Home is where the waves are
THE Sea Harvest SA Interclub Championships taking place at Durban’s New Pier Beach today is one of the most hotly contested surfing events on the local calendar.
Seventy of the country’s hottest surfers will set aside individual pride for team glory today when 14 teams, representing 11 surf clubs, will vie to become the number one club in South Africa.
Top seeds in the event are the defending champions and hosts, the North Swell A-Team, which includes three former National Team members and pro surfers Brandon Jackson, Josh Redman and David Weare, former SA Champ finalist Chris Frolich and up and coming star Gabi Herbst.
On paper, the North Swell A Team should romp home to victory with their ‘A-Listers’.
But they will be hard pressed to win the coveted title with some of their biggest pressure coming from their very own club members who make up a formidable B-Team.
New Pier stars James Ribbink, and Karl Steen, former National Team member and SA Champs runner up Chad du Toit and SA Junior team members Kayla Nogueira and Luke Thompson make up the second team.
J-Bay Surf Club, who were runners up to North Swell last year at Muizenberg in Cape Town, will represent the Eastern Cape with a strong team made up of current SA Champion Joshe Faulkner, his cousin Angelo Faulkner, Stephano Jantjies and Jerry Van Wyk.
Papi Makinyane, Paul Sampson, Ntando Nqdala and Lele Zozi of the Muizenberg based Surf Bothers Movement were third in 2019 and they also aim to return to Cape Town with the winner’s trophy in their hand luggage.
Also in the mix to cause major upsets will be the Durban based Sisonke A-Team who placed an impressive fourth in last years’ Interclub Champs.
Sisonke Surf Club will be relying on Simo Mkhize, Khayelihle Ngcobo, Mikhael Vawda and former SA Champion
Tasha Mentasti to bring home the gold.
WSL competitor Beyrick de Vries, former SA Team member Dan Redman, top SA Junior Tide Lee Ireland, Matthew Kruger and Gabi Lailvaux make up the Wave Wizards team from Umhlanga Rocks while former SA Team members Gavin Roberts, Casey Grant, Gary Van Wieringen and Heather Clark are joined by Rory Gibson in the Skulls team from the South Coast.
Ubuntu Surf Club and North Coast Boardriders from the iLembe District, Trafalgar Saints Surf Club, Genesis Wave of Hope Surf Club and fellow KZN South Coast club South Shore Surf Club make up the balance of the teams taking part.
■ The ‘live’ heat draw and live scores will be available online on www. liveheats.com/surfingsouthafrica and www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.
The Sea Harvest SA Interclub Championships is supported by the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa and Surfing South Africa.