Friendy Flares At Couran Cove

Will H-S

Chris Friend carving to a Couran Cove victory. Pic Surfing QLD

Points of interest from the last 24 hours of the Couran Cove Pro Junior.

THE INTERNATIONALS

Californian Nat Young looked sharp in his quarter final until he snapped his favourite board in the heavy shorey. With his back-up board he was unable find the score he needed and was beaten by South African Chad Du Toit. Chad had a cracker of a semi against Chris Friend and looked as though he was destined for the final, until Friend scored a buzzer beater to send the Saffer packing.

UNLUCKY

Davey Cathels came in from his quarter final with his head and shoulders hanging low after losing to Ice Pereria-Ryan. Davey had two amazing waves with smooth combos of big turns out the back, but on both waves he was unable to come out after pulling into the shorey. If he'd made either tube they would have been easily some of the higher soring waves for the day.

BAD APPLES

The night before the final a group of groms went on a teenage rampage through the resort, smashing lights and spraying each other with fire hydrants. Other than the actions of a couple groms gone wild this was an amazing event and all the competitors were frothing on the island resort.

THE FINAL

Last event runner-up Chris Friend went one better this morning at the Couran Cove Pro Junior, defeating Mitch Crews in the Final.

The two Queenslanders went to battle in clean four to five foot waves at the northern end of South Stradbroke Island. Mitch struck first linking together some solid turns on the outside bank, but to get a high score you needed a wave that'd reform in the shorey and Mitch's wave fizzled and valuable endzone points went begging.

Friend waited patiently and was rewarded with the wave of the day to open his account. Friendy went to town; reo, cuttie, snap followed by a huge air-drop floater on the shorey earning a 9.5.

Currumbin Kid Crews fought back but wasn't able to find a wave that could match Friendy's bomb and that was all she wrote.