Wright taking toll on stars
Gallop tip for CA short list
FIRST it was two world champions at the opening event of the 2019 world men’s surfing tour on the Gold Coast.
Now Mikey Wright has sent an Australian world title contender packing at the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.
The wildcard surfing danger man struck in the second round of the annual world tour event, knocking out Ace Buchan in the elimination second round yesterday.
Buchan, who made the final of the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast last month where Wright defeated both John John Florence and Gabriel Medina, will now record a 25th place in the event he had hoped would propel him up the world rankings.
Wright was yesterday just happy to get his second wildcard call-up of the year.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I was really happy to get the call,’’ said Wright, the younger brother of world champion Tyler and world title contender Owen.
“There is always pressure but I just surf against myself and that helps,’’ he said.
Owen Wright also surfed his way out of the elimination round but good mate Matt Wilkinson, a top 10 finisher on the world tour the past two years, came unstuck at the hands of another wildcard, Kael Walsh.
Hometown hero, Walsh, looked solid at Main Break, staying calm, while Wilkinson FOOTBALL Australia boss David Gallop looms as a fascinating leftfield candidate to steady the Cricket Australia ship if upheaval eventuates.
The blowtorch has been applied to James Sutherland after a Test series that plunged the proud Baggy Green into crisis – a chaotic period that contained nervy, unconvincing media performances from the CA boss.
As a cricketer, Gallop opened the bowling with Test paceman Geoff Lawson in a decade-long stint with University of NSW club in Sydney. struggled to find a rhythm and was eliminated in Equal 25th place, his second early exit in 2018.
“I know Matt Wilkinson is a really good competitor and it was always going to be a tough heat,” Walsh said.
“I knew I’d have a good shot at matching it with the best, so I wasn’t really intimidated.
“I’m comfortable in the waves around home and have got Jake Paterson in my corner, who has more knowledge than anyone over here, so knew I was in good hands.”
Current Jeep Leader Italo Ferreira (Brazil) was lucky to overcome injury replacement Miguel Pupo (Brazil) in their Round 2 match-up.
Pupo posted the highest single wave score of the day, an 8.33 in the opening exchange for a series of critical backhand snaps. Ferreira was on the ropes – needing a 7.00 – until the dying minutes of the heat where he found a set and was able to post a 7.50 to narrowly avoid elimination.