RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH 2011 - ROUND 3 [22.04.2011]Surfers

Perhaps Kelly Slater's only meaningful turn in Round 3  / Image: ASP/Kirstin

SLATER SURVIVES SCARE, PARKO SCARY GOOD
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2011 - Round 3

BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Friday, April 22, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA) survived a scare from Australian Wildcard, Stu Kennedy, to advance through Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach today, while Joel Parkinson (AUS) put on a blistering performance to pick up the highest scoring heat total of the day.

Conditions weren’t quite as epic as yesterday, as competition resumed today at the primary event site of Bells Beach, but clean 3-5 foot waves ensured another very contestable round of surfing at the Rip Curl Pro.

Kelly Slater put on an unconvincing performance to narrowly advance past Wildcard Stu Kennedy in Heat 6.

Kennedy picked up a 5-point ride in the opening 3mins of the Heat, with Slater answering back a short time later with a wave that saw a critical first turn followed up by three powerful carving moves, earning the 10-time World Champion a 7.67.

However from there Slater failed to get a second score higher than just 3.67, and made a tactical error in the final two minutes of the heat, taking off with priority on an uneventful wave, leaving the door open for Kennedy, who only needed a 6.35-point ride to take the lead. Fortunately for Slater, no decent waves came through for his opponent in the dying stages, advancing the American through to Round 4.

“It was one of those heats,” said a relieved Slater afterwards. “Both of us weren’t really in sync.”

One man very much in sync with the conditions at Bells today was Australian Joel Parkinson. The Queenslander was in sensational form, taking down Frenchman Jeremy Flores with the highest heat total of the day, 18.13 out a possible 20.

His varied repetiteur was a virtual blue print of how to surf Bells Beach and should send warning signs to the rest of the field.

"Bells is a different event,” said Parkinson, “at other events you measure your performance by what someone did earlier in the day, but at Bells the conditions will be so different in two heats time, it'll look like a totally different wave. It's the kind of spot where you only try to better your own performance and don't worry about anyone else.”

Joel Parkinson's drawn-out turning style is well suited to Bells / Image: ASP/Kirstin

Like Slater, South African and current World No.3, Jordy Smith, made a tactical error in his clash with American Bobby Martinez.

Smith was in control of the heat and cruising to victory, when in the final minute he gifted Martinez priority by paddling into an average wave. Martinez then caught a potentially heat-winner wave with just 33secs left on the clock. Luckily for Smith, the wave died out before it reached the inside section, ensuring he scraped through to Round 4.

Ageing World Tour warhorse, Chris Davidson (AUS), 35, continued his competitive renaissance, by taking down countryman Kieren Perrow 14.54 to 8.33 in the 8th heat of the round.

Davidson is perhaps surfing the best out of anyone in the opening stages of the 50th annual Rip Curl Pro. The notorious party animal looks uncharacteristically focussed and is negotiating the long ride-handers at Bells superbly.

Davidson is surfing his waves from start to finish with great fluidity between a combination of powerful and radical manoeuvres. It was another commanding performance to back up his similarly spectacular effort yesterday.

“My boards are feeling good. Everything’s feeling good,” summed up Davidson afterward.

He's baack: Chris Davidson hacking like it's 1996 / Image: ASP/Kirstin

The final heat of the day saw former two-time World Champion, Mick Fanning (Aus), defeat fellow Gold Coaster Josh Kerr (Aus) in a convincing 13.50 to 7.77 victory.

In the then sloppy, wind-effected conditions, Fanning came out firing with a 6.50 and followed up with a 7.00, seamlessly linking three impressive turns in the tricky conditions.

Kerr responded early on by spraying a massive cutback in Fanning’s face and attacking a backside air-reverse as he rounded back to the foam. He came unstuck on that move and never really went on to land any outstanding manoeuvres throughout the encounter.

Fanning said his game plan was to put Kerr on the back foot from the heat start. He did just that and comfortably moves to Round 4. 

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RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.33. Gabe Kling (USA) 5.90
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.75 Adam Melling (AUS) 10.07
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18:13 Jeremy Flores (FRA) 8:16
Heat 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13:16 Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.27
Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.26 Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 7.50
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 11.34 Stu Kennedy (AUS) 9.30
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.27 Bobby Martinez (USA) 12.66
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) 14.54 Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.33
Heat 9: Tiago Pires (PRT) 17.67 Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.17
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF) 17,67 Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.16
Heat 11: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.27 Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.73
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.50 Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.77

VIDEO: Yesterday's Round 2 action. Round 3 video coming soon.



ROUND 2 - RIP CURL PRO BELLS 2011
 
ROUND 1 - RIP CURL PRO BELLS 2011
 
VIDEO: ROUND 1 - RIP CURL PRO BELLS 2011 
 
KELLY SLATER - BEST OF BELLS - 2010
 
PAST CHAMPIONS TRIBUTE BELL

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