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Posted on Monday February 15th 2010 at 10:39 a.m.
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Held in clean three foot (1 metre) waves at Main Beach on Queensland's (Australia) North Stradbroke Island, Crews defeated Cathels in the Final of the prestigious professional junior event, registering a combined two-wave total of 16.30 points (out of a possible 20) to Cathels' 13.00.
"The monkey is finally off my back," Crews said. "I won a Pro Junior about three years ago as a grommet and have been struggling to get over that final hurdle again for ages, so I'm just super stoked. This year had been so frustrating, because in the first three events of the series I've finished Runner-Up twice and made a Semifinal, so to finally win one...I'm just over the moon."
After disposing of 140 of the world's best international surfers this week, today's result levels the score between Crews and Cathels at one win a piece in finals this year, after Cathels toppled Crews in the Final of last month's opening event of 2010 ASP Australasian Pro Junior Men's series.
Furthermore, the result sees Crews maintain his current ASP Australasian Junior Men's ratings' lead, while Cathels moves into second position.
Both competitors will be hoping to stay atop the series standings throughout the year in order to qualify for October's Oakley ASP World Junior event in Bali, where they will compete for their share in the world's richest junior surfing prize pool of USD$75,000.
Crews collected AUD$7,000 for today's win along with an additional AUD$2,000 for claiming Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel "Hottest Wave Of The Event" prize.
Cathels said that despite the loss, he is happy to be back featuring on finals day.
"I had a shocker at the last event, so I'm just happy to make another Final and close the gap a little on the ratings," Cathels said. "Crewsy (Mitch Crews) just had a sick heat today and there was nothing I could really do."
2010 ASP Australasian Junior Men's Series Ratings
* After The Oakley Pro Junior:
1. Mitch Crews (Currumbin, QLD) 9490 points
2. Davey Cathels (Narrabeen, NSW) 8000 points
3. Chris Friend (Alexandra Headland, QLD) 7130 points
4. Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) 6830 points
5. Chris Salisbury (Newport, NSW) 6230 points
Visit www.oakleyprojunior.com for news, photos and updates relating to the 2010 Oakley Pro Junior.
The Oakley Pro Junior will commence February 9 and conclude on February 13, 2010.