SA Masters in Mossels

The ballies are bailing for Mossels. EP has got a strong team of toppies this year, so let's hope they can kick some butt. Conditions are looking pretty good with some solid swell set to pull in from Friday. Tis cool, cos our guys n gals are more than happy in the big stuff. Pity that Mike Hill is still stuck in Nam cos of some car issues & has had to withdraw from the team, although not sure if he can remember how to surf rights anyway after nearly 2 months going backhand barrel hunting.
Good luck team!!

Let's hope the ballies pull a couple of these.....

From Surfing South Africa:
The ninth annual South African Masters Surfing Championships will take place in Mossel Bay on the Southern Cape coast starting tomorrow (Thursday) and ending with the finals in the six divisions on Sunday.

Over 120 surfers from eight provinces are making their way to this Southern Cape surfing town to compete in a this popular tournament which features surfers from as ‘young’ as 31 to over 60 years of age.

Border, the defending champions and six time winners of the Masters Cup, have once again assembled a side that looks almost unbeatable. Star attraction in the team from East London is current World Masters Champion Greg Emslie. He is backed up by 2013 National Masters teammates Andre and David Malherbe and Wayne Monk and former National Masters team representatives Nick Pike, Mike Brent and Kevin O’Brien. Other stars in the team include Gareth Sepp, Brian Heathcote and Tyrell Johnson.

Eastern Province have also put together a solid side which includes some former champions and fine all round performers such as Michele van Kempen, Kelvin Zehmke, Trevor Hansen,Kurt Buchner,Duncan Scott,Wayne Klerck and Mush Hide.

Western Province will be hoping to improve on a poor 2012 performance in Durban and have a solid group of surfers in their squad. Former National team member Graeme Field and top contest surfers Stephan Lindeque, Andrew Preen, Sean Jerram, Andre Mory, Jeremy Zinn and Carolyn Dent lead the WP charge for glory while neighbours Boland will be hoping to repeat their good result of 2012.

Their team is headed up by Shane Pratt, Richard Heath,Gunther Schultz, Matt Marais, Johan Bredell, Jaimii Hamlin and Tammy Roberts.

Southern Cape, the hosts this year, have included defending Women’s champion Tasha Mentasti in their side along with Mossel Bay local Llewellyn Whittaker who won his division when the SA Masters was last held in Mossel Bay back in 2009. Also in the Southern Cape group is former National team member Colin Buitendag, loyal Southern Cape surfer Steve Hair, provincial chairman Mike Sheppard, Charles Reitz, Barry Delport and Lloyd Chapman.

Last year’s hosts, KZN Central, have included SA Champion Warren Dixon in their side as well as former National team member Rob Moore Boyle as well as two former National team members, Mike Burness and Paul Canning but the team is short of a few surfers and might not do as well as last year.

Southern KZN will only be represented by five surfers in Mossel Bay but three of the five are stars of the Masters Championships and National Masters teams. Heading the group is former World Masters Champion Heather Clark who is joined by 2013 SA Masters Team members Gary Van Wieringen and Carl Roux. All three could win gold this year and despite the size of their team they could challenge the bigger provinces in the individual finals.

The eighth team competing is Zululand who have put together a full team to make the long journey from Richards Bay to the Southern Cape. As the confirmed hosts of the 2014 SA Masters Championships, the team from Zululand are out to impress and the team expects to do well despite losing the services of stalwart Fred Le Roux who sadly broke his leg 10 days ago and cannot compete.

Their stars are Alan Johns, who won a magnificent Nixon watch for the highest wave score in the recent Jeffrey’s Bay Open, Marc Jackson and Robin Lavery and Vince King, all of whom are former South African team surfers, Mike Frew, Darryl Adamson, Bushy Greeff and Calla Esterhuizen.

who sent a small team to East London last year and finished in an uncomfortable last place, will be aiming to rectify this.

The 2013 SA Masters Championships will decide seven individual champions and determine the top Provincial team. Each team member’s points will count towards the Masters Cup, which was won by Southern KZN in 2005 and 2006 and by Border in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Teams in the SA Masters Championships will gather at Big Blu in Mossel Bay at 7pm tonight for a social function. The first rounds will get under way at 7.30am on Thursday September 5th