Despite some early wet weather this morning at Newquay’s Fistral Beach, the Rip Curl Boardmasters launched into action at 8am this morning with the opening round of the 5 star Men’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) contest. The opening round featured 12, four-man heats, with the event’s unseeded competitors battling the tricky 2-3ft (0.5-1m) surf in 20-minute spurts.<br /><br /><br />Eight British surfers paddled out in Round 1, all hopeful of winning through their opening heats and impressing the large local crowd.<br /><br />Mark Harris (GBR), Johnny Fryer (GBR), Sam Lamiroy (GBR), Matt Capel (GBR), Oli Adam<br /><br /><br /><img src=http://ll.broadbandsports.com/png/17624_thumb_0000.png border=0 width=150 height=90 alt="Rip Curl Boardmasters 2007: Men's WQS Surfing Highlights - Round 1" />
