The 2005 Guincho Estoril PWA World Cup – Day 4

Saturday June 18, 2005

Matt Pritchard (US-10, Tabou/ Gaastra) has proven his consistent skills once again by winning the single elimination of the 2005 Estoril Guincho PWA World Cup. In the final against Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/ Naish), Pritchard had the edge over the Brazilian, although it was a close call.

The day started with finishing up the third round in pumping sideonshore winds and solid 3 meter waves, in which Robby Swift (K-89, JP/ Neil Pryde), Alex Mussolini (E-30, JP/ Neil Pryde), Matt Pritchard and Scott McKercher (KA-181, Starboard/ Severne) were the last four to join the final sixteen riders at the expense of Diony Guadagnino (V-69, Neil Pryde), Kevin Pritchard (US-3, Starboard/ MauiSails), Levi Siver (USA-0, Starboard) and Josh Angulo (US-11). Swift dominated his heat with big backside aerials and massive pushloops. Guadagnino pulled out all the stops with an insane backloop attempt and a goiter attempt, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Englishman. Mussolini was riding fast and hard against Pritchard, catching long waves and sticking huge backloops and pushloops, fighting his way into the quarter finals as did Matt Pritchard with a skyhigh stalled forward and big backside airs cutting off Levi Siver’s march to the top. Siver scored big points with a sick backloop and a tweaked out table top, but in the end it was Pritchard who advanced. Last up in round # 3 were Josh Angulo and Scott McKercher. McKercher was sailing strong with good waverides and big jumps, while Angulo seemed to have trouble catching good waves. Despite a fully tweaked table top and a big one handed backloop which he didn’t quite land, Angulo just missed out on the quarters as McKercher went through.

In the first quarter final Victor Fernandez (E-42, Fanatic) was up against Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/ Naish) and John Skye (K-57, F2) went head to head with Julien Taboulet (F-100, JP/ Neil Pryde). Fernandez went all out with a clean one handed table top, a pushloop, a forward, a crazy pete attempt and some good waveriding, but Seadi was just unstoppable and won the heat with long rides on big waves, a soaring backloop and an air chachoo attempt, just missing the landing. The quarters also meant the end of the line for Julien Taboulet, inspite of two radical table top forwards.

The second quarter final was a showdown between Robby Swift (K-89, JP/ Neil Pryde) and Alex Mussolini (E-30, JP/ Neil Pryde) and Matt Pritchard (US-10, Tabou/ Gaastra) vs Scott McKercher (KA-181, Starboard/ Severne). Mussolini made a strong impression with big backside airs, forwards and a big backloop. Swift gave it his all with a double forward attempt, a big pushloop and some fluent frontside rides in the onshore conditions, but when the dust settled it was Mussolini who advanced to the semis. Meanwhile Scott McKercher had his hands full fighting off Matt Pritchard. Pritchard pulled off one of the biggest backloops of the day and scored some long rides, charging the face frontside and backside. McKercher started out with a strong waveride and stuck a clean one handed table top and a pushloop, but Pritchard took the victory.

The semi final got underway in lighter winds than earlier today. It was Kauli Seadi up against John Skye and Matt Pritchard vs Alex Mussolini. Seadi kept up his winning form with big backloops, a radical one footed backloop attempt and a air chachoo attempt and aggressive waveriding throwing in a flaka on the waveface while he was at it. Skye scored big points with a high pushloop and two forwards, but the Brazilian proved to be too strong for Skye. Mussolini put down a radical performance with massive pushloops and powerful rides, while Pritchard threw in forwards, backloops and pushloops like there was no tomorrow. In the end, it was the American’s experience that pulled him through to the final to meet Kauli Seadi.

Both Seadi and Pritchard opened the final with a big waveride all the way to the beach. Pritchard then went on with an absurd backloop, while Seadi caught some good rides. Next both riders picked up a big set outside and were riding it in unison in radical style. Seadi was ripping it up with frontside rides and a strong aerial, as Pritchard did some solid waveriding himself, crashing on a goiter at the sound of the horn. Seadi did his part with a goiter as well, but as it was just after the horn it didn’t count for the final score. The decision was close, but in the end Pritchard came out number one in a 3 to 2 jury call.

“It’s been a long day, but I guess my consistency paid off in the end.”, Pritchard comments on his victory. “In the final I caught a big wave right at the gun and rode it all the way in to the beach doing lots of turns. Against someone like Kauli you really have to go for it and that’s exactly what I did.”

In the losers final, Alex Mussolini took third place over John Skye. Both riders gave away a great show with fluent rides and big aerials, but Mussolini came out strongest. After the single elimination, the double got underway. The results of that so far are in the link below.

SINGLE ELIMINATION LADDER

DOUBLE ELIMINATION LADDER

MENS RESULTS AFTER SINGLE ELIMINATION