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Britain's European junior champion makes final
by George Mojo
10/04/2007:// Britain's European junior champion Ruebyn Ash put on a superb individual performance to make the final of the World Qualifying Series Rip Curl Pro in Portugal.
The Cornish surfer was edged out of the top places at Supertubes, in Peniche by German Marlon Lipke and Spaniard Pablo Gutierrez.
Ash, from Widemouth Bay, in Bude, defeated German Nicolau Von Rupp and Frenchman Thomas Bady in the semi-finals held in 2-3ft waves.
The final was a different story altogether, with Ash facing top German Marlon Lipke and Spaniards Pablo Solar and Pablo Gutierrez.
For all four, it was the chance to take an early lead on the 2007 European rankings and 500 valuable tour points.
The surfers split in two groups of two, Ash and Lipke sticking to the right side of the judges' tower, while Solar and Gutierrez remained to the left of it.
Solar opened the battle with three vertical re-entries, throwing big sprays out of the green water. Then came Lipke who got two good waves to get first and take the lead for more than fifteen minutes of the final.
Gutierrez looked out of rythm during the whole first half of the encounter, until he started getting back on his feet but unfortunately it was too late.
Ash, meanwhile, remained in the leaders' pack, trying to move from one peak to another, losing a bit of time while the heat leaders Lipke and Solar were getting on with the job, answering one another in the small fast breaking shorebreak.
Gutierrez kept on trying, and found a good 7+ pointer in the dying seconds, offering great climax to this ultimate heat.
In the end it was Lipke who was awarded victory by the judges and an early lead in the WQS European tour.
Ash finished last in the final, but is in fourth place in the rankings - the only Cornish surfer in the top 50 .
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
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[Pablo Gutierrez winner of the Superbock Pro]
Hawaiian Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro Junior surfing in her first ever contest in France
ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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