Matt Banting and Sarah Baum have taken out the 2020 Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 event at Avoca Beach in an action-packed Finals Day that saw massive scores and exciting surfing.
Sarah Baum chaired to victory for the second time in 3 events in Australia. - WSL / Ethan Smith
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. 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 requalify for the WSL Championship Tour.
"Getting to the final last year was a great feeling but to go one step further feels even better," said Banting. "At the beginning of the week I busted the radiator in my car and I wasn't sure if I would even make my first heat in time and I thought I might need to pull out of the event, but everything from there fell into place after that. The 3000 points and the prize money will help me so much and takes a huge amount of pressure off. If I can back up this result with a decent result in some of the higher-ranked events then I'd be even more stoked."
Matt Banting on fire in 2020. - WSL / Ethan Smith
Sarah Baum's stellar beginning to 2020 continued today as she took out top honours in the final against Cedar Leigh-Jones. 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 finish at 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 prizemoney 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."
Sarah Baum throwing buckets at Avalon. - WSL / Ethan Smith
Sheldon Simkus put on a valiant performance over the course of the entire Vissla Central Coast Pro with the final being no exception. Simkus found a handful of decent waves that allowed to post some above-average scores but ultimately fell short of the 8.27 wave score required to jump ahead of Banting.
"That was a lot of fun and was a perfect warmup for the QS5000 and the Challenger Series events that are coming up. I think this may be my best result ever," said Simkus. "At the beginning of the week, I was sick and hadn't free surfed to prepare at all. It was awesome to feel like I was just improving with every heat I had and improve throughout the contest."
Sheldon Simkus finding his career best result. - WSL / Ethan Smith
Cedar Leigh-Jones notched up her best result to date, taking out the runner-up position. After a stellar run through the quarter and semifinals, Leigh-Jones was unable to find waves with enough scoring potential to gain the upper hand against Baum. At only 15-years-old, the young natural-footer will now look to move her focus to the Sydney Surf Pro Junior at Manly later in the week.
"I didn't even think I was going to make it through to Friday in this competition, so I'm super stoked with this result," said Leigh-Jones. "I came into this event just looking for a half-decent result but I didn't quite expect this. Unfortunately, I didn't any great waves in the final, but I'm still happy. This is definitely my biggest result to date."
Cedar Leigh-Jones flew under the radar all the way to the final. - WSL / Ethan Smith
Matt Banting and Sarah Baum Take Victory at Avoca Beach
WSL
Matt Banting and Sarah Baum have taken out the 2020 Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 event at 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. 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 requalify for the WSL Championship Tour.
"Getting to the final last year was a great feeling but to go one step further feels even better," said Banting. "At the beginning of the week I busted the radiator in my car and I wasn't sure if I would even make my first heat in time and I thought I might need to pull out of the event, but everything from there fell into place after that. The 3000 points and the prize money will help me so much and takes a huge amount of pressure off. If I can back up this result with a decent result in some of the higher-ranked events then I'd be even more stoked."
Sarah Baum's stellar beginning to 2020 continued today as she took out top honours in the final against Cedar Leigh-Jones. 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 finish at 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 prizemoney 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."
Sheldon Simkus put on a valiant performance over the course of the entire Vissla Central Coast Pro with the final being no exception. Simkus found a handful of decent waves that allowed to post some above-average scores but ultimately fell short of the 8.27 wave score required to jump ahead of Banting.
"That was a lot of fun and was a perfect warmup for the QS5000 and the Challenger Series events that are coming up. I think this may be my best result ever," said Simkus. "At the beginning of the week, I was sick and hadn't free surfed to prepare at all. It was awesome to feel like I was just improving with every heat I had and improve throughout the contest."
Cedar Leigh-Jones notched up her best result to date, taking out the runner-up position. After a stellar run through the quarter and semifinals, Leigh-Jones was unable to find waves with enough scoring potential to gain the upper hand against Baum. At only 15-years-old, the young natural-footer will now look to move her focus to the Sydney Surf Pro Junior at Manly later in the week.
"I didn't even think I was going to make it through to Friday in this competition, so I'm super stoked with this result," said Leigh-Jones. "I came into this event just looking for a half-decent result but I didn't quite expect this. Unfortunately, I didn't any great waves in the final, but I'm still happy. This is definitely my biggest result to date."
News
Five years in the making, the QS is back on mainland Mexico's famed stretch of beach, La Zicatela, for 1,000 valuable points.
Relive one of Puerto Escondido's own, Tehuen Petroni, charge through Quarterfinals to earn a place into the Semifinals at his home break.
The QS is back at the famed stretch of La Zicatela for the first time since 2019 with some of Mexico's premier competitors set to clash
2019 marked the last time QS competitors put on a showcase in solid Puerto Escondido conditions and John Mel earned his first-ever victory.
Coastal Becomes Official Real Estate Partner of the 2025 Gold Coast Pro.