After a six year hiatus pro surfing will return to Sydney’s Freshwater Beach on Sunday with forty of New South Wales best surfers chasing the title of 2016 Stowaway Pro Champion.

The third event on the Bacardi Surf Tour has attracted a quality field that includes Maroubra’s Blake Thornton, Curl Curl’s Harley Ross-Webster and Avoca’s Dane Atcheson.

Harley Ross-Webster will compete at Freshwater Beach for the first time in his career at this Sunday’s Stowaway Pro (Credit www.throwingbuckets.com.au)

Competing for the first time on the Bacardi Surf Tour will be radical natural footer Ross-Webster. Growing up learning his skills at neighboring beach Curl Curl, Ross-Webster is excited to be competing at Freshwater in a Pro event. “I’ve never competed at Freshwater before and it’s always good competing at new beaches,” said Ross-Webster. “I just got back from a fun trip in California and head off to Portugal for the ISA Games the day after the Freshy Comp so it will be good to take on some strong competition before I go”.

Ross-Webster has enjoyed plenty of success in 2016 winning the Wollongong Pro Junior and finishing second on the Australasian Pro Junior Ratings behind Queenslander Ethan Ewing.

Thornton leads the Bacardi Surf Tour Ratings going into Freshwater and is looking forward to competing again, “I haven’t surfed an event since June when i cut my head at Curl Curl in the last Bacardi event”, said Thornton. “It’s been about ten years since I have surfed Freshwater but I really like the setup there and think I have a good chance of doing well again”.  

Thornton won the first event of the Tour at Cronulla and was in solid form at Curl Curl before having to withdraw with a badly cut forehead in the Semi Finals.

Avoca’s Dane Atcheson will bring plenty of confidence into the event after recently taking out the Australian Amateur Titles. The powerful natural footer has posted two solid performances so far on the Bacardi Surf Tour and currently sits in third position on the Ratings.

Also in the hunt for the Title at Freshwater will be former WCT surfer Dayyan Neve, Wollongong’s Nic Squiers, Bondi’s Perth Standlick, North Narrabeen’s Jordy Lawler and explosive goofy footer Matt Bemrose.

Sunday’s winner will receive $1000 as well as 1000 Ratings points and prizes from Bacardi, G-Shock and Swellnet.  

Straight after the Man-on-Man Final competitors and members of Freshwater, Curl Curl, Queenscliff and North Steyne Boardriders will attend the Bacardi After Party at the Stowaway Bar for the crowning of the Inaugural Stowaway Pro Champion.

Each of the five events on the Bacardi Surf Tour will carry ratings points with the overall tour winner being decided on each surfers best four results. The tour winner will receive $2500 and prizes from Bacardi, G-Shock and Swellnet.

The 2016 Stowaway Pro is proudly supported by Bacardi, G-Shock and Swellnet.  

For all Bacardi Surf Tour information including Live Scores, Entry Forms, Heat Draws and Ratings visit www.globalsurftag.com

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