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Cornwall's Russell Winter has had a superb start at the Buondi Billabong Pro in Portugal notching up one of the top four heat scores of the competition so far
by George Mojo
27/08/2008:// The former ASP World Tour surfer and top European competitor for over a decade now threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the field at Ericeira with 17.34 points from his two waves.
The Newquay surfer, who was the first European to join the elite Dream Tour, has been chasing a requalification for several years now and will be looking forward to surfing the expected bigger waves that suit his surfing more.
"I was lucky because the first better sets were showing during my heat and I got the better waves," Winter said. "I have had a long time out of the water because of my injury and it is very important to be able to get back to your best level, for confidence. I hope I can keep going tomorrow."
The 6star World Qualifying event got underway in tricky two foot waves at the world famous righthand pointbreak of Ribeira d'Ilhas
Newquay Boardmasters winner and Brazilian wonderkid Wiggoly Dantas came out of the pack with the best result of round one with an impressive 17.97 point tally.
"I have had such a good time since I got here and it happened again for that heat," Dantas said. "I was in the final of the Billabong Pro Junior Sunday and to start off with a strong result is a great confidence boost."
Dantas, who won the ASP WQS 5-Star at Fistral Beach and placed third in the Billabong Pro Junior final, has impressed the WQS contingent since he landed in Europe and seems to be in excellent shape at Ribeira d'Ilhas.
"That wave is so fun, long and if you get the good ones you can get points," Dantas said. "It is a big event and the level will be hard so I will keep enjoying myself and not think of any result."
Dantas will meet Australian young star Matt Wilkinson and ASP World Junior No. 2 Tonino Benson when he paddles out for Round Two.
Fellow Brazilian Marco Polo was the second best scorer of the round with another solid run and a 17.73 point reward from the judges after putting together great comitted tailslide re-entries and on-the-rail cutbacks surfing only two waves in twenty minutes.
The European contingent was not left behind and most of the four-man heat winners managed to get over the 15.00 point range to avance confidently through to meet the better seeded surfers
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