Hurley SA junior Champs in Durban – Final Winners

 JBay’s Kai Woolf clinches U13 girls champs:

Kai Woolf (JBay, EP) today clinched the U13 girls championship at the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Durban’s New Pier today. Nine-year-old Woolf, the youngest competitor in the event, posted a solid victory over Ruth Armstrong (WP), Cana Foster (KZN) and Lauren Ridge (Bor) respectively to win the overall title in her division.

Max Armstrong (Kommetjie, Cape Town, WP)  won the U15 boys title
at the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Durban¹s New Pier today. Armstrong was a
clear standout in the tricky onshore waves during the final, beating Simo
Mkhize (SKZN), Steffan Burrows (Border) and Matthew McGillivray
respecitvely.

Josh Smit (Durban, KZN) clinched the U17 boys title 
at the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Durban¹s New Pier today. 
Smit convincingly beat Jarred Veldhuis (EP), Benjamin Brand (WP) 
and Mikey Venter (KZN) respectively to claim the prestigious 
U17 boys crown and earn his South African colours.

Emma Smith (JBay, EP) finished runner up in the U17 girls division of the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Durban¹s New Pier today. Smith was narrowly sidelined into second spot by winner Sarah Baum (KZN). Nicole Pallet (WP) and Amy Bosworth (WP) finished third and fourth respectively.

Tahra Uren(PE,EP) won the U15 girls title of the Hurley SA Junior Champs.¹s New Pier today. 
Tahra beat Chanelle Botha (SKZN), Courney Ellish (SKZN) and 
Jade Mets (KZN) respectively in the closely contested final 
to take the win.

Overview of the day’s events and all the final results:

In fun and high-performance waves at New Pier,Durban, the Hurley SA Junior Champs surfed to a close today, with some exciting heats and finals.

The waves remained glassy for most of the day though the wind that came up in the afternoon affected some heats.

The on-shore wind did little to dampen the spirit of surfers who used the wind for ramps and stylish surfing. The standard of surfing was exceptionally high.

All the Boys results:

In the U13 boys it appeared that Jordan Maree would go all the way in the final, and get another medal for the dresser but during the last seconds of the heat young Adin Masencamp snatched a last-minute wave, went to town on it, and just edged past Maree for the victory.

U13 Boys:

1. Adin Masencamp (Bol)

2. Jordan Maree (WP)

3. Jose Faulkner (EP)

4. Donovan Wichmann (WP)

In the U15 Boys Max Armstrong showed his skills in the final, and in fact had been turning heads all week for his powerful and polished surfing. Max surfed with a maturity beyond his years and pulled off some big turns in the final to take it from Simo Mkhize.

U15 Boys:

1. Max Armstrong (WP)

2. Simo Mkhize (SKZN)

3. Steffen Burrows (Bol)

4. Matt McGillivray (EP)

The U17 heat had four equally talented and motivated surfers all competing for the title of SA Champ. Mikey Venter struggled to find the connecting waves and ended up in fourth place. Brandon Benjamin showed flashes of brilliance but could not find a solid second wave. Jarred Veldhuis was hungry for the win, but not as hungry as Josh Smith who found the double-up rights off the pier and tore them to pieces tp get the nod from the judges as the new SA Junior Champ.

U17 Boys:

1. Josh Smit (KZNC)

2. Jarred Veldhuis (EP)

3. Brandon Benjamin (WP)

4. Mikey Venter (KZNC)

All the Girls’ results:

The girls were ripping for the finals. In the U13 girls it was 9-year-old Kai Woolf from EP, the youngest surfer in the final, who stole the show with her gutsy performance, and who finished off with a most eloquent speech at the event prize-giving. The diminutive goofy-footer tore into the onshore waves at New Pier and received one of the loudest cheers on her first place finish.

Girls U13:

1. Kai Woolf (EP)

2. Ruth Armstrong (WP)

3.CanaFoster (KZNC)

4.LaurenRidge(Bor)

Tahra Uren put on an excellent performance in her final to beat division favourite Chanelle Botha in the onshore conditions and was also a popular winner.

Girls U15:

1. Tahra Uren (EP)

2. Chanelle Botha (SKZN)

3. Courtney Ellish (SKZN)

4. Anoush Zakarian (Bol)

All photos: Karen/ Hurley. (St Francis Chronicle thanks Karen for granting us permission to use her high resolution photos she sent.)

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