English National Surfing Championships 2015

by Nog

Watergate Bay in Newquay hosted the English National Surfing Championships last weekend and it was pleasing to see some of our members stepping into the fray. Taylor Bairds, entering his first major competition, made a great start in progressing through his first heat in the Boys Under-14’s. He was soon back in the water again in the Under-12’s division and suffered the disappointment of missing out on a place in the final by a mere 0.2 of a point. He later fell at the quarter final stage of the Under-14’s, but came back up the beach fired with enthusiasm and eagerly anticipating his next contest. It can take a while to find your feet in the contest surfing world – but Taylor has the skill and determination to take his place on the scene!

In the Under-18 Boys division, Harry De Roth produced a series of winning displays, culminating in a massive 16.3 score to win the final and retain the title he won last year. He also earned a 16 point score in the first round of the Mens Open, including a 9.2 ride which equalled the best single wave score of the weekend. He fell out of contention with a third place in the semi final, his only defeat of the weekend. Defending Mens Champion, Jayce Robinson also fell in the semis after powering through the early rounds with convincing wins.

A live interview with Harry after the Under-18 final

Harry Takes The Under-18 Boys Winner’s Prize

So, there’s much encouragement to be drawn from the standard of surfing produced by our surfers last weekend. We look forward to the coming season with great optimism for those three, and a keen eye out for others in the club who may be ready to join them on the contest scene.