CURL CURL -– Former ISA World Junior Champion Julian Wilson (Coolum) made an impressive comeback from injury to win the premier U20 boys division of the Ocean and Earth International Teenage Rampage at Sydney’s Curl Curl Beach today.
Wilson, who has not surfed a contest in four months due to a plaguing ankle injury, rose to the top of the 50-strong field that included nearly 20 top international competitors, to win Aus $2500 when he defeated ASP Australasia Pro Junior rated No. 2 surfer Heathe Joske (Nambucca Heads) in the final.
“This feels so good to come back with a win after so much time out of competition,” Wilson said. “Heathe (Joske) is a great surfer and I knew he’d be tough to beat here today.”
Wilson scored a near perfect 9.00 (out of ten) followed by a 7.5 in the first five minutes of the heat leaving Joske to play catch-up for the remainder of the final.
“I’d been watching the conditions all day and with the tide going out I chose to sit on a different bank where I saw a few rights coming through,” Wilson explained. ” It was a good call and my win today is just the confidence boost I needed going into next week’s World Juniors.”
Wilson will be competing in the trials of the ASP World Juniors at North Narrabeen next week after which he will focus his attention on making his new surf film in 2009.
Joske finished with a runner-up placing earning AUS$1500 while Magno Pacheco (Bra) finished in third with Matt Wilkinson (Copocabana) took home fourth.
In the Boys U16 division it was the very stylish Matt Banting (Port Macquarie) who took top honors winning a hotly contested final over Jack Freestone (Coolangatta), Ryan Callinan (Merewether) and Max Ayshford (Maroubra).
Banting, who’s refined contest savvy saw him sit patiently out the back waiting for only the best looking waves with the most scoring potential, sealed his victory with two impressive scores.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the year,” Banting said. “Jack (Freestone) and Ryan (Callinan) are always tough competition, I’ve competed against them all year and there were some heated exchanges between them in that heat. I’m just stoked it went my way today.”
Freestone and Callinan went toe for toe for second place but it was the more critical surfing from Freestone that saw the Queenslander eclipse Callinan to finish in second.
Phillipa Anderson (Merewether) emerged as a firm standout in both the U20 and U16 Girls divisions where she took two consecutive first place finishes.
Anderson held off a strong charge from Japanese surfer Nao Oura in the U16’s and despite an early lead from Oura it was the two radical rides from Anderson in the last few minutes that saw her seal her victory with Oura placing second, Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta) third and Skye Burgess fourth.
The U13 boys division saw some sensational surfing from overall winner Eli Steele (Moffat beach) who surfed well beyond his years to defeat O’Neil Massin (Tahiti), Matt King (Ulladulla) and Chris Robertson (Cronulla).
The U13 Girls division was won by Kirsten Ogden (Crescent Heads) who topped Stephanie Single (Lennox Head), Sophie Bernard (Manly) and Cali McDonagh (Curl Curl).
