All eyes may be set on the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal, final European leg of the WSL championship tour, but that doesn't mean there isn't quality surf going on around Portugal, as an Ericeira surf competition has shown, by handing out the first championship titles of the season.
Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal
You may have missed it, but on Sunday, while the giant Mick Fanning was finnishing his heat behind Frederico Morais in the waves of Peniche, further south, in Ericeira, surf was crowning the next generation of surfers, by handing out the Open, Feminine and Sub 18 championship titles.
Luís Eyre took the Open category tittle, positioning himself above Henrique Pyrrait, Filipe Valadão and Pedro Rua, right at the beginning of the morning. The Masters competition came up next and it was a very tough competition that placed Gonçalo Dias as the top runner in the category, after two competitions.This was the third and final event of the Circuito Allianz Ericeira Billabong 2015, and was set for the weekend of 17 and 18 October, but the fowl weather conditions forced the organization to postpone it to the 24th and 25th.
As the female competition started, Keshia Eyre showed a very strong performance that would allow her to claim the tittle. The event was marked by Leonor Fragoso who broke her leash and had to return to the beach to exchange surfboards. The surfer from Praia Grande still managed a 3rd place, behind Pipa tavares, with Emilie Utterup coming up fourth.
A very close call also gave Henrique Pyrrait a win in the Sub 18 championship, with Tiago Santos coming up a close second. Aaran Strong, 2014 champion and, having just arrived from ISA WJS Championship, came out in fourth.
As part of the event, competitions in the Sub 12, 14 and 16 categories were set to take place, but the same poor weather that has been punishing the pros in Peniche also took a toll on the shores of Ribeira D'Ilhas, leading the organization to postpone the three younger categories. They should now take place on November 1st, if the weather is friendlier to the younger surfers.
