Whatshot
Matt Banting and Sarah Baum Take Out 2020 Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro at Avoca Beach
Matt Banting and Sarah Baum Take Out 2020 Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro at Avoca Beach
Avoca Beach, Central Coast New South Wales, Australia andMatt Banting from Port Macquarie, NSW, and Sarah Baum ex Durban (ZAF), have taken out the 2020 Vissla and SisstrevolutionCentral Coast Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 eventat Avoca Beach in an action-packed Finals Day that saw massive scores and exciting surfing.
After a runner-up finish at the 2019 Vissla Central Coast Pro, Matt Banting went one step further in 2020, taking out the top spot. Banting put on an impeccable performance over the course of the entire event, consistently posting massive scores in the majority of the heats he surfed. Banting's performance in the final saw the Port Macquarie natural-footer post a decent 15.27 two-wave heat total to get the edge over Sheldon Simkus (Gold Coast, Qld). The win was a total turnaround from the beginning of the week for Banting as he was nearly forced to withdraw from the event due to car troubles. Banting will now head to Newcastle Surfest hoping to back up the result and put himself into a prime position to re-qualify for the WSL Championship Tour.
Sarah Baum's (ZAF) stellar beginning to 2020 continued today as she took out top honours in the final against Cedar Leigh-Jones (Avalon, NSW). Baum used her deadly backhand attack to notch up a giant 15.60 two-wave heat total, which also included a near-perfect 9.00 point wave score, which ultimately allowed her to gain some space between her and Leigh-Jones. In a year that has already seen her win the Carve Pro and post a runner-up finishat the recent Mothernest Great Lakes Pro, Baum will now head to her adopted hometown of Newcastle for the Doyle Partners Women's Pro at Merewether.
"This is totally surreal," said Baum. "These 3000 points and the prize money from this event will go such a long way to helping me to qualify. I'm so excited for the rest of the year now. The result hasn't really sunk in yet, but I think it will in a few hours. I now have to head home to Newcastle and prepare for the QS5000 there, so hopefully, this bit of momentum will help me when that event begins."