Brand and Gibbens Grab Titles on Second Leg of 2009 Quiksilver King of the Groms Series

June 16, 2009 by J!-ENT

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-Natal on 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 Beach and 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.

In the Under 20 division the talented Brendon Gibbens (Cape Town) took down some big names on his way to the final against Umhlanga local Chris Leppan. Gibbens had his work cut out for him on his way to the final, but surfed with confidence and flare throughout the event to secure his place in the final. Opening his account shortly after the start of the heat with a 6.25, Gibbens could only watch from behind as Leppan took off on one of the bigger waves of the final and launched a huge backhand 360 aerial. The wiry Durbanite then continued to work the wave across the shallow sandbank to secure an 8.00 and take the lead from his younger competitor.

But Gibbens would not go down without a fight and quickly answered back with a huge backhand air of his own, and as the wave continued to run cross the length of Heralds Bay he smashed another four moves and kicked out in the shorebreak to find cheers from the crowd. The judges clearly shared the crowd’s enthusiasm, awarding Gibbens an 8.75 out of a possible 10 and pushing him back into the lead. As the heat progressed Gibbens again found himself on a beautiful looking left and replaced his 6.25 with a 7 to push him even further ahead of Leppan. It was a lead Leppan was unable to surpass and Gibbens left the water victorious at the end of the 20 minute final.

“I’m really happy with my performance today,” said Gibbens after the final. “Chris is a great surfer and I was a bit nervous going into the final with him, but I decided just to concentrate on my own surfing and do the best I could and everything just worked out in the end. I’m super happy with the win.”

Leppan’s runner-up finish was enough to push him ahead of fellow Umhlanga surfer Beyrick de Vries (16) who won the Long Beach leg in March and backed it up with a tie third finish in Heralds Bay. Leppan’s two second place finishes see him a mere 10 points ahead of de Vries going into the final event of the series in Scottburgh in August, but Gibbens has given himself a shot at the title and there are still several other surfers in contention. The eventual Under 20 Quiksilver King of the Groms series winner will receive a return air ticket to Hawaii – surfing’s most hallowed proving grounds – for the 2009 winter season.

Reigning ASP Africa Junior Champion Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit) contested the other semi-final against Gibbens, but couldn’t find the for he needed to eliminate the eventual winner and was relegated to tie-third with de Vries.

Consisting of an Under 16 and an Under 20 division, the focus of the King of the Groms series is primarily on the Under 16 division, and has become one of the driving forces in unearthing South Africa’s blossoming surfing talent as entrants compete for R22,000 in prize money at each leg. The first event in Kommetjie was a mobile event with the first day taking place at Witsands and the final day at Long Beach, Kommetjie.

The Quiksilver King of the Groms is presented by Virgin Mobile in association with Resolution, and is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Entry forms for the remaining leg can be obtained by logging on to www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.