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Boardfolio.com >> ASP World Tour News >> Round Two Continues In Good Waves

Occy takes out Tim Curran with his classic backhand surfing at Jeffreys Bay. Billabong Pro (July 15-25 July 2003) www.billabongpro.com Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) www.aspworldtour.com World Championship Tour (WCT) Press Release Round Two Continues In Good Waves Saturday July 19, 2003 (Jeffreys Bay, South Africa) The Billabong Pro resumed today with nine more heats of round two completed. The US$250,000 World Championship Tournament (WCT) was initially placed on standby this morning due to the swell's slow arrival, but as J-Bay began to turn on, contest director Mike Parsons pushed the 'go' button and the strong beach crowd was served a surfing feast this afternoon. Fresh Southwest offshore winds and an increasing 4ft (1.3m) swell provided ideal conditions, though later heats became inconsistent as the tide filled in. 1999 world champion Mark Occhilupo (Gold Coast, Aus) won the day's first match against Tim Curran (USA). The 1984 event winner found better set waves and gave the crowd plenty to enjoy with his classic backhand surfing. Following the Christening of his four-month old son Jay two days ago on the water's edge at Supertubes, today's win added to an already significant week for the Occhilupo family. Curran, meanwhile, required a perfect ride worth 10-points to catch-up. "It's a worry surfing against Tim in small surf," began Occhilupo. "He's beaten me a few times before in waves this small, so I was a bit nervous. After getting a couple of good waves and Timmy not making his, I felt confident. I'm really relieved getting through. "It's been all-time," he continued, of his trip to Jeffreys. "Having my baby Jay Christened here, with all my friends around the other day to celebrate was really special. Now we're back to work and I'm feeling good. I'm excited about the swell coming as it could be really big." Damien Hobgood (USA) then controlled his heat with Toby Martin (Aus). The Floridian posted an 8.67 for a series of backhand re-entries and then a long floater, before collecting another 8.0 for a clean tube-ride to seal victory on his final ride. His combined total of 16.67-points was the highest of the day. "We haven't surfed in a couple of days, so I was just trying to get a couple under my belt straight away," explained Hobgood. "Toby went a wave and then a really nice set came in and I got a good score. I just kept working on my position from there, and the inside wave I took ended up doubling up and I got a little barrel and did a couple of turns, so was stoked." Last week's World Qualifying Series (WQS) winner at nearby Durban, Neco Padaratz (Florianopolis, Brz), continued his momentum with a great win over Nathan Webster (Narrabeen, Aus). The Brazilian picked off his best ride from up the point near 'Boneyards' and managed to connect his turns all the way through to the inside section at 'Supers', even finding a tube and throwing in a 360 for good measure. He was rewarded a 9.0 and then collected another 7.17 score toward the end. "I was watching the heats before mine and knew the tide was changing," explained Padaratz, of his successful tactic of paddling further up the point. "I just stayed up there and tried to get some better sized ones. Luckily my first wave went all the way through. "This is my life and I'm really focused on it," he added, of winning the last WQS event. "Hopefully I can keep on getting results like that and do well." Former world #2 Shane Powell (Aus) survived an extremely slow heat for waves against Danilo Costa (Brz) in the second last heat of the day. A passing pod of dolphins provided the main entertainment during the 35-minutes, as both surfers struggled to find anything to ride. Powell ultimately advanced with a couple of low scores, following some fast waves that ran down the point. Classic 6-8 ft (2-2.6m) waves are predicted for tomorrow's anticipated round three showdowns, with competition likely to begin around 7:30am (local time). South Africa's sole remaining contestant - Sean Holmes (Wilderness) - will face reigning world champion and current runaway ratings leader Andy Irons (Kauai, Haw) in heat #8 tomorrow. Holmes eliminated Irons at the same stage of last year's event on his way to a fifth place finish in the tournament. Following in the footsteps of the Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti, the Jeffreys Bay tournament will once again be a three-camera webcast with live streaming footage, live scores and commentary available on www.billabongpro.com or www.aspworldtour.com.

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