Cape Town Surf Riders win Billabong SA Champs

Men's champ EL's Greg Emslie © Ian Thurtell

​Buffalo City surfers Greg Emslie and Nikita Robb with the Men’s and Women’s titles but Cape Town Surfriders win the President’s Cup at the 51st SA Surfing Championships.

Long Beach, Kommetjie (Saturday September 27) – The Cape Town Surfriders team won the coveted President’s Cup at the 51st South African Surfing Championships in misty Long Beach conditions today and in doing so maintained their proud 100% record of wins at home. Cape Town Surfriders coach, Chris Bond,congratulated his side on a “solid team performance” but Ethan Fletcher’s gold medal in the U20 Boys division, silvers from Tarryn Chudleigh in the Women’s Division and Brandon Benjamin in the Men’s final and Jordy Maree’s fourth place in the U20 Boys Final certainly sealed the deal for the locals. 

Buffalo City Surfriders came second but will celebrate the fact that Greg Emslie and Nikita Robb won the Men’s and Women’s titles respectively and Danica Stockigt took fourth in the U20 Girls final. Emslie now takes his place in history as the only surfer to secure five Open Men’s titles, one more than the legendary Chris Knutsen. Robb not only won her fifth Women’s crown but was also named as the Surfer of the Contest. She was the only surfer to score a perfect 10 point ride over the three days of competition.

Third place went the way of 2014 champions Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders whose best results came from second placed U20 Girl Britney Linder and Faye Zoetmulder, who came fourth in the Women’s final.

Cape Winelands took fourth place and will toast 2016 U20 Girls Champion Natasha Van Greunen and U20 Boys silver medallist Adin Masencamp when they celebrate their best result at a South African Championships in years while 2015 champions eThekweni return to KZN with a bronze medal from Ntando Msibi in the U20 Boys final, a bronze from Teal Hogg in the U20 Girls final and a fourth in the Men’s final for Chris Frolich.

Llewellyn Whittaker’s third place in the Men’s Division helped Eden Surfriders  finish sixth overall ahead of Ugu Surf riders who needed more finalists that just their eight time SA champion Heather Clark to finish higher up the rankings.

The Invitation Team came eighth and uThungulu Surfriders were ninth. 
 
51st  South African Surfing Championships 

Final Results

Team Title
1. Cape Town                                         
2. Buffalo City                                                      
3. Nelson Mandela Bay                                        
4. Cape Winelands                                              
5. eThekweni                                                
6. Eden                                            
7. Ugu                                                        
8. Invitation Team
9. uThungulu                                                       

Men
1. Greg Emslie (Buffalo City)                                   
2. Brandon Benjamin (Cape Town)                                   
3. Llewellyn Whittaker (Eden)                         
4. Chris Frolich (eThekweni)                                          

Women
1. Nikita Robb (Buffalo City)                                    
2. Tarryn Chudleigh (Cape Town)                                                                 
3. Heather Clark (Ugu)                                    
4. Faye Zoetmulder (Nelson Mandela Bay)

U20 Boys
1. Ethan Fletcher (Cape Town)                                    
2. Adin Masencamp (Cape Winelands)                                    
3. Ntando Msibi (eThekweni)
4. Jordy Maree (Cape Town)                                       

U20 Girls
1. Natasha Van Greunen (Cape Winelands)                                          
2. Britney Linder (Nelson Mandela Bay)                                     
3. Teal Hogg (eThekweni)                                           
4. Danica Stockigt (Buffalo City)

Surfer of the Contest
Nikita Robb (Buffalo City)

NMBS came third - well done team!