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Newquay's radical goofy-footer out in front
by George Mojo
26/10/2007:// Newquay's radical goofy-footer Llewellyn Whittaker holds the lead in the UK Pro Tour Triple Crown Series ahead of the final event in Northern Ireland.
Whittaker won the North East Open and placed equal 5th in the Scottish Open to head the mini-series rankings.
Ireland's Fergal Smith is in second spot with Newquay's Alan Stokes, third.
The Circle One Portrush Open completes the three-event road trip at prime surf locations in northern Britain.
Whittaker goes into the last event with the knowledge he has surfed consistently well in the previous two contests.
At the G-Shock North East Open, at Tynemouth, Whittaker's performance in the final may not have been outstanding but it was a polished display full of experience and passion.
He scored 6.3 points on his first wave, leaving fellow finalists Micah Lester and Toby Atkins in a strong position early on.
Stokes, meanwhile, battled from fourth to first place with two strong back-to-back waves.
But with just minutes remaining Whittaker dug deep on a set wave to clinch victory with an 8-point ride.
Whittaker was delighted with his performance in the 3-4ft waves: “I feel like I’m in the driving position now I have a win under my belt and I have regained a lot more confidence in order to surf well.
"I have made three finals here in the past and I hope to carry on surfing well to complete a good year to hopefully take the overall Triple Crown title," he added.
The beaten semi-finalists were Bude's Reubyn Ash, Perranporth's Sam Lamiroy, who is the overall UK Pro Tour leader, Matt Capel, from South Devon and South African Reubin Pearce.
At the Scottish Open, held at Thurso East, Whittaker just failed to make the final losing out to Cornish rival Alan Stokes and Ireland's Fergal Smith.
In the other semi, Johnny Fryer and Dan Capel progressed at the expense of Start Wilkins, from South Africa, and Newquay's Mark Harris.
It was Smith who walked away with top spot in the final. The Irishman outpointing Fryer into second with Stokes, third and Capel, fourth.
So there's everything to play for in Portrush with seven of the top ten surfers leading the mini-series either from or living in Cornwall.
Dave Reed, the Director of the UK Pro Surf Tour says it will be thrilling finale to the mini-series: ” Expanding the tour further a field up from Thurso, Scotland and overseas to one of the most scenic countries alone and more challenging waves opens such an array of opportunities for our field of international athletes on tour."
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