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Third round in O'Neill Highland Open
by George Mojo
28/04/2006:// Three Cornish surfers are through to the third round of the O'Neill Highland Open in Scotland.
The 5star World Qualifying Series event being staged at the famed reef at Thurso East has attracted some of the sport's top competitors.
Top British seed Russell Winter, Newquay's Mark Harris and Sam Lamiroy, from Perranporth all made their mark in round two with impressive peformances.
Thirty-year-old Winter relished the windy 4-5ft waves finishing second to Australian Luke Munro in his first outing in the competition.
Munro just had the edge finishing with 11.67 total wave score with Winter securing a place in the last 48 with a round 10 total.
Winter goes against American Noi Kaulukakui, South Africa's Warwick Wright and Australian Adam Robertson in round three.
Harris also showed some great touches in his second round encounter held in some chunky righthand surf. The former BPSA champion progressed along with heat winter Hawaiian Marcus Hickman.
The Rip Curl team rider now meets current WQS leader Gabe Kling, Nick Rozsa and Nick Musgrove.
Lamiroy, meanwhile, posted a crucial 8.33 to come back from fourth place and win his heat against Hawaiian Love Hodel and Aussie pair Kai Otton and Michael Spencer. Hodel, who finished second, also advanced.
Lamiroy's key wave came with only 10 minutes remaining. He nailed two massive top turns finishing off with a huge frontside lip slide. The British surfer followed that up with another high-scoring wave a few minutes later, pretty much confirming his win.
"I fell on a couple of waves and I was getting a bit annoyed," said Lamiroy. "But I knew there were some good waves out there so I just sat and waited and luckily one came."
The former Plymouth University Surf club captain and British student champion is now pitted against Gavin Roberts, Leonardo Neves and New Zealand's Naz Quinn.
Newquay's Llewellyn Whittaker saw his hopes fade when Frenchman Eric Rebiere and Brazilian Bernado Miranda pushed him into third place by under a point during their second round heat.
European champion Justin Mujica put on a solid performance to lead most of his heat. Hawaiian Ola Eleogram, however, overtook the Portuguese surfer with only five minutes left to secure first place. They both advanced.
"The current was pretty heavy and it was really hard to catch the right waves. I'm stoked to have made the heat, though," said Mujica.
Lying at 59° degrees north, Thurso has been likened by some to a coldwater Nias in Sumatra. It is alsoone of the most consistent spots on the British Isles, renowned its long, winding right-hand tubes that spin off the flat, kelp covered reef.
If Thurso fails to turn it on for the event, the contest organizers have the option to go mobile and travel the short distance to alternate swell magnets.
Brims Ness, which means 'Surf Point' in Nordic, is just one option that is renowned for providing the goods when the main contest reef is dormant.
The inaugural Highland Open is scheduled to take place from April 25 to May 2nd.
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