2009-06-17
15:03
Kommetjie local Davey Brand was crowned King of the Groms after taking out the title and the R3,500 winner's cheque in the premier Under 16 division at the second leg of the 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms in fun conditions at Heralds Bay in the Southern Cape today.
In a repeat of the final of the first leg in Long Beach in March, Brand found himself up against fellow Kommetjie local Michael February, but was able to turn the tables on February and walk away with the win in today's match-up. With Brand and February swapping positions today, the pair now find themselves in tie first on the Quiksilver King of the Groms series ratings with the last leg due to take place in Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natalon 15 and 16 August.
The eventual series winner will contest the world final of the Quiksilver King of the Groms which will be held in conjunction with the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France WCT contest.
In the 20 minute final Brand found himself in the perfect position for the two best waves of the heat, working the long left-hand walls all the way to the beach to secure a substantial lead over close friend February. February on the other hand, had been the form surfer throughout the event, consistently posting impressive scores and relegating some big names, but in the final he could not find a decent wave and by the time the siren sounded the end of the event the lanky goofy-footer needed a combination of scores to pass Brand.
"Today's result was a great one for me," said Brand on the beach afterwards, "and I'm really stoked I was able to reverse the result from Long Beachand join Mikey on the top of the ratings. The surf was really fun all day, especially in the earlier rounds, and I was really enjoying surfing my forehand out there."
The semi-finals saw two relatively new names emerge as Victoria Bay local Vincent Whithers put his local knowledge to excellent use to upset some big names and storm his way to tie third, while Kommetjie surfer Daniel Wilson (Kom) almost caused the upset of the event as he came within seconds of eliminating eventual winner Davey Brand in their semi-final encounter. Brand was lying in second throughout the 20 minute semi-final after battling to find a decent wave, and only managed to snag one and usurp Wilson's lead in the dying seconds of the heat.