No Payne, No Gain

A cranking deep-ocean SW groundswell delivered fairly consistent 4-6' lines that ran down the famous pointbreak to the delight of the stoked contestants, most of whom are locals who got the wave all to themselves for a change.

The final heat saw the brothers go head-to-head in fun 4-5' surf. The lead went back and forth a few times as both natural footers pushed hard for the win. But it was younger brother Shaun who prevailed over two-time winner Ryan.

Round one and the quarter-finals saw some fast surfing on the long walls of Supers, with Warren Dean a stand-out, easily winning through to the semis.

Semi number one saw a repeat of the Xcel Pro 2009 final, with Ryan defeating Dean using a repetoire of power surfing moves. The second semi was a clash of the new guard as Shaun Payne and Nick Godfrey, first time invitees, battled it out on the perfect Supers walls. Despite Nick's good form all morning, Shaun blasted one wave apart, scoring the only 10-point ride of the event. That wave eliminated Nick from the event.

A champagne-drenched Shaun, clutching his trophy, said "The waves were pumping, and it's great to see all the local support." For his victory, Shaun won a coveted slot into the VonZipper Superheat, the trials heat for the Billabong Pro World Tour event, set to take place at J-Bay later in the year. He also banked R10k for his win, and received a Nixon 51-30 PU Tide watch valued at R4,500. Ryan scored a Sector9 Skateboard and a Xcel Drylock Wetsuit valued at R4,500.

Shaun also took home an extra R5,000, presented by Island Pacific for the Wave Of The Day, while the R5,000 prize presented by Island Pacific for Best Junior Surfer went to Dylan Lightfoot. FireWire Surfboards awarded a surfboard to Lyle Meek for Best Turn Of The Contest, as well as one to Warren Dean for Best Barrel Of The Contest. The Wipeout Of The Event award of a case of Black Label Beer went to Deon Lategan.

View some photos by Paul van Jaarsveld over here.