Jeffreys Bay, South Africa (Thursday, Aug 16th) Defending Oxbow world longboard champion Beau Young (Aus) today eliminated three-time event winner Rusty Keaulana (Haw) in the most anticipated clash of round three. The 10th anniversary Oxbow Championships are now scheduled to conclude tomorrow morning, with both the event title, as well as the World Longboard Tour (WLT) crown still up for grabs.

Perfect 3-5 foot (1.5m) waves greeted competitors throughout the day, with strong offshore winds making conditions difficult at times.

Young, 26, who won last year's tournament in Brazil, today overcame his more seasoned opponent in fine form. Despite trailing at the start, the Australian picked off two 8-point rides for the lead, and then pushed Keaulana into the unusual position of needing a combination of rides to
advance. The Hawaiian came back with a final 7.5 score, but still needed another 8.51 when it was over. "I was feeling a little nervous," said Young. "Rusty is usually pretty good
at getting the sets, and he got them at the start, so I was a little frustrated. I felt more comfortable after a couple of waves (all the way) to the beach.

"Yeah, that was nice," he added, in response to leading his opponent by a combination of rides toward the end. "It wasn't really expected 'cause we were both getting good waves. But I'm feeling really good. It's a bit hit or miss or miss out there with the sets, but luckily I got them."

Other previous Oxbow winners Joel Tudor (USA), Colin McPhillips (USA), Bonga Perkins (Haw), and Dino Miranda (Haw), also progressed, keeping the race for the event, as well as the world title, fiercely alive.

Tudor, 25, who won in 1998 and currently leads the ratings, eliminated opponent Zane Aikua (Haw) riding a heavier 9'4" board. The added weight helped him overcome the wind as he put on a great display of traditional longboarding. "It was windy," began Tudor afterward. "I would have liked to have had a better heat, but that's OK, next one. "I'm just glad to have won that heat," he added, in regard to the title
race. "Very stoked."

McPhillips, the 1999 event winner, ended the campaign of William Wallace (SAfr), racking up his best score of 8.25 right at the end of their heat.

"I felt really wobbly," said McPhillips. "The wind makes it really hard to surf and my board is light, so I constantly thought I was going to be blown off the back of the wave. I got a good one at the end though, so I had fun. "It's coming down to the wire," he continued, on the title race. "It'll be fun. A little nerve-racking, but whoever wins will probably win overall."

Current ratings' #2 and #5, Jye Byrnes (Aus) and Alex Salazar (Brz) respectively, also advanced to round four. Byrnes eliminated Kekoa Uemura (Haw) with the second highest totals of the day (24.3), while Salazar accounted for Sebastion Wilson (Aus) with another commanding performance.

Current #9 Duane DeSoto (Haw) fought back to win the battle of the event so far against #31 Paulo Kid (Brz). The Brazilian actually lead for the majority of the clash, but Desoto clawed his way into contention with a superb 9.25 score on his second last wave (equaling the highest posted yet) and then an 8.25 on his last ride to advance, leaving Kid in search of a 7.76 as time escaped. "I had a really bad start," began DeSoto. "30-minutes heats are key though,
so I knew I had a lot of time to come back. I caught some small waves to get my base scores and then waited some more toward the end for the better ones. I was lucky it worked out, so I'm happy."

Josh Baxter (USA) posted the event's highest total of 25-points this morning against close friend Darren Ledingham (USA). The 31-year-old couldn't put a foot wrong, collecting an 8.75, 8.5 and 7.75 to convincingly advance. "I just had a great heat," said Baxter. "Darren is one of my best friends, but he just made a mistake and let two good waves go by. I'm sure if he had got those waves he would have gotten the same scores as I did. "It's such a wonderful thing that Oxbow is putting on a man-on-man contest.
This is the first time we've had this system out of the 10-years of the event. I think it's just unreal. Makes it fairer."

Jason Ribbink (SAfr) continued his good fortune, disposing of Danilo Rodrigo (Brz). The South African, who won the last qualifying tournament in Brazil two weeks ago, wasn't pleased with his performance, but happy about the
outcome, nonetheless. "I made a few mistakes this morning," admitted Ribbink. "But I'm stoked to get through. Every heat I make I feel fortunate. I'm just taking it one at a
time."

Official Results of the Oxbow World Longboard Championships

Round Three (loser finishes =17th and receives US$850)
H1: Amaro Matos (Brz) 17.5 def. Josh Ferris (Aus) surf.5
H2: Jye Byrnes (Aus) 24.3 def. Kekoa Uemura (Haw) 19.9
H3: Chris Vandervoort (Haw) wake.5 def. Michael Grendon (SAfr) surf.25
H4: Bonga Perkins (Haw) 22.25 def. Jeremias da Silva (Brz) surf.0
H5: Kevin Connelly (USA) 20.9 def. Grant Thomas (Aus) wake.7
H6: Jason Ribbink (SAfr) 22.05 def. Danilo Rodrigo (Brz) 19.0
H7: Josh Baxter (USA) 25.0 def. Darren Ledingham (USA) wake.3
H8: Joel Tudor (USA) 22.4 def. Zane Aikua (Haw) wake.75
H9: Colin McPhillips (USA) 23.1 def. William Wallace (SAfr) wake.25
H10: Jonathon Larcher (Fra) 20.0 def. Lucas Proudfoot (Aus) surf.4
H11: Duane DeSoto (Haw) 24.25 def. Paulo Kid (Brz) 24.0
H12: Dino Miranda (Haw) 22.5 def. Augusto Saldanha (Brz) 12.85
H13: Alex Salazar (Brz) 22.5 def. Sebastion Wilson (Aus) 19.25
Hsnow: Mathew Moir (SAfr) 20.45 def. Lance Hookano (Haw) 19.0
Hsurf: Beau Young (Aus) 22.25 def. Rusty Keaulana (Haw) 19.7
H16: Olimpio Batista (Brz) 21.25 def. Yoshinori Matsuyama (Jpn) 16.9

Upcoming Round Four Heats
H1: Amaro Matos (Brz) vs. Jye Byrnes (Aus)
H2: Chris Vandervoort (Haw) vs. Bonga Perkins (Haw)
H3: Kevin Connelly (USA) vs. Jason Ribbink (SAfr)
H4: Josh Baxter (USA) vs. Joel Tudor (USA)
H5: Colin McPhillips (USA) vs. Jonathan Larcher (Fra)
H6: Duane DeSoto (Haw) vs. Dino Miranda (Haw)
H7: Alex Salazar (Brz) vs. Mathew Moir (SAfr)
H8: Beau Young (Aus) vs. Olimpio Batista (Brz)

Further Information:

Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Finals |

www.oxboweb.com & www.aspworldtour.com

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