Welcome to upset city!

Another drop in swell had the contest director, Damien Hardman between a rock and a hard place today, Day 5 of the Pro Search Indonesia. With a fairly uninspiring swell report for the next few days, the former 2 time world champ had to bite the bullet and call "Go" for proceedings first thing this morning in 4-5 ft crumbly conditions.

After Joel Parkinson's relentlessly awesome performances in this event, he was stopped in his tracks in Heat 2 by a rampaging Freddie Pattachia. Parko had nonchalantly notched up a pair of nines, but Freddie upped both of those scores to have current #2 Parko in all sorts, finding himself in combo land whilst holding two 9's! For the second half of the heat Joel needed around 19.0 to advance, and it was never going to be feasible given the sectiony surf.

The day's trend was set, and after reigning world champ Mick Fanning went down to Bruce Irons an hour or so later (after needing only a 4 something and falling on his final turn, on a wave that would have earned him what he needed), the crowd lining these magnificent limestone bluffs of southern Indonesia went into overdrive. Continuing the shock results, which were now all the rage, Chris Ward hammered 3 time king Andy Irons and do you know what? I could have sworn I could hear Kelly (defeated himself by Portugal's Tiago Pires yesterday in the first upset of the event) laughing his head off somewhere out in Somewhere Land.

Talk about a roll, even when Kelly loses he wins, and he must be wondering what he has to do to not win the world title this year? Especially when Taj signed off in the quarters, leaving eventual finalists Freddie P and Brucey to fight it out for the coveted globe trophy. Neither had won a WCT event before, and when Bruce picked up a wide bomb late in the final, slotting in before belting the wave all the way down the line, Freddie was doomed to his second runner up placing. An elated Andy Irons was almost as happy as Bruce, and I think I may have seen a tear in his eye.

And as for Bruce's claimed retirement at this year's end?

"I'm so stoked to win this thing, so thankful to be here, and to the Indonesian's for putting up with 44 egos and have us over running their home. But it hasn't changed anything - I stick to what I say."

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