Ten Hawai'i surfers will compete in the prestigious Billabong World Junior Championships next week at Australia.

The contest will run Tuesday to Jan. 8 at North Narrabeen, Australia. It is considered the world championship for surfers age 20 and younger, professional or amateur.

The Hawai'i roster will feature surfers from four of the Hawaiian Islands.

In the men's division, the Hawai'i surfers are: Casey Brown and Torrey Meister from the Big Island; John John Florence and Mason Ho from O'ahu's North Shore; Clay Marzo and Dusty Payne from Maui; and Kyle Ramey from Kaua'i.

Ho placed third at last year's contest, which was also held at North Narrabeen.

The men's division will feature 48 surfers from around the world.

Also, Maui's Granger Larsen will try to qualify for the contest through a trials event (two surfers from the trials will get invited to the main contest).

The World Junior Championships was first held in 1998. Two Hawai'i surfers have won the men's title — Kaua'i's Andy Irons in 1998, and Mililani's Kekoa Bacalso in 2005.

Hawai'i will be represented in the women's division by Wai'anae's Alessa Quizon and Kaua'i's Leila Hurst. The women's field will feature 16 competitors.

The Hawai'i roster was determined through performance during a contest at Sunset Beach in September.

HUBBARD CLAIMS NATIONAL TITLE ON MAUI

Kaua'i's Jeff Hubbard capped a dominant year on the national bodyboarding tour by winning the men's professional division of the Scion Hawai'i Ledges Pro this week at Kahului Harbor, Maui.

The contest was the final stop on the United States Bodyboarding Association's 2007 National Championship Tour.

Hubbard won four of the six events on the 2007 tour.

The national tour is separate from the world tour. Hubbard won the world championship in 2006, but finished 2007 ranked No. 11 in the world.

Ryan Hardy of Australia placed second in the Maui contest, followed by Bud Miyamoto of Kaua'i, and Sacha Specker of South Africa.

Miyamoto won the drop-knee division of the Maui event.

David Hubbard, Jeff's younger brother, placed second in the drop-knee division, but won the national title.

Other winners from the Maui contest were Kelly Gordon of Maui in the women's division, and Colin Black of O'ahu in the men's amateur division.

THREE FROM HAWAI'I INVITED TO MAVERICKS

Hawai'i's Brock Little, Garrett McNamara and Jamie Sterling are among the 24 invited to the Mavericks Surf Contest.

The big-wave event will run at Half Moon Bay, Calif., on a day when wave-face heights reach at least 40 feet. It can run any day before March 31.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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