Surfers shine in miserable conditions

Julian Wilson's ultra consistency throughout the 30 minutes final earned him the major end of the prizemoney.

Blainey Woodham / TWE120212break

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ALL four finalists in the Breaka Burleigh Pro surf event at Burleigh Heads on Sunday showed just why they are amongst the top 20 in World Championship Tour rankings by thrilling the huge crowd with their skills in miserable surfing conditions.

The Gold Coast trio of Mick Fanning, Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge and Coolum's Julian Wilson took to the waves at the Burleigh Rock Break, watched a by a crowd of around 7000 which packed the beach and the headland to see the sports' elite in action.

Wilson's ultra consistency throughout the 30 minutes final earned him the major end of the prizemoney, scoring a combined 16.54 points for his best two rides to win from Kerr (16.03), Fanning (15.27) and big Durbidge, who just couldn't get going in the conditions to finish with a most disappointing 9.90 points.

Kerr gave himself a tremendous chance to win the title by putting in a mind-blowing 9.23 on his second last ride but unfortunately his next best score was an ordinary 6.80.

Wilson performed ably on all his early rides but came home superbly, posting his two top-scoring rides over the final three waves - a 8.77 on the third last and a title-clinching 7.77 on his last.

The four finalists wouldn't have been happy in surfing the final in such a small surf but these guys are pros and they went about their business determined to strut their stuff and entertain the fans who jammed the shoreline.

The rides only lasted 10-15 seconds but the boys somehow managed to do it all - cutbacks, layback snaps and floaters and in Wilson's case, spectacular front-side air reverses.