12:00a.m. 11th May 2008

And then there was one.

Harrison Roach is now the sole Coast competitor left in the Oxbow Pro, after Grant Thomas and Josh Constable were both eliminated on Friday night Australian time.

Thomas (Maroochydore) was bumped from the draw by South African Matthew Moir, in the clean two- to three-foot surf at Les Dunes, south of the main venue of Les Cavaliers.

Scores stayed low through much of the third-round heat, before Moir posted an even 7.0 to stretch his lead over Thomas.

Thomas – who amassed a two-wave total of 9.65 – was unable to surpass Moir’s 12.90, and was eliminated in a share of 17th position.

Moir said wave selection proved crucial, due to the high tide.

“The waves were very tricky during my heat and I had to have a good choice but it went well in the end,” he said. “I had an excellent warm-up in South Africa and won the national longboard championships so I came here confident,” Moir said.

Four heats later, Thomas had company on the sidelines, with Noosa’s Josh Constable eliminated by Brazilian Amaro Matos in a close-scoring tussle.