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The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge - Ben Player takes the title

Source: www.ibaworldtour.com

posted by Mark Fordham on 8th July 2007

International Bodyboarding Association (IBA)
World Tour Event (MWT)
Shark Island - Cronulla - Australia
June 15th - July 15th

Australian Ben Player pulled off one of the most exciting wins in the events history to take out the 11th Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge for 2007. Player was on fire all day and his surfing during the final was flawless.

The event got under way in perfect 4 - 5 ft conditions which saw one of the best days of bodyboarding ever seen for the competition. Conditions were unbelievable with constant wave breaking for the entire 4 hours of competition.

The quarters and semis saw some upsets the biggest being 2001 CSIC Champion and 2x World champ Damian King. King who normal excels in the perfect conditions could not find enough open barrels to progress, " Being in the first heat is always the hardest especially with the tide. There were waves but I just couldn't find the good ones to make me progress."

Another shock was an interference in semi two against local hope Dave Ballard and Hawaiian Mike Stewart. Both were set to progress straight into the final with 5 minutes to go when a set wave approached and both competitors started paddling for it. Ballard claimed to be the one that was snaked but the panel of judges believed differently. "Yeah mate, it wasn't the way I would have liked to bow out but yeah - if the judges saw it that way well that's there call. I saw it differently."

With the 40min final starting at just before 3pm the finalist knew that in order to win perfection was needed. Waves were constant and reeling around the reef. With the afternoon sun and crisp offshore winds the Island turned it on for the thousands of spectators that lined the esplanade...

The final saw Australian Ben Player, South African Mark McCarthy and two Hawaiians Mike Stewart and Jeff Hubbard. Each competitor was pushing the limits so hard that at one stage the lead had changed hands about half a dozen times. Deep barrels and radical moves saw what has to be said as one of the most epic finals in the CSIC history.

As the final wrapped up it was Player who was pushing it, barrel for barrel, delivering some of the biggest barrel rolls and backflips out of the surge bowl, the most feared section of the infamous Shark Island reef. In the end the final was his - deep solid tubes and a timeless display of well executed manoeuvres ensure that the Player picked up his first CSIC win in 11 years of competing.

"You don't know how I feel right now", expressed a very jubilant Ben Player. "I have come close in the past so to finally clinch my first Shark Island title makes me fells so good."

"Player played his cards right this year, he waited for the bombs and when the bombs came he stood out the most. Everyone was surfing so well, basically to win that final you needed perfect 10's and Player got two of them. It was definitely one of the closest contests we've ever witnessed." Contest Director Mark Fordham recalled.

Runner-up, South African Mark McCarthy only just came second by the smallest of margins. "Oh the final was incredible - just perfect waves. I was just so stoked to make it past the semis so the final was an added bonus. Of course winning it would have been sick though in normal circumstances my two highest wave scores most properly would have got me over the line. It was just great to surf such perfect waves with such radical bodyboarders, everyone was just pushing the limits it was crazy."

Finishing in third place was 9x World Champion and 2000 winner Mike Stewart. Stewart who excelled in the perfect conditions couldn't come up with the goods to take out his second CSIC title.

Final results
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Ben Player (Aus)	Black
2nd	Mark McCarthy (Safr)	White
3rd	Mike Stewart (Hawaii)	Yellow
4th	Jeff Hubbard (Hawaii)	Red
Semi final results
Heat 1
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Jeff Hubbard (Hawaii)	Black
2nd	Mark McCarthy (Safr)	Red
3rd	John Showell (Aus)	White
4th	Dave Hubbard (Hawaii)	Yellow
Heat 2
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Mike Stewart (Hawaii)	Yellow
2nd	Ben Player (Aus)	Red
3rd	Dave Ballard (Aus)	White
4th	Toby Player (Aus)	Black
Quarter final results
Heat 1
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Mark McCarthy (Safr)	Black
2nd	John Showell (Aus)	Red
3rd	Nick Ormerod(Aus)	White
4th	Damian King (Aus)	Yellow
Heat 2
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Dave Hubbard (Hawaii)	Black
2nd	Jeff Hubbard (Hawaii)	Yellow
3rd	Sam Bennet (Aus)	White
4th	Pierre Costes (France)	Red
Heat 3
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Ben Player (Aus)	Yellow
2nd	Dave Ballard (Aus)	Red
3rd	Brad Jackson (Aus)	Black
4th	Michael Novy (Aus)	White
Heat 4
Place	Name	Vest
1st	Mike Stewart (Hawaii) 1	Yellow
2nd	Toby Player (Aus) 2	Black
3rd	Dallas Singer (Aus) 3	White
4th	Dave Winchester (Aus) 4	Red

On a closing note I would like to thanks all the sponsors that have made this event happen. Human for there continual support. Nomad bodyboards, Riptide Magazine, Coreactiv and Swellnet.

The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge (June 15th - July 15th)
This event will take competitors to Australia's most premier bodyboarding location, SharkIsland, known for its big barrels and heavy wipe outs.

For all your official and up to date information and media releases - log onto;
www.coreactiv.com, www.nomad.com.au, www.riptidemag.com.au and www.swellnet.com.au

The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge - 2007

Check out our sponsors on our website: www.coreactiv.com - sponsors link


Mark Fordham
Contest Organiser and Director of the Cronulla Shark Island Challenge
Phone: +61 (0) 417 660 323
Email: [email protected]
www.coreactiv.com
www.cronullasharkislandchallenge.com

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