Winter will have to surf more rounds than in previous years

Four surfers from Cornwall will feature in the opening round of the 2008 Boardmasters in Newquay on Tuesday.

It will be the first time in more than five years that the UK does not have a seeded surfer in the world's top 100.

Former champion Russell Winter leads the Cornish charge at his home break Fistral Beach.

The 33-year-old returns after breaking a wrist during a surfing accident at Porthleven and has been fighting back to competition fitness.

After several years of being given an automatic third round entry, Winter is forced to surf from round one.

Fellow Newquay surfer Alan Stokes has been warming up for his Boardmasters assault by fulfilling his surf coaching commitments in North Cornwall.

Jayce Robinson, from St Ives, has a tough opener against Australian Matt Capel, who lives in South Devon, Parrish Byrne and South African David Richards.

Perranporth-based Sam Lamiroy, a prolific British and UK title holder, will be looking to start the ball rolling for British success.

"We'll give it our best shot. Hopefully one of our four will get through and post a good result," he told the BBC.

"Some of these guys train every single day of the year. It's hard to compete against that, especially in the UK where we don't always have the best conditions."

He will one of the first four surfers to paddle out at the competition and is drawn in heat one against Spaniard Txaber Trojaola and Simon Marchand, from France.

Organisers of the Boardmasters, which runs from 5-10 August, have yet to fill six places in the first-round draw.