was very happy to get a surf in after a long absence from the ocean.
The Mens division dished up some serious upsets as none of the local riders advanced through to the final. Mens 2010 SA Champion Wayne Beekman exited the competition in the semi-finals due to lack of waves and was joined by Gordon Harris (Ramsgate) and Jaryd van Daalen (Amanzimtoti). The Mens Final consisted of defending champion Giovan Muller (Ballito), Darren Campbell (Port Elizabeth), Michael Meyer (Cape Town) and Nicolas Phillips (Richards Bay) making it an out of town affair. Nicolas Phillips' riding was too good in the end despite a strong response from Michael Meyer in 2nd place, Darren Campbell in 3rd and Giovan Muller in 4th place.
There were only 3 Masters finalists consisting of defending champion Morgan Phillips (Southbroom), 2010 SA Masters Champion Martin Otto (Uvongo) and Karl Liebenberg (Durban) Karl Liebenberg surfed strong from the start and was the only one getting the connecting waves racking up high scores. Martin Otto and Morgan Phillips' choice to stay on the point turned out to be a fatal one as they were easily disposed of by Karl Liebenberg with Martin in 2nd place and Morgan in 3rd.
The Dropknee final was actually one of the most exciting heats of the day as competitors managed to get waves out of no where, popping little floaters everywhere and throwing some spray. 2010 SA DK Champion Derek Footit looked hungry for another dk title but had to contend with the likes of Darren Halse (Amanzimtoti) who is no stranger to Dropknee, Nico "The Sicko" Muller (Amanzimtoti) who made a serious name for himself at SA Champs 2010 and Reinhardt du Toit who has featured in many Dropknee finals over the years. Nico battled to get waves in the end and ended up 4th. Reinhardt had a very strong wave all the way from the outside but couldn't back it with another good ride. It was up to Derek and Darren for the win but Darren's back hand attack proved a little too powerful for Derek this time around.
Best Judge went to Darren Campbell (EP) and the winner of the R500 cash prize for the best maneuver of the competition sponsored by Surf M'Ocean was Derek Footit (Uvongo) for his massive invert on day 1.
The JFK Photography Expression Session winner was Brendon van Rooyen (Ramsgate) with an nicely executed invert and walks away with a framed photo of his winning move as well as R300 cash.
Southern KwaZulu Natal and SABA would like to thank all the sponsors, competitors, spectators and organizers who made this event possible. The sponsors were Koko's Club and Grill (Margate), South Coast Tourism, Reef Wetsuits, Anytime Holidays, Wavehouse Gateway, JFK Photography, Surf M'Ocean, Panarottis, Nu Form Scaffolding, Rockstar Energy Drinks,Criss Cross Security, Pavillion Restaurant (Uvongo) and Aldabra
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Photos courtesy of JFK photography
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