The E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche continues in difficult conditions but powers through the remaining ten heats of men's Round 2.
The E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche continued today in wind-affected two foot surf and completed the remaining ten heats of the men's Round 2.
Surfers took on a complicated lineup and negotiated the tricky peaks the best they could to fight for their spot in the top seeded Round 3 when the event resumes.
British surfer Willoughby Masterman from the neighbor island of Jersey was the first to step things up as he bashed a fun little left a handful of times on his backhand to post a 6.83 and take the win. A familiar face on the European junior tour for a few years now, Masterman is yet to crack the latter rounds and perhaps this event on familiar territory could be the breakthrough result the powerful regular foot is chasing.
Willoughby Masterman (GBR) - Round 2 - Heat 8 - WSL / Guillaume Arrieta
"At the beginning it was kind of slow and I kept slipping off my board but finally I found that gem," he said. "I kind of played it safe and tagged it all the way in and the judges liked it so I was happy. I'm very used to the cold and small, windy waves in Jersey so it feels a lot and looks like home too, I like it."
A good Basque battle unfolded later in the round with supergrom Adur Amatriain and Bitor Garitaonandia (pictured up top) fighting for the lead. The two surfers showed different styles in the goofy vs. regular foot battle but eventually Garitaonandia took one over the younger Amatriain who placed second.
Matteo Calatri (ITA) - Round 2 - Heat 9 - WSL / Guillaume Arrieta
"I'm really satisfied to take this one out," Garitaonandia said. "It helps building confidence for the next round and it feels like a job well done. Conditions were super hard but we train a lot in these kind of conditions to be prepared so I felt alright in the heat. Adur and I sometimes train together, he's from Zarautz and I'm from Deba so pretty close and we've surfed a lot together and against each other. I think he's definitely won more than me so I'm stoked to get him today."
15 year-old Amatriain did however score the heat and day's best single score of 7.00 points on a single maneuver and was left chasing a mid 6 to turn the situation once again.
Adur Amatriain (EUK) - Round 2 - Heat 10 - WSL / Guillaume Arrieta
"I got that wave at the beginning of the heat," he explained. "It looked like it had potential and I just went for a big turn. It was tricky to find anything else and I managed to score a 5 something and thankfully that was enough to advance."
Matteo Calatri and Noah Capps were two other standouts in today's conditions as they managed to find scores in the good range (above 6 points). A few upsets were also witnessed as surfers from Brittany failed to capitalize on home court advantage and were sent home in Round 2. Four surfers from the region, Axel Droual, Tom Esteva, Aurélien Buffet and Thomas Grisoni are still in contention.
Local Crowds Enjoy Fun-Filled Event Site
Ambiance on competition area - WSL / GUILLAUME ARRIETA
The organizers of the E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche have compiled a list of on-site activations featuring local Surf Life Saving club ASSPB29, a photo exhibition on the beach, concerts and movie screenings from the Brest Surf Film Festival, giving spectators plenty of entertainment aside from the main event.
Competitors will be back at 8 a.m Friday to re-assess conditions and decide of the day's schedule.
Tune in from May 1-5, 2019 and check out all the photos, videos and updates right here on worldsurfleague.com!
Tough Conditions for Second Day of Action in La Torche
Nicolas Leroy
The E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche continued today in wind-affected two foot surf and completed the remaining ten heats of the men's Round 2.
Surfers took on a complicated lineup and negotiated the tricky peaks the best they could to fight for their spot in the top seeded Round 3 when the event resumes.
British surfer Willoughby Masterman from the neighbor island of Jersey was the first to step things up as he bashed a fun little left a handful of times on his backhand to post a 6.83 and take the win. A familiar face on the European junior tour for a few years now, Masterman is yet to crack the latter rounds and perhaps this event on familiar territory could be the breakthrough result the powerful regular foot is chasing.
"At the beginning it was kind of slow and I kept slipping off my board but finally I found that gem," he said. "I kind of played it safe and tagged it all the way in and the judges liked it so I was happy. I'm very used to the cold and small, windy waves in Jersey so it feels a lot and looks like home too, I like it."
A good Basque battle unfolded later in the round with supergrom Adur Amatriain and Bitor Garitaonandia (pictured up top) fighting for the lead. The two surfers showed different styles in the goofy vs. regular foot battle but eventually Garitaonandia took one over the younger Amatriain who placed second.
"I'm really satisfied to take this one out," Garitaonandia said. "It helps building confidence for the next round and it feels like a job well done. Conditions were super hard but we train a lot in these kind of conditions to be prepared so I felt alright in the heat. Adur and I sometimes train together, he's from Zarautz and I'm from Deba so pretty close and we've surfed a lot together and against each other. I think he's definitely won more than me so I'm stoked to get him today."
15 year-old Amatriain did however score the heat and day's best single score of 7.00 points on a single maneuver and was left chasing a mid 6 to turn the situation once again.
"I got that wave at the beginning of the heat," he explained. "It looked like it had potential and I just went for a big turn. It was tricky to find anything else and I managed to score a 5 something and thankfully that was enough to advance."
Matteo Calatri and Noah Capps were two other standouts in today's conditions as they managed to find scores in the good range (above 6 points). A few upsets were also witnessed as surfers from Brittany failed to capitalize on home court advantage and were sent home in Round 2. Four surfers from the region, Axel Droual, Tom Esteva, Aurélien Buffet and Thomas Grisoni are still in contention.
Local Crowds Enjoy Fun-Filled Event Site
The organizers of the E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche have compiled a list of on-site activations featuring local Surf Life Saving club ASSPB29, a photo exhibition on the beach, concerts and movie screenings from the Brest Surf Film Festival, giving spectators plenty of entertainment aside from the main event.
Competitors will be back at 8 a.m Friday to re-assess conditions and decide of the day's schedule.
Tune in from May 1-5, 2019 and check out all the photos, videos and updates right here on worldsurfleague.com!
Bitor Garitaonandia
Semis are set at the Caraïbos Lacanau pro and we'll crown our 2023 winners tomorrow! Here's a quick look at some of today's best action!
The QS1,000 Caraïbos Lacanau Pro continues in smaller surf and completes the men's Round of 32 before the swell disappears, but the fun
Casa to Launch 2023 European JQS Season, Locals and Wildcards to Play Spoilers at Ain Diab.
The Morocco Mall Junior Pro Casablanca returns from May 3-7, 2023 to launch the European Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) season!
The Caparica Surf Fest decides the event's quarterfinalists in excellent waves and looks a potential epic finish in the race to qualify for
E.Leclerc Pont-l'Abbe Junior Pro La Torche
Check out a selection of the coolest shots from the E.Leclerc Pont-L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche last year.
The E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche culminates with the victories of Tiago Carrique and Mafalda Lopes on Finals Sunday.
The pair overcome stacked fields on Finals day to lift their first event trophies at the E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche.
The E.Leclerc Pont L'Abbé Junior Pro La Torche ran the all-important final four-man heats to decide the event's quarterfinalists on Day 4.
Crunch time as surfers compete in the last 4-man heats in Brittany.