GREAT SUCCESS AT LIZZARD HURRICANE SUMMER SURF

Conditions on Saturday were very tricky with rain and small 1-2 foot surf. However on Sunday it all turned on and surfers were greeted with glassy 3-4 ft waves with very little wind.

The Open Men Division was won by Ballito local Richard Kidd who displayed solid consistent surfing over the two days and took home R5000 cash from Lizzard for his efforts. Mt Moreland surfer Matt Kruger was thrilled to place second and pocket R2500 as it was his first competition in many years. Chad du Toit from the Berea placed 3rdfor the third year in a row and vows he will be back next year for a win. Dan Redman got fourth place and shared the balance of R2500 with Chad.

Cape Town surfer Natasha Van Greunan showed some real talent and not only took home the win in the Open Ladies R2500 from Hurricane, but also won a further R1000 cash from Zigzag magazine for being the surfer who stood out over the weekend. Runner up for the R1500 from Hurricane was Lynne Mackey, and Nicole Pallet took home 3rdwith R750, and Heather Clark from South Coast 4thwith R250 cash.

Hurricane Surfboards gave a custom made board valued at around R5200 to Matt Kruger as the surfer who not only surfed brilliantly, but also has a great attitude and approach to people and the ocean.

The Just Juice Tag event was again the highlight of the weekend with local Umhlanga Club 'Wave Wizards' taking on their fierce rivals from North Beach Durban 'North Swell Club'. Local Beyrick de vries came alive and posted a 9 point ride helping the on form team to victory. Team mates Dan Redman, Matt Kruger, Mikey Venter and Teal Hogg were all smiles knowing they had won the lions share of the R10 000 prize money. Northswell Club placed second, the Masters Team 3rdand the Grom Team 4th.

Other local businesses helped out at the contest including Umhlanga's Pick n Pay who supplied the judges with delicious food for the two days, Bar Ba Coa who gave vouchers, Gosh Brownies were a treat for the staff and Hooters gave some extra vouchers.

Surfers, parents and spectators were very stoked with the organization of the event and emails of thanks have been pouring in to Wave Wizards Club Chairman Jestyn Viljoen:

'It is such a pleasure to see so many families all joining in together and having fun in the ocean. The conditions this year were not exceptional but we still saw some outstanding surfing on show. Big thanks to the sponsors, judges, committee, lifesavers and Umhlanga Tourism, who all helped out in making this year another huge success'.