It’s been a while since we’ve used that headline but it’s true, KZN Central have lifted the Freedom Cup at the 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs in Jeffreys Bay.
The KZN Central team celebrate a well deserved victory.
It was another clean start for the fifth and final day of competition, with three to four-foot lines wrapping down Lower Point’s rocky shelf. And the upsets started early for some. Jordy Maree (WP) lost out in the second heat of the Under 17 Boys quarter finals when KZN Central teammates, Shane Sykes and Richard Kidd, tag-teamed their way to the semis. Shane in particular was looking sharp to score an excellent 9.25 – threading together one of the most diverse combinations of fluid maneuvers the contest had seen so far – while Richard also did well to post a solid 14.0 heat total to deny Jordy a path to the finals.
Rickard Kidd (KZNC) shredded his way into the Under 17 Boys semi finals.
After that solid display, Shane Sykes was then eliminated in the semi finals by Border’s Michael Monk and Ntando Msibi from the Development team. Up to that point, Shane had been absolutely dominant in the event, but this just goes to show that you’ve got to be at your best until the end if you’re going to be crowned champ. Ntando chose a good time to shine and quickly got to work in the heat with his fast and fluid backhand. He floated and carved his way through some tricky sections, smashing lip after lip, getting the crowd and fellow team mates fired up as he booked his spot in the finals.
Ntando Msibi’s surfing was red hot as he booked his spot in the Under 17 Boys Finals.
In the Under 13 Girls final, local contender and home crowd favourite, Kai Woolf (EP), came up against Olivia Izzard (KZNC), Julia Ploughman (WP) and Gabby Lailvaux (KZNC). It was no surprise that Kai took an early lead, scoring a pair of 6.25’s by cleverly picking off the bombs. Once again she showed impressive commitment in the critical sections of each wave she took off on and claimed a well deserved victory.
Local ripper Angelo Faulkner (EP) came up against some stiff opposition in the Under 13 Boys final, including Western Province’s Eli Beukes and Max Elkington, as well as KZN Central’s Saxton Randall. Saxton started strongly by throwing down some huge turns, followed by a sweeping carve into the pocket, before finishing deep on the inside to score a 7.5 on his opening ride. There was some really excellent surfing displayed by all four groms throughout the heat, with each holding nothing back as hardly a wave went by unridden. In the end it was Max Elkington (WP) who took the win, followed by Angelo Faulkner (EP) in second, Saxton Randall (KZNC) third and Eli Beukes (WP) in fourth.
Max Elkington was in good rhythm in the final, floating some sections and smashing others.
In the Under 15 Girls division, KZN Central’s Sophie Bell stood out as a dominant force in all of her previous heats leading up to the final. She put on another stellar performance to take the win over Anna Jelemma Butler (WP) who placed second, Ashleigh Vaughn (EP) who placed third, and Natasha Van Greunen (WP) who came in at fourth.
Sophie Bell (KZNC) added the Girls Under 15 title to her Under 13 title she won in 2012.
The Under 15 Boys final had everyone on their feet, as the heat was packed with local favourites like Sebastien Williams (EP) and Joshe Faulkner (EP), as well as Koby Oberholzer (KZNC) and Adin Masencamp (BOL). After his first two scoring rides, Koby lead the heat while the rest traded places in the hopes of catching up. After some incredible surfing by all four, it was Adin’s consistency and determination that helped him snag the win from Koby by getting the score he needed in the dying seconds. Joshe took third and Sebastien finished fourth, with both unlucky not to get the scores they were after.
There’s no need to ask Adin Masencamp what it feels like to win. His face says it all.
In the Under 17 Girls division, defending champ Teal Hogg (KZNC) surfed her way to a convincing win to make it two in a row. Anoush Zakarian (BOL) started the final by scoring an excellent 8.9, but couldn’t back it up with something substantial and had to settle for second place. Southern KZN’s Chanelle Botha claimed third, with Jade Mets (KZNC) close behind in fourth.
Teal Hogg (KZNC) claimed her second consecutive SA Junior Champs title.
The most anticipated heat of the day was definitely the Under 17 Boys final, which included Ntando Msibi (DEV), local favourite and two-time event winner Matt McGillivray (EP), Michael Monk from Border, and KZN Central’s Bevan Willis. Michael Monk’s advantage, alongside his excellent surfing ability, lay in his wave selection. He managed to sit on the inside of many of the best sets, picked the correct wave, and didn’t hold back anything in his aggressive approach.
Matt McGillivray (EP) was trying everything he could to claim his hat trick victory in 2014.
Matt McGillivray tried his best to take the lead from Michael, attempting a ‘hail-mary’ on his second to last wave by boosting the biggest full rotation of the competition so far. Unfortunately he couldn’t ride it out, or catch the final wave he needed to claw his way to victory. In the end it was Michael Monk who took the win for Border with a 12.25, followed closely by Matt with an 11.50. Ntando took third representing hard for the Development team and Bevan Willis came in fourth.
Michael Monk (BOR) is the Under 17 Boys SA Junior champion.
Along with individual honours and the team title that were awarded at the prize giving, the Skull Candy Team Spirit Award is another of the most hotly contested prizes. Well, to make a great day even better, KZN Central – led by their Zulu warrior mascot, Bonginkosi Ntuli – were awarded the R3000 prize for being the loudest, most stoked supporters of their fellow teammates. Not a bad week at all for the banana boys (and girls).
Bonginkosi was full of spirit throughout the event, which pushed his team to victory.
Check out the highlights from an epic final day below:
2014 HURLEY SA JUNIOR CHAMPS FINAL RESULTS:
Freedom Cup (Provincial team points)
1. KWA-ZULU NATAL CENTRAL 29 450 points
2. EASTERN PROVINCE 26 612
3. WESTERN PROVINCE 26 202
4. BOLAND 20 781
5. BORDER 20 648
6. SOUTHERN KZN 20 123
7. SOUTHERN CAPE 16 702
8. SA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY 14 144
9. ZULULAND 11 746
BOYS UNDER 17
1. Michael Monk (BOR)
2. Matt McGillivray (EP)
3. Ntando Msibi (DEV)
4. Bevan Willis (KZNC)
GIRLS UNDER 17
1. Teal Hogg (KZNC)
2. Anoush Zakarian (BOL)
3. Chanelle Botha (SKZN)
4. Jade Mets (KZNC)
BOYS UNDER 15
1. Adin Masencamp (BOL)
2. Koby Oberholzer (KZNC)
3. Joshe Faulkner (EP)
4. Sebastian Williams (EP)
GIRLS UNDER 15
1. Sophie Bell (KZNC)
2. Anna Jellema-Butler (WP)
3. Ashleigh Vaughan (EP)
4. Natasha van Greunen (WP)
BOYS UNDER 13
1. Max Elkington (WP)
2. Angelo Faulkner (EP)
3. Saxton Randall (KZNC)
4. Eli Beukes (WP)
GIRLS UNDER 13
1. Kai Woolf (EP)
2. Gabi Lailvaux (KZNC)
3. Julia Ploughman (WP)
4. Olivia Izzard (KZNC)
Get the full list of results on surfingsouthafrica.co.za.
Check out the official press release below:
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KWAZULU-NATAL CENTRAL CLAIM FREEDOM CUP IN PICTURE PERFECT WAVES AT HURLEY SA JUNIOR CHAMPS IN JEFFREYS BAY
The KwaZulu-Natal Central team celebrate winning the Freedom Cup at the 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay along with their talisman, Zulu warrior Bonginkosi Ntuli
KwaZulu-Natal Central claimed the coveted Freedom Cup for the provincial team accumulating the highest points at the 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs which was completed in 3 to 4 foot (one metre) picture perfect offshore waves at the Lower Point in Jeffreys Bay today (Sunday).
The KZNC team also clinched two of the six individual titles at stake and provided eight of the 24 finalists, earning 29 450 points to finish well ahead of hosts Eastern Province (26 612) and third placed Western Province (26 202), last year’s champion team. Boland ended the event in fourth place followed by Border, Southern KZN, Southern Cape, SA Development Academy and Zululand.
Teal Hogg (KZNC) and Kai Woolf (EP) successfully defended their respective U17 and U13 Girls national titles while Michael Monk (Border) clinched the U17 Boys crown, Adin Masencamp (Boland) added the U15 Boys title to his U13 win last year, Sophie Bell (KZNC) took the U15 Girls crown and Max Elkington (WP) is the 2014 SA champion in the U13 Boys division.
The U17 Girls final started with Anoush Zakarian (Bol) posting an excellent score of 8.50 out of 10, leaving her three opponents needing to play catch up. Hogg steadily built her two wave heat total with long rides, eventually overtaking Zakarian with less than 10 minutes remaining and holding onto the lead for back-to-back titles.
“I’m so stoked to be able to defend my title,” said Teal Hogg. “I heard Anoush’s (Zakarian) first score so I thought I would need two good waves to get ahead of her, and then sit on her, which I did. It was kind of hard, as she is a good friend of mine, but I had to use the tactical approach at the end.”
Ntando Msibi from the SA Development Academy team was first out of the blocks in the see-saw U17 Boys final, but defending champion and Jeffreys Bay local Matthew McGillivray (EP) took the lead with a series of massive manoeuvres on his first ride. Monk weighed in with two great waves to overtake McGillivray who attempted a huge, high risk aerial that he did not ride out of and Monk clinched the title to the enthusiastic delight of his Border teammates on the beach.
Sophie Bell (KZNC) dominated the U15 Girls final by catching the best waves and performing better manoeuvres than her peers to finish well ahead of runner-up Anna Jellema-Butler (WP).
The lead changed hands between the final four competitors in the tightly contested U15 Boys with Adin Masencamp narrowly securing the title with just two minutes remaining and less than one point separating first place from fourth.
Kai Woolf (EP) was the standout throughout the U13 Girls division and finished well clear of Gabi Lailvaux (KZNC) who displayed huge improvement to grab second place.
Saxton Randall (KZNC) started the U13 Boys final with a great ride but was hauled in, first by J-Bay local Angelo Faulkner (EP) and then by eventual 2014 champion Max Elkington (WP), who rode to victory on the biggest set waves.
Shane Sykes (KZNC), who was eliminated in a major upset in the U17 Boys semifinals, was the most impressive surfer at the event and was crowned the Surfer of the Contest, winning the All Aboard Travel / Zigzag Mag award of a free air ticket to join a surf trip where he will be featured in a photo editorial article in the magazine.
Sykes also earned the Oakley Highest Heat Score award for the 16.50 out of 20 he posted in Round 4 on Friday.
Sebastian Williams collected the Red Bull Best Air award, Max Elkington took the Island Tribe Best Tube award and the two Mayhem surfboards shaped by the legendary Matt Biolos went to Dylan Hendricks (EP) and Anna Jellema Butler (WP).
The highly prized Skullcandy Team Spirit award justifiably went to KwaZulu-Natal Central whose plans to win the team title and the team spirit award started in January. The whole team stayed together during the event and were motivated by Zulu warrior Bonginkosi Ntuli who collected both the trophies on behalf of the team at the awards ceremony.
The winners of the U17 and U15 titles are automatically included the in Surfing South Africa National Junior Team which will compete in the 2015 ISA World Junior Surfing Championships. Michael Monk (Border), Teal Hogg (KZNC), Adin Masencamp (Boland) and Sophie Bell (KZNC) were presented with their green team blazers at the conclusion of the event
The 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay were a huge success for the third successive year and the teams from the entire length of the coastline left with indelible memories of competing, meeting and mingling with their peers at the Mecca of South African surfing.
2014 HURLEY SA JUNIOR CHAMPS FINAL RESULTS:
Freedom Cup (Provincial team points)
1. KWA-ZULU NATAL CENTRAL 29 450 points
2. EASTERN PROVINCE 26 612
3. WESTERN PROVINCE 26 202
4. BOLAND 20 781
5. BORDER 20 648
6. SOUTHERN KZN 20 123
7. SOUTHERN CAPE 16 702
8. SA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY 14 144
9. ZULULAND 11 746
BOYS UNDER 17
1. Michael Monk (BOR)
2. Matt McGillivray (EP)
3. Ntando Msibi (DEV)
4. Bevan Willis (KZNC)
GIRLS UNDER 17
1. Teal Hogg (KZNC)
2. Anoush Zakarian (BOL)
3. Chanelle Botha (SKZN)
4. Jade Mets (KZNC)
BOYS UNDER 15
1. Adin Masencamp (BOL)
2. Koby Oberholzer (KZNC)
3. Joshe Faulkner (EP)
4. Sebastian Williams (EP)
GIRLS UNDER 15
1. Sophie Bell (KZNC)
2. Anna Jellema-Butler (WP)
3. Ashleigh Vaughan (EP)
4. Natasha van Greunen (WP)
BOYS UNDER 13
1. Max Elkington (WP)
2. Angelo Faulkner (EP)
3. Saxton Randall (KZNC)
4. Eli Beukes (WP)
GIRLS UNDER 13
1. Kai Woolf (EP)
2. Gabi Lailvaux (KZNC)
3. Julia Ploughman (WP)
4. Olivia Izzard (KZNC)
Specialty Awards:
Skullcandy Team Spirit:
KwaZulu-Natal Central
All Aboard Travel / Zigzag Surfer of the Contest
Shane Sykes (KZNC)
Red Bull Best Air:
Sebastian Williams (EP)
Oakley Highest Heat Score:
Shane Sykes (KZNC)
Island Tribe Best Tube:
York Van Jaarsveldt (WP)
Mayhem Surboards shaped by Matt Biolos:
Boys: Dylan Hendricks (EP)
Girls: Anna Jellema Butler (WP)
More information on the 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs can be found at:
Facebook:
Hurley South Africa | www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA
Twitter (Official):
Hurley SA | @HurleyZA | www.twitter.com/HurleyZA
Twitter (Results Only):
SA Junior Champs | @SAJuniorChamps | www.twitter.com/sajuniorchamps
Websites:
Daily posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za
As part of Surfing South Africa’s commitment to transformation, the South African Development Academy team participated thanks to a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.
The Hurley SA Junior Champs is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA) which is recognised by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation SA as the national governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world’s governing body for surfing.
The 2014 Hurley SA Junior Champs is supported by Red Bull, Vans, Skullcandy, Neff, Island Tribe, Oakley, All Aboard Travel, Christian Surfers, Zigzag, Supertubes Foundation and Surfing South Africa.
