Sydney, 26th February 2007 - Le Ba boardriders are shaping up as a surprise favourite for the Jim Beam National Surftag final at Sydney's Curl Curl Beach this week.

Led by a sterling performance from Marcus Aboody, Le Ba (Lennox Ballina) won the Jim Beam Surftag Queensland qualifying round earlier this month and now will take aim at the best clubs from right around Australia.

Le Ba continued their sensational form last week by taking out the Kirra Team's title on the Gold Coast and a victory in the Jim Beam Surftag will give them an historic treble - all in the space of three weeks.

Natural footer Aboody will be an integral part of Le Ba's five-man squad in the team event on Saturday March 3, as well as representing the club in the Jim Beam National Boardriders Cup on Friday March 2 where he will square off against the open champions from Australia's top 50 clubs.

In its sixth year, the National Surftag has established itself as the premier club surfing event on the calendar and the state qualifying events this year saw World Championship Tour and World Qualifying Series tour surfers in action.

Le Ba are the only north coast outfit in the 16 team final that will decide the nation's number one boardriding club for 2007, a title Gold Coast outfit Snapper Rocks won last year, beating Curl Curl, Noosa and Cronulla.

The Jim Beam Surftag is run under the popular tag team format with each club being represented by five surfers. In relay style each surfer catches three waves and then returns to the beach to tag the next surfer. All three waves ridden count towards the team's final score with each surfer's second wave worth double points "Powerwave". Bonus points are also on offer for each team's fifth surfer returning to the tag area before the one hour time limit.

In the Queensland qualifying round Aboody reeled off a series of slashing performances in each of his team's three heats in his role as the first surfer, setting his team of Glen Curtis and WQS rippers Jock Barnes, Adam Melling and James Wood a lead every time.

In the Surftag final Le Ba will face title holders Snapper Rocks, NSW winners North Steyne, Victorian victors Torquay, Western Australian champs Yallingup and Sydney club North Narrabeen who are shaping up as championship contenders.

Aboody says his team is primed to take on the country's best.

"We are amped for the final because we have a really good team this year and we are very excited," Aboody said.

On Friday Aboody will line up in the field of 50 Boardriders Cup finalists against favourites Jake Spooner (Sandon Point), Glen Hall (Umina), Shaun Gossman (Snapper Rocks) and Matt Bemrose (Curl Curl).

The Jim Beam Boardriders Cup National final was held for the first time in 2006 with Umina's Drew Courtney cruising away on the vmoto scooter. Courtney convincingly beat Avalon's Matt Thompson in last year's man on man final, which was also held at Curl Curl.

The 2007 Jim Beam Boardriders Cup National Final boasts a prize pool of $33,000, including $2,000 and a vmoto scooter valued at $3,000 for the National champion, with every Club Open champion from 2006 winning $500 and the right to compete in the 2007 National final.

The all important draw for both the Surftag and Boardriders Cup will be held in Sydney on Thursday.

The 2007 Jim Beam Surftag National Series is proudly supported by Jim Beam, Face of Australia Sunscreen, Mentawai Resorts, vmoto, Oporto, Coastalwatch and Australia's Surfing Life.