Lepront and Mc Nicol Win The Royal St Andrews SA Open Championships Presented by Rip Curl
East Beach, Port Alfred – Louise Lepront and Hayden Mc Nicol are the 2025 SA Open Surfing Champions.
Not as big as the day before, with a fair share of onshore on it, the conditions were tricky but very contestable today, with big scores pouring through for the loaded final heats of the event.
The women’s final was a close affair. Van Greunen was in the lead until the last minute when Lepront picked up a bomb and executed a solid crack on her backhand. It was an agonising wait for the score, but it was enough to put her in the lead as the final siren went. Van Greunen was just behind in second, with Aimee Du Preez and Leah Lepront in third and fourth, respectively.
“I saw that wave coming, and I was just lucky that Tash didn’t get it,” said Lepront. “It was washy, but it cleaned up, and I knew I needed to do one big hit. So I managed to do a decent backhand turn, made it, and got the score at the last minute. So stoked to get the win.”
In the Open Men’s Final, local surfer Andrew La Verge kicked off the battle with a six-point ride on the board that put everybody into combat mode. Hayden Mc Nicol returned strong with a good opening ride and a solid backup. As he was doing the run around after his second wave, the announcer called his scores, which put him in first.
Despite a determined comeback from La Verge and flashes of brilliance from Mitch Du Preez and Clinton Gravett, Mc Nicol stayed in the lead and became the 2025 Men’s SA Open Champion.
In the team event, a very stoked Ethekwini Surfriders Association took the win from Buffalo City, with Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders in third. Andrew Laverge was the deserving winner of the Surfer Of The Contest Award.
Final Results
Open Women
1st. Louise Lepront – ESA
2nd. Tash Van Greunen – CTS
3rd. Aimee Du Preez – NMBS
4th. Leah Lepront – ESA
Open Men
1st. Hayden Mc Nicol – UGU
2nd., Andrew La Verge – ILM
3rd.. Mitch Du Preez – NMBS
4th. Clinton Gravett – BC
All individual SA Champs results can be found on LiveHeats
Teams
1st. Ethekweni Surfriders (5506)
2nd. Buffalo City Surfriders (4723)
3rd. Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders (4541)
4th. Ilembe Surfriders (3636)
5th. Cape Town Surfriders (3560)
6th. Cape Winelands Surfriders (3543)
7th. Ugu Surfriders (3440)
8th. Eden Surfriders (2663)
The Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Royal St Andrews Hotel started immediately after the SA Champs were concluded.
Rip Curl GromSearch U18 Men’s Round One results can be found on LiveHeats.
Rip Curl Day One image download link HERE – Please credit Kody McGregor
Event scaffolding and hub set-up by iHIRE
Website – iHIRE
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Event WiFi by LinkOnline
Website: LinkOnline
About Surfing South Africa
Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for Surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Surfing South Africa is responsible for developing the sport, hosting National tournaments, sanctioning International events, and selecting National teams in all SSA disciplines. SSA is a member of the African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA), the sport’s World governing body.
About The Royal St Andrews Hotel
The historic Royal St. Andrews Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre In Port Alfred has an outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art conference centre and offers free high-speed WiFi. The elegant rooms and suites at the hotel are air-conditioned and feature a flat-screen TV, private bathroom and tea-and-coffee-making facilities.
The Thistle Restaurant is ideal for intimate dinners or special occasions, serving fine cuisine and a good selection of South African wines. Locally crafted beer and traditional pub cuisine can be enjoyed at The Highlander Pub. Overlooking a courtyard and a garden, the casual Paper Nautilus Deli serves coffee and breakfasts.
Contact:
T. +27(0)46 604 5400
Facebook – www.facebook.com/RoyalStAndrewsHotel
Instagram – @royalstandrewshotelandspa/
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