The action kicked off with two semi finals featuring teams form the state qualifying rounds. From the outset it was Emery Surfboards who looked like the team to beat. World Tour surfer Adam Melling, top junior surfers Stu Kennedy & James Wood, along with former WQS campaigner Sunny Russel, produced some outstanding surfing which sent a clear message to the opposition.

The final was a one sided affair as the surfers representing Emery continued their winning rampage posting a solid heat score of 74.19 to defeat Stacey Surfboards (64.28), Warner Surfboards (61.09) and Shaping Co (51.71).

“The waves were really fun for the final and my team was psyched to get out there. We managed to pick off a couple of the better waves on offer and secure some good scores”, said Team Captain and Surfboard Shaper Al Emery after the win. “It feels great to come away with a win. We had such a fun time and the atmosphere was great. Can’t wait till next year”.

Former ASP World Tour surfer and FCS Brand Ambassador Richie Lovett was equally impressed with the winning team. “The team from Emery Surfboards put on a world class display of surfing. Adam Melling showed why he is now on the ASP tour, and Stu and Woody also showed why they are among the best juniors in Australia. The team not only surfed really well but they competed well, and that’s important in a tag team event”.
The standard of surfing on the final day was of the highest caliber with many of the country’s top professionals, along with the shapers and surfers who actually make the boards, proving that the Australian surfboard industry is truly rich with talent. 

Richie further commented, “On behalf of FCS I’d like to thank all the surfboard manufacturers who competed throughout the series. Surfboard manufacturers are the lifeline of the surfing industry and FCS is honored to host an event that provides a platform for these companies to compete, have fun and win a stack of cash and prizes. We look forward to putting on a bigger and better event next year”.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

Former ASP World Tour surfers Richie Lovett, Jarrad Howse, Matt Bemrose, Nathan Webster and Dave McCauley will be competing for their respective teams, chasing not only the $3000 winner’s cheque, but the honour of being crowned the champions of the surfboard industry.

The action will kick off with eight of the country’s top surfboard manufacturers doing battle in the semi finals. The top two teams from each semi will then progress to the all important final to decide the overall winner.

In an unexpected twist of fate, one of the hot favourites for the event, DHD Surfboards, recently announced they will not be competing due to unforeseen circumstances. The withdrawal of DHD Surfboards opens the door for last years winners, Warner Surfboards, to take a berth in the semi finals as the next highest seeded qualifying team.

The remaining seven teams set to compete on Saturday include; Stacey Surfboards (NSW), Aloha Surfboards (NSW), Chilli Surfboards (NSW), SEL Surfboards (QLD), Emery Surfboards (QLD), The Murriginals (WA) and Corey Surfboards (WA).

The semi finals of the FCS Manufacturers Cup are scheduled to hit the water from 8:30am at North Narrabeen Beach, with the final to be held later in the day.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

The strong team consisting of former World Tour surfer Richie Lovett, powerhouse Matt Bemrose, Dan Karen and Zahn Foxton accumulated a total heat score of 80.6 to defeat Stacey Surfboards (72.9), Chilli Surfboards (72.5) and Warner Surfboards (69.6). The convincing win now puts Aloha among the favorites going into the finals.

Matt Bemrose, a former Australian Open Champion, was clearly happy with the win following an astounding individual performance to score the highest three wave tally of the day. Bemrose found some of the best waves on offer during the heat and put together a vertical backhand attached to rival any World Tour surfer.

“Aloha is a great company and I was proud to surf with the other guys representing Aloha. Competing with guys the caliber of Zahn, Dan and Rich is awesome. I was riding my favorite board and it didn’t fail to deliver” – Matt Bemrose

The top three teams from the NSW qualifying round (Aloha Surfboards, Stacey Surfboards and Chilli Surfboards) now progress through to The FCS Manufacturers Cup National Final, which will be held on Saturday 13th February 2010. The competitive NSW teams will face some tough opposition including Corey Surfboards (VIC), The Murriginals (WA), DHD Surfboards (QLD), Sel Surfboards (QLD) and Emery Surfboards (QLD).

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is based on a tag team format with each company submitting a team of four surfers; two employees and two team riders. Each surfer in the team must catch three waves then return to the beach to tag the next surfer. This ‘race against time’ format adds to the excitement of the event, which steadily builds as the clock ticks down to the final minute.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

Teams competing from New South Wales include; Aloha Surfboards, Stacey Surfboards, Dylan Longbottom Surfboards, Warner Surfboards, RM Shapes and Rhino Glassing.

The top three teams from this weekends NSW state qualifying event will receive direct entry into the Manufacturers Cup National Final.

“It’s ‘shaping’ up to be a great day at Cronulla… no pun intended. All the NSW teams are worthy of a place in the final so the competition is going to be tough. The charts are predicting a swell in the 2 -3 feet range, which is the perfect size for this type of event. We also have some world class surfers stepping up to represent their surfboard sponsors so we can expect some really high heat scores”. -  Richie Lovett, FCS Brand Ambassador

The event is based on a tag team format with each company submitting a team of four surfers; two employees and two team riders. Each surfer in the team must catch three waves then return to the beach to tag the next surfer. This ‘race against time’ format adds to the excitement of the event which steadily builds as the clock ticks down to the final minute.

This unique format will no doubt test the nerves of even the most seasoned competitors, among them former ASP World Tour surfer Jarrad Howse and current ASP World Tour surfer Luke Stedman, who will be surfing for Lee Stacey Surfboards. Big wave free-surfer Laurie Towner and top Junior Series competitor Dean Bowen will make an appearance for Dylan Longbottom Surfboards.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup National Final will be held at North Narrabeen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches on Saturday 13th February 2010. Teams already qualified for the final include; Corey Surfboards (VIC), The Murriginals (WA), DHD Surfboards (QLD), Sel Surfboards (QLD) and Emery Surfboards (QLD).

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

Driven by a desire to be the #1 team, former world number two Dave McCauley (from The Murriginals) surfed with the enthusiasm of a teenager and capitalized on every opportunity to pull his team through to the number one position. In the final the underdog team posted a solid heat score of 67.61 to defeat JS Industries (QLD) and Warner Surfboards (NSW).

“The waves were small but really fun if you got the right one. I managed to pick off a couple of wider ones which seemed to wall up a bit more”, said an excited McCauley after the win. He then went on to comment, “We had such a fun time and the atmosphere was great. It felt really good to not only compete against some of the top surfboard manufacturers but ASP World Tour Surfer Joel Parkinson”.

Event favourites JS Industries and Warner Surfboards struggled to maintain their momentum in the final despite some valiant performances from World Tour surfers Joel Parkinson, Chris Davidson and free surfer Dylan Longbottom. On paper the two favorite teams looked unstoppable, however it was the consistency and teamwork of the underdogs that made the difference on finals day.

Former ASP World Tour surfer and FCS Brand Ambassador Richie Lovett commented on the outstanding team, “I was totally blown away with the caliber of surfing from The Murringinals, especially Macca. These guys were surfing with determination and pride and that was the winning formula on the day. It just goes to show you we have some very talented surfers working in the Australian surfboard industry”.

Here’s a little snippet of how it all unfolded.

(2009 FCS Manufacturers Cup final)

Who will be crowned this year’s champion?

“I love competing in tag team events, the format is totally different to what I’m used to on tour. It’s all about camaraderie, team sprit and not letting the pressure get to you. On the whole we had a great day, the waves were really fun and I’m stoked to be part of the winning team” – Mick Fanning, 2 x ASP World Champion.

DHD, Emery and Sel Surfboards will now face the country’s finest surfboard manufacturers from NSW, VIC and WA in the National Final on Saturday 13th February at North Narrabeen Beach, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The NSW State Qualifying event will be held in Sydney at Cronulla on Saturday 30th of January. Teams set to compete in the event include Stacey Surfboards, Dylan Surfboards, Insight Surfboards, Warners Surfboards, RM Shapes, Aloha Surfboards and Hayden Shapes.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is a unique tag team competition for the countries finest surfboard builders. Teams competing in the event have an opportunity to win over $3000 in cash and prizes, claim bragging rights, and be crowned the champions of the surfboard industry.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

For regular updates and more information please visit – http://www.globalsurftag.com/

“The feedback from the last event was great. Teaming up with Global Surf Tag has enabled us to take the event to the next level and provide a great competitive platform for the board manufacturers of Australia. Our intension right from the start has always been to provide a fun event for the guys working behind the scenes of the surfboard industry”, said FCS Brand Ambassador Richie Lovett

Unlike other conventional surfing competitions, the FCS Manufacturers Cup uses a tag team format. Each company submits a team consisting of four surfers, two staff members and two team riders of their choice. Heat duration is 45 minutes and each surfer in the team must catch three waves then return to the beach and tag the next surfer. Bonus points are awarded to the final surfer if they return to the tag area before the time runs out.

Richie further commented “Each manufacturer can now include two sponsored riders in their team, as opposed to last year where they could only include one. This will make the event more dynamic by raising the level of competition, and it also gives the guys who make surfboards the opportunity to compete against some world class surfers.
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The FCS Manufactures Cup runs in conjunction with the Jim Bean Surftag Series and provides a national competition for surfboard manufacturers to compete against each other. The competition ultimately determines who is Australia’s No.1 board maker. The top three teams from the QLD & NSW state qualifying events, and the winning teams from the VIC & WA state qualifying events, will progress through to the National final which will be held at North Narrabeen, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup gives Aussie board makers the opportunity to win over $3000 in cash and prizes, claim bragging rights and ultimately be crowned the champions of the surfing industry. Don’t miss it!

Competition starts this Saturday from 8am. Teams set to compete in the event include Corey Surfboards, Island Surfboards, Strapper Surfboards plus many more.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

For regular updates please visit – http://www.globalsurftag.com/

Saturday, December 19th 2009 marked the start of the annual FCS Manufactures Cup, a unique tag team surfing competition for the countries finest surfboard builders. Gunnamatta on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria played host to the first state qualifying event with Corey Surfboards taking top honours over Island Surfboard in lumpy 2-3 metre windswept conditions. 

The testing conditions deterred many of the entrants from turning up on the day, but it didn’t faze the formidable teams from Corey and Island surfboards. The two teams went head-to-head in a straight out final and it was the underdog team from Corey Surfboards eventually proving to be too strong.

Corey was all smiles after the final, “This is the first FCS event we’ve ever competed in so we’re really happy with our result. I’m a small manufacturer so this gives me the perfect avenue to help get my name out there. Although the waves weren’t very good it was still super fun to be competing with your mates and get a little bit of rivalry happening. To come away with a win just makes it so much sweeter! We’re really looking forward to the final”.

Corey Surfboards will now face the country’s best surfboard manufacturers from WA, SA, NSW and QLD in the National Final due to be held in February at North Narrabeen, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The next state qualifying event in the series will be held in Western Australian at Yallingup on January 9 2010.

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Tracks and Swellnet.

For regular updates please visit www.globalsurftag.com