Border ballies win SA Masters

Border dawgs take the win

Our neighbours to the east, Border, took out the SA Masters title for the 7th year in a row. Shot ou's. EP got a credible 5th possie, with some excellent individual performances by JBay's Kelvin Zehmke getting a 4th in the Senior Men (over 30), St Francis's Michelle von Kempen hooking a 3rd in the Ladies and PE's Mush Hide a 3rd in the Vet's. Cooking surf at Outers for the whole comp, with some solid days. Coupla ou's managed floaters onto dry rock, and Mush reckons he had to do at least 20 duck dives in his heat. Well done to all our ballies for charging!!

Acid drop floater

Official wrap from Surfing SA

Border dominate the SA Masters Surfing Championships at Mossel Bay and win the South African Masters Cup title for the seventh year in a row.

The Border Masters surfing team underlined their dominance of Masters surfing for the seventh year in a row when they won the 2013 South African Masters Championships which ended in consistent 4-6 foot surf at Outer Pool in Mossel Bay today (Sunday September 8).

Not only did the team from East London comprehensively win the interprovincial SA Masters Cup by a massive margin but they also provided six of the twenty eight finalists with three of these finalists winning gold.

The surfer who most impressed at the event was defending SA Masters Champion and current World Masters champion Greg Emslie, who has now won gold in the three SA Masters Championships he has competed in. Emslie posted a massive 16.25 heat score in the Masters (over 35) final which was the highest score of the day.

Emslie (Border) beat Gary Van Wieringen of Southern KZN into second place for the second year in a row with Mike Frew of Zululand taking third spot and Paul Canning of KZN Central finishing fourth.

Other Border champions were Wayne Monk, who won the Grandmasters (Over 40) title and Border Surfriders Chairman, Gareth Sepp who took honours in the Kahunas (Over 50) division.

Monk won a unique Grandmasters final which saw three surfers who represented South Africa at the 1992 ISA World Surfing Games in Lacanau France face up against each other, Monk, the team captain in Lacanau, beat his ’92 teammates Carl Roux and Vince King into second and third place respectively. Roux (Southern KZN) was the runner up at the 1992 World Games and King (Zululand) was his caddy in the final in France.

Ryan Ribbink (KZN Central) came fourth in the Grandmasters Final.

In the Kahunas Final a delighted Sepp beat Border team mate Andre Malherbe by a mere ,40 points and snatched the title from the surfer who won a silver medal in the Over 45 division at the World Masters Championships in Ecuador earlier this year. Boland surfers Richard Heath and Johan Bredell were third and fourth respectively.

In 2009 when Mossel Bay last played host to the South African Masters Championships, popular local surfer and coach Llewellyn Whittaker took honours in the Senior (Over 30) Final and earned himself and Southern Cape a gold medal. Five years later he did it again. Showing that local knowledge is invaluable Whittaker secured himself a gold medal and hosts Southern Cape’s only title when he beat defending champion Tyrell Johnson (Border) into second place. Alan Johns (Zululand) was third and Kelvin Zehmke (EP) came fourth.

Former National team member Robin Lavery of Zululand made a welcome return to contest surfing with a victory in the Grandkahunas (Over 50) division. Steven Hair was second just ,15 ahead of Southern Cape teammate Colin Buitendag while another South African legend, Mike Burness (KZN Central) had to settle for fourth. 2012 SA Champion and five time World Champion Chris Knutsen was not able to compete in this year’s event.

WP surfer Hans Kamhoot won the Veterans (over 55) division with 2012 finalist Gordon Harmer (Border) taking second spot. Mush Hide (EP) was third and Bushy Greeff (Zululand) came fourth.

Former World Masters champion and multiple South African champion Heather Clark of Southern KZN turned the tables on 2012 SA Women’s Masters champion Tasha Mentasti (Southern Cape) to add another gold medal to her overflowing cabinet. Mentasti pushed Michelle Van Kempen (EP) into third spot with Tammy Robarts (Boland) taking fourth.

In the team event Border posted a massive 31526 points which was 8253 points more than second placed Western Province. Western Province will be happy to have moved up from fourth place in Durban last year but disappointed that they were so far behind the champions on points. In fact neighbours Boland came third with 23133 points a mere 140 points behind Western Province while fourth placed Zululand were only 485 points behind Boland.

Eastern Province came fifth, a mere 394 points behind Zululand while hosts Southern Cape will be happy to have moved up to sixth place after finishing last in 2012.
KZN Central, hosts and third place team in 2012 slipped to seventh and Southern KZN slipped to eighth from fifth last year.

The 2013 SA Masters Championships was presented by Surfing South African and hosted by the Southern Cape Boardriders Association. Heat results including finals are posted on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

Surfing South Africa is a member of the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is acknowledged by them as the governing body for the sport in South Africa. Surfing South Africa is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA).

2013 SA Masters Surfing Championships (Outer Pool, Mossel Bay)

RESULTS

SA Masters Cup
1. Border 31526
2. Western Province 23273
3. Boland 23133
4. Zululand 22648
5. Eastern Province 22254
6. Southern Cape 20062
7. KZN Central 17050
8. Southern KZN 9478

Women (Over 30)
1. Heather Clark (Southern KZN)
2. Tasha Mentasti (Southern Cape)
3. Michelle Van Kempen (EP)
4. Tammy Robarts (Boland)

Senior Men (Over 30)
1. Llewellyn Whittaker (Southern Cape)
2. Tyrell Johnson (Border)
3. Allan Johns (Zululand)
4. Kelvin Zehmke (EP)

Masters (Over 35)
1. Greg Emslie (Border)
2. Gary Van Wieringen (Southern KZN)
3. Mike Frew (Zululand)
4. Paul Canning (KZN Central)

Grand Masters (Over 40)
1. Wayne Monk (Border)
2. Carl Roux (Southern KZN))
3. Vince King (Zululand))
4. Ryan Ribbink (KZN Central)

Kahunas (Over 45)
1. Gareth Sepp(Border)
2. Andre Malherbe (Border)
3. Richard Heath (Boland)
4. Johann Bredell (Boland)

Grand Kahunas (Over 50)
1. Robin Lavery (Zululand)
2. Steven Hair (Southern Cape)
3. Colin Buitendag ( Southern Cape)
4. Mike Burness (KZN Central)

Veterans (Over 55)
1. Hans Kamhoot (WP)
2. Gordon Harmer (Border)
3. Mush Hide (EP)
4. Bushy Greeff (Zululand)

Masters winner, Greg Emslie, getting shacked

EP team...chilling