Intro:

Australia's Joel Parkinson, the current favourite for the ASP World Title, moved a step closer to achieving his goal.

He produced the highest score in round 4 of the Coldwater Classic surf meeting off the coast of California.

Script:

The Coldwater Classic, the ninth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour, continued at Santa Cruz.

Australia's Matt Wilkinson, who eliminated John John Florence in Round 2 of the competition, continued his winning ways by beating his compatriot Owen Wright in round 3.

A winner here in 2010, Wilkinson produced a superior performance scoring 14.83 to beat the 22-year-old Wright who only managed to score 14.0 with the judges.

Next up was some brotherly rivalry when Damien Hobgood and CJ Hobgood squared off in the water.

The twins from America fought out in rough surf but Damien got the upperhand on this occasion scoring 14.26 while CJ could only muster 12.56 in the heat.

In round 4, the 31-year-old from Australia, Joel Parkinson, kept his hopes alive of winning the ASP World Title by reaching the quarterfinals after a perfect wave selection allowed him to score 9.50 on the back of a powerful combination of turns.

The three-time ASP World Runner-Up recorded the highest total of the day from the judges which has put him in striking distance of his maiden elite crown.

Frenchman, Jeremy Flores, was another to find success in challenging conditions but started with a powerful forehand attack on his opening wave, notching an excellent 9.37 for the ride to hold off Tahitian powerhouse Michel Bourez and surfing legend Kelly Slater for a place in the quarters.