Nathan Webster (Nth Narrabeen) placed 2nd in the Jim Beam Boardriders Cup at Avalon Beach yesterday.
Thursday February 3 2011 (Avalon, NSW) – Bronte Beach Boardriders surfer Caleb Reid [pictured below] took the biggest win of his career winning the prestigious Jim Beam Boardriders Cup in clean 1m (3 feet) surf at Avalon on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Reid defeated a quality field in the final with former World Tour surfer Nathan Webster (Nth Narrabeen) placing 2nd, and Gold Coast surfers Jay Phillips (Snapper Rocks) and Alex Chacon (Kirra) placing 3rd and 4th respectively.
The Jim Beam Boardriders Cup is a gathering of 36 individual club champions from Australia’s top boardriding clubs who compete against each other at this event to decide an individual Australian Club Champion – The Jim Beam Boardriders Cup is a prestigious individual title that reaches right into the heart of grass roots club surfing throughout Australia.
“Such a great title to win” said Reid after the final.
“I felt like I was surfing for myself and for my club and that’s a special thing – the local Boardriders club is where it all starts for all surfers and I’m proud to win this title for the Bronte boys.”
Tactics played a big factor in Reid’s win today. He chose to surf well south of the other three finalists and that decision saw him gifted with two good long peeling rides early in the final which scored him a 6.17 and a 6.93 and that final of 13.1 won him the event.
“As I was paddling out I sort of just decided to head south of the rest and surf that bank – it was the best decision I made all day!” added Reid.
Second placed Nathan Webster went perilously close to taking the final when he picked off a good wave with five minutes remaining, executing a very powerful and precise bottom to top turn but then grabbed a rail and uncharacteristically fell on a ride that looked set to score better than the 6.3 he was requiring.
“Well done to Caleb, he took a chance on that southern bank and that won him the final – I’m here to represent North Narrabeen in the Team’s final and that all starts tomorrow so I’m looking forward to that- today was a good warm up” said Webster.
Tomorrow will see surfers line up for the opening rounds of the Jim Beam Surftag Finals with Australia’s top 24 clubs who have qualified through regional events throughout Australia coming together to decide the champion Boardriding Club of Australia!
It’s a passionate and fiercely contested event that crowns Australia’s top club and rates the clubs in Australia from 1st through to 24th.
Avalon Beach will be the location for tomorrow’s opening rounds and Saturdays finals.
The 2011 Jim Beam Surftag is proudly supported by FCS, Sanyo and O’Neill. Media partners for the series are Swellnet and Tracks surfing magazine.
Jim Beam Surftag Finals Competing Clubs –
Queenscliff (NSW)
Seaford (SA)
Umina (NSW)
Nth Narrabeen (NSW)
Snapper Rocks (Qld)
Margaret River (WA)
Noosa (Qld)
Cronulla (NSW)
Torquay (Vic)
Ulladulla 1 (NSW)
North End (Qld)
Bronte (NSW)
Yallingup (WA)
Byron Bay (NSW)
North Steyne (NSW)
Ulladulla 2 (NSW)
North Shelley (NSW)
Phillip Island (Vic)
Port Macquarie (NSW)
Avoca (NSW)
Kirra (Qld)
Geraldton (WA)
Cabarita (NSW)
Long Reef (NSW)
2010/11 Jim Beam Surftag Dates And Locations
Oct 15 Industry Challenge (Curl Curl) (Winner – Quiksilver)
Oct 16 Trade Off (Curl Curl) (Winner – Bondi Life Guards)
Nov 13 Women’s Surftag (Dee Why) (Winner – Norah Head Women In Waves)
Dec 11 NSW North Surftag (Newcastle) (Winner – North Shelley Boardriders)
Dec 18 Victoria Surftag (Jan Juc) (Winner – Torquay)
Jan 8 West Australia Surftag (Gas Bay) (Winner – Yallingup Boardriders)
Jan 15 Queensland Surftag (Coolangatta) (Winner – Kirra)
Jan 29/30 NSW South Surftag (Cronulla)
Feb 3/4/5 Surftag Australian Final (Northern Beaches, Sydney)
