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PRESS RELEASE DETAIL Click here to read Previous Releases Sunday 25th of April 2010 Shaun Joubert stars as top seeds tumble on Day 1 of Billabong Junior Series at Umhlanga 2010 Billabong Junior Series South Africa’s premier national junior surfing series Dolphin Coast Sunday to Tuesday, 25-27 April 2010 Shaun Joubert stars as top seeds tumble on Day 1 of Billabong Junior Series at Umhlanga Shaun Joubert was the star on Day 1 of the Billabong Junior Series at Umhlanga Main Beach as the top seeds tumbled out of the ASP Grade-1 rated Pro Junior men’s event in conditions described as ‘extremely challenging’ by the organisers. While crowds flocked to the beach in the bright sunshine, powerful two metre plus waves pounded the beach break and with the early onset of a NE crosswind the Pro Junior women’s division was postponed. Just two heats of the U16 boys Round 1 were run before that too was postponed and only Rounds 1 & 2 of the Pro Junior men were completed as surfboards, leashes and Jetskis were broken and at least one surfer was injured. Joubert, winner of the first ASP Africa sanctioned Pro Junior men’s event in Durban over Easter, continued his good form by posting an incredible 18.0 points out of 20, the highest heat total of the day, despite only arriving at the beach 15 minutes before having to paddle out for his Round 2 encounter. The third seed from Mossel Bay, who turns 19 next Sunday, was held up in Europe due to the air travel ban as he tried to get back from an event in Scotland, but was unfazed as he racked up the day’s highest single ride score, a near perfect 9.5 out of 10, and then added another excellent 8.5 before leaving the water with eight minutes remaining in his heat. The top two seeds – reigning ASP Africa Pro Junior Champion Chad du Toit (Durban) and Umhlanga local Beyrick de Vries – were bundled out of the event when they placed third in their opening encounters. Du Toit was ousted by 14 year-old Benji Brand (Kommetjie) and Kyle Galloway (East London) while de Vries suffered a similar fate at the hands of Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay), 15, and David van Zyl (Glenashley) after paddling for more than 10 minutes to get out. The other major upset was the elimination of highly touted Australian Thomas Woods, 17, in the first heat of the day. The former Kommetjie resident who now lives on the Gold Coast broke his leash early in the heat and then waited for the jetski assist to get to the beach as it was too dangerous to swim in. By the time he got to the beach and picked up his spare board, there was not enough time to get back out and catch another wave. With the organisers opting for 30 minute heats and giving competitors 15 minutes to paddle out, Woods’ traveling companion Ryan Callinan (AUS) justified his seeding into the Round of 32 by winning his heat and progressing to the last 16 in the R37 000 event along with second placed Devin Lane (Umhlanga), the No. 8 seed. Others who overcame the conditions to record heat victories included Matt Bromley and Brendon Gibbens (both Kommetjie), Haydn MacNicol (Scottburgh) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay). They will be joined in the Round of 16 by their respective heat runners-up – Stevan Rice (Durban), Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay), Shawn Dennis (Durban) and Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh). The swell is forecast to drop significantly by tomorrow and the organisers will be checking all the breaks for the best waves between Umhlanga and Ballito on KZN’s Dolphin Coast before making the call on where to run Day 2 of the mobile event. The location for each day of competition can be accessed throughout the contest via the Event Hotline at 071 179 9813. Images, results and news will be available daily during the event at www.billabong.com and a TV documentary, produced by Silver Bullet Productions, will be broadcast post event on Vuzu – DSTV Channel 123. The PST events in the Billabong Junior Series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport, while the internationally rated Pro Junior men’s event is sanctioned by ASP Africa, the regional office for ASP International. The series is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Kustom and Nixon and fueled by Monster Energy. The 2010 Billabong Junior Series starts on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal from 25-27 April and concludes at Victoria Bay (1-4 September) where the series champions will be crowned for the 14th time.