The Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team has contested the first two days of the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships notching up some impressive wins against the world class surfers from 28 countries around the world.

Nine of the twelve-strong team remain in the main event with three surfers having been relegated into the repercharge rounds. Being an ISA event, all surfers get two ‘lives’ at the event meaning a surfer can lose in Round 1 of the event and still move through to the final and win a world title.

The 2009 ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships is being held at Salinas, Ecuador. The prestigious event takes place from the 28th of March through to the 5th April.

Bay of Plenty duo Alex Dive and Matt Hewitt have shown superior skills advancing through to the final 32 surfers in the Under 18 Men’s Division. Overnight Dive won his second round heat posting a brilliant 13.83 scoreline. Hewitt placed second in his heat scoring 12.84 out of a possible 20.

Dive defeated surfers from Hawaii, South Africa and Brazil to win his heat posting scores of 7.83 and 6.0. Equally as dominating was Matt Hewitt who posted scores of 8.17 and 4.67 to beat surfers from South Africa and Hawaii.

Overnight the Under 18 Girls got their campaigns underway with Alexis Poulter leading the way with an intelligently surfed heat. Poulter scored 9.83 to win her heat. India Wray-Murane (Raglan) and Rosa Thompson (Auckland) placed second in their heats to also move through the first round.

Surfers to be relegated into the repercharge rounds included Buck Woods, Johnny Hicks and Jayda Martin Fitzharris all of Gisborne. Woods and Hicks were contesting their second round match ups and both stumbled in heats that they should have advanced through. Martin-Fitzharris encountered a difficult heat first up and placed third but bounced back late in the day winning her repercharge round heat.

On the first day of the event the Under 16 Boys all progressed through their heats. Australian based Damo Norman was the pick of the boys performances winning his heat which included a 6.83 point ride – the ninth highest scoring wave of the round.

Ben Poulter (Raglan), Todd Doyle (Mount Maunganui) and Joe Moretti (Mimiwhangata) all made it through their first round heats placing second.

The Under 16 Boys are likely to hit the water for round 2 on day three of the event as well as the Under 18 Girls.

The swell is expected to increase further from the current 1.0m – 1.5m size at present.

Prior to the event kicking off the New Zealand team contested the SANZ Challenge with South Africa. The two time defending champ Kiwi team were defated by a strong South African outfit who won all three divisions as well as placing first and second in the tag team event. Shaun Joubert won the Under 18 Boys Division despite coming up against three Kiwis in the final. Joe Moretti (Mimiwhangata) was the most impressive in the Under 16 Boys making it through to the final as did Jayda Martin Fitzharris in the Under 18 Girls.

Please see below for day two results of the Rip Curl New Zealand Junior Surfing Team competing at the 2009 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships being held at Salinas, Ecuador.

Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 1
Heat 7
1, Alex Dive, NZL, 2, Yuto Takahashi, JPN, 3, Daniel Kelly, MEX
Heat 10
1, Jonhny Hicks, NZL, 2, Kai Ojima, JPN, 3, Othmane Choufani, MOR
Heat 22
1, Buck Woods, NZL, 2, Taiki Kurokoshi, JPN, 3, Shane Simmonds, JAM
Heat 27
1, Matt Hewitt, NZL, 2, Kaishu Tanaka, JPN, 3, Kai Lowe, MEX

Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 2
Heat 3
1, Alex Dive, NZL, 2, Matthew Bromley, ZAF, 3, Filipe Bras, BRA, 4, Tanner Hendrickso, HAW
Heat 6
1, Ian Gouveia, BRA, 2, Angelo Bonomelli, ITA, 3, Francisco Alves, POR, 4, Johnny Hicks, NZL
Heat 12
1, Johan de Aguiar, VEN, 2, Rainers Pena, VEN, 3, Francisco Sousa, POR, 4, Buck Woods, NZL
Heat 13
1, Miguel Pupo, BRA, 2, Matt Hewitt, NZL, 3, Dale Staples, ZAF, 4, Kyle Galtes, HAW

Under 18 Boys Qualifying Round 3 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 1
Jordih Watson, AUS, Danny Bishko, CRI, Alex Dive, NZL, Eric Torres, PRC
Heat 8
Johnatan Zambran, ECU, Matt Hewitt, NZL, Nat Young, USA, Joaquin d Castillo., PER

Under 18 Repercharge Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 5
Aaron Reid, IRE, Johnny Hicks, NZL, Armani Green, JAM, Julio Querales, VEN
Heat 11
Albee Layer, HAW, Buck Woods, NZL, Lloyd Jacks, JAM, Cillian Ryan, IRE

Under 16 Boys Qualifying Round 1
Heat 7
1, Slade Prestwich, ZAF, 2, Ben Poulter, NZL, 3, Iarom Travers, IRE, 4, Philipp Mappes, GER
Heat 11
1, David Brand, ZAF, 2, Todd Doyle, NZL, 3, Leonardo Fioravanti, ITA, 4, Conor Maguire, IRE
Heat 15
1, Mikey February, ZAF, 2, Joe Moretti, NZL, 3, James Garvey, IRE, 4, Cain Logue, IRE
Heat 19
1, Damien Norman, NZL, 2, Dane Staples, ZAF, 3, Alejandro Satt, CHI, 4, Vasco Fragoso, GER

Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 1
Heat 7
1, Tanika Hoffman, ZAF, 2, Rosa Thompson, NZL, 3, Ocean Diamond, PRC, 4, Jodie Tracy, GER
Heat 11
1, Sarah Baum, ZAF, 2, India Wray Murane, NZL, 3, Kelly Laide, PRC, 4, Pamela Verboonen, MEX
Heat 15
1, Bianca Buitendag, ZAF, 2, Liza Caban, PRC, 3, Jayda Fitzharris, NZL, 4, Ninotchka Acevedo, PRC
Heat 19
1, Alexis Poulter, NZL, 2, Kirsty Delport, ZAF, 3, Virginia Giesen, GER, 4, Alejandra Gil Lopez, GUA

Under 18 Girls Qualifying Round 2 (Yet to be surfed)
Heat 4
Kaleigh Gilchrist, USA, Chelsea Tuach, BAR, Malia Manuel, HAW, Rosa Thompson, NZL
Heat 6
Lakey Peterson, USA, Gabi Rowe, UK, Leila Hurst, HAW, India W. Murane, NZL
Heat 9
Kirby Wright, AUS, Valeria Sole, PER, Alexis Poulter, NZL, Ana Sarmento, POR

Under 18 Girls Repercharge Round 1
Heat 7
1, Jayda Fitzharris, NZL, 2, Tassy Swallow, UK

The World Junior Surfing Championships is an annual event having been held since 2003. New Zealand has competed at the event since its inception as well as competing at the World Grommet Titles as it was formerly known since 1989. New Zealand has been one of the top nations at each event with Jay Quinn (Gis) securing New Zealand’s first World Championship in the Under 18 Men’s division in 2001. In 2008 the New Zealand team placed sixth at the event with the best result coming from Airini Mason who placed fourth in the Under 18 Girls Division.

The event is being broadcast live over the net via www.isasurf.org. Media releases relating specifically to the New Zealand team’s performance will be distributed throughout the event.

For further information regarding the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team please contact Ben Kennings at Surfing New Zealand 07 8250018, 0212278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.

Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by

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Hyundai
SPARC
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