Lepront and Wiersma win Premier U16 Division at the Rip Curl GromSearch

East Beach, Port Alfred – Big, blustery and consequential conditions hit East Beach, and it was finals time for the Premier U16 division as well as the U18 division of the Rip Curl GromSearch presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel and supported by Sea Harvest. The Rip Curl GromSearch is an anchor event of the annual Port Alfred Easter Festival.

Premier U16 Girls

Undaunted by the gruelling conditions, it was Leah Lepront who surfed her way to victory in the Premier U16 Girls Division, taking the win from Jasmine Venter to secure her berth into the Rip Curl International Finals. She also takes the R20k travel voucher to help her along the way to the Rip Curl GromSearch International Finals event.

“I’ve been working so hard and training for this event,” said Lepront. “This was my one focus, and I am so happy that I took out the win.”

 Premier U16 Boys

Similarly, local Port Alfred standout Carl Wiersma ruled supreme. with a heat total of 15.50 (out of a possible 20 points) to take the U16 Boys win. Wiersma was the standout in the U16 Boys division, surfing at an incredible level throughout this event, and will also be flying out to the Rip Curl GromSearch International Final later this year. He beat goofy-footer Ben Esterhuyse into second place, with another local, Owen Heny, third, and Melokuhle Zotshana fourth.

“It was tough out there,” said Wiersma of the heavy conditions. “I paddled across to the mouth and was just waiting there, ducking under the sets, and then I saw this double-up and I paddled across and got it, and it was the best wave of the final.”

 U18 Girls

The U18 Girls final was another exciting affair, with superior surfing from Taylor Emslie seeing her take the win from Louise Lepront, with Leah Lepront and Camilla Heuer filling up the 3rd and 4th positions respectively. Emslie’s highest scoring wave banked 8.5 points in the early moments of the final and saw her shoot into the lead and keep her position there until the end.

U18 Boys

In the U18 Boys final, it was all about power surfing, with the strong goofy-footer Loghann Tilsley coming on strong at the end of the heat to grab the lead from Rory Dace. Tilsley showed supremacy in the massive conditions at East Beach.

As the tide rushed in and the wind dropped in the late afternoon, the waves improved somewhat, allowing for massive scoring potential and subsequent big scores on the board for these surfers. Ben Esterhuyse and Cooper Smith were third and fourth.

The Rip Curl GromSearch presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel is part of the Port Alfred Easter Festival, a multi-sports, music, and culture festival that takes place every Easter weekend in Port Alfred on the banks of the Kowie River.

FINAL RESULTS

U18 Girls

1. Taylor Emslie
2. Louise Lepront
3. Leah Lepront
4. Camilla Heuer

U18 Boys

1. Loghann Tilsley
2. Rory Dace
3. Ben Esterhuyse
4. Cooper Smith

U16 Girls

1. Leah Lepront
2. Jasmine Venter
3. Tasia Belyaeva
4. Camilla Heuer

U16 Boys

1. Carl Wiersma
2. Ben Esterhuyse
3. Owen Heny
4. Melokuhle Zotshana

All images: ©Kody McGregor

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