Scottburgh: In a final heat that saw the lead change a number of times, Kai Hall emerged victorious in the onshore conditions to win the Premier U16 Boys division of the Rip Curl GromSearch Scottburgh presented by The Blue Marlin Hotel. High-risk moves and big scores set the tone for his win as he edged in front of Levi Epenetos and young Ben Esterhuysen.
Similarly, in the Premier U16 Girls division, Louise Lepront showed her skills and local experience to claim her win against Anastasia Venter. She surfed a confident and fluid final in the difficult onshore conditions. With the easterly onshore increasing throughout the day, the conditions deteriorated somewhat but were still highly contestable, as some of the scores reflected.
Speaking of which, the highest single wave score of the day was 8.25, and the highest heat total was 13.88, awarded to Lepront for her performance in the final.
Showing how important local knowledge can be, Luc Lepront took out the U18 Boys win for tight surfing and high-risk moves on his backhand, with Kai Hall in the runner-up position, just ahead of Joshua Jefferis.
Anastasia Venter was the most impressive surfer in the U18 Girls division, but it was a very close heat, with the three top surfers separated by only half a point. Chloe Ribbink was an agonisingly close second, and Maya Potgieter was right behind in third.
In the U12 Girls, the diminutive Maya Malherbe was the popular winner, while Marcello Zedde continued his dominance in the U12 Boys division. This win is his third victory in the series.
Local surfer Leah Lepront helped keep the Lepront family flag flying high with her win in the U14 Girls ahead of Jasmine Venter, and Ben Esterhuyse held his lead till the end in the U14 Boys final against fellow Rip Curl team rider Kai Stubbs, who was in second place.
The Rip Curl GromSearch is a five-event series that features the top junior surfers in the country. Scottburgh was the third stop, and the next event will be held in Port Alfred on July 29/30. It will be presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel.
Image: Kai Hall © Dave Lindemann Photography
Full results below:
U12 Girls
- Maya Malherbe
- Chelsea Fowles
- Emma Loggenberg
U12 Boys
- Marcello Zedde
- Sean Taylor
- Levi Vosloo
- Zach Epenetos
U14 Girls
- Leah Lepront
- Jasmine Venter
- Maxine Kaufmann
- Haylie Le Roux
U14 Boys
- Ben Esterhuyse
- Kai Stubbs
- David Moussouris
- Nathan Tayler
U18 Girls
- Louise Lepront
- Chloe Ribbink
- Mayah Potgieter
- Anastasia Venter
U18 Boys
- Luc Lepront
- Kai Hall
- Joshua Jefferis
- Clayton Turrell
U16 Girls Premier Division
- Louise Lepront
- Anastasia Venter
- Lily Heny
- Catherine Jacob
U16 Boys Premier Division
- Kai Hall
- Levi Epenetos
- Ben Esterhuyse
- Josh Malherbe
Best Male Performance – Clayton Turrell – Rip Curl Rifles Tide Watch
Best Female Performance – Jasmine Venter – Rip Curl Maui Tide Watch