That’s a wrap on the 2026 Caravan and Motorhome Club English National Surfing Championships.
There were highs and lows, lost fins, powerful turns, and solid performances from all of our athletes.
We have crowned Belle Betteridge and Fynn Gillespie as our 2026 Open Division English Champions. The battles were fierce, but these two athletes came out on top, delivering stellar performances and showcasing the first-class standard that English surfing has to offer.
The open (men’s) final was terrific to watch, with Heath Gillespie losing a fin early in the heat, resulting in a paddle in and a heroic jog down the beach from his dad. This was followed by some epic waves, with his brother Fynn bagging the barrel of the day. Fynn then went on to lead the men’s final, securing the win with a combined score of 15.50, snatching victory from Asbjorn, who battled right to the buzzer with a huge performance. Asbjorn travelled all the way from South Africa for the weekend, and as a member of Team England Juniors, it was great to see him fight to the very end.
In the women’s final, Willow Smith led the way through the first half of the heat with some powerful turns, posting a 5.33. However, Belle Betteridge came onto the scene in the latter half of the heat, scoring a 4.83 and a 6.00 to take the lead and claim the 2026 Women’s title. It was a nail-biting heat to watch, with all surfers fighting for the win. The depth of talent and skill on display highlights the strength of English women’s surfing and points to a very promising season ahead.
We started the day as we meant to go on, setting a fast pace to see what our surfers had to offer. Forecasts showed that the wind would pick up later in the day and conditions would deteriorate, so open round 1 was run across double peaks to keep things moving while we had a rare window of clean swell and light wind. Sam Harwood took the highest score of the round, posting a combined 11.60.
In the women’s divisions, we were pleased to see the return of Emily Currie to the shortboard division. Emily claimed the 2025 Longboard Championship crown in the Autumn, so it was great to see her switching things up this year and going for a win in the shortboard. Unfortunately, the win wasn’t to be today, but she delivered some great performances, finishing in third place. We hope to see her back again later this year for the Longboard Championship—perhaps even for a back-to-back win.
Recognition should also be given to Isaac Friend, who competed today while marking his 100th consecutive day of surfing this year. He is aiming to surf every single day of 2026 for a very worthy cause, raising money for Children in Need. As members of the English surf community, we all know the harsh winds, rain, and conditions that come with the beauty of waves in England, so it’s inspiring to see him taking on all weathers. His commitment is clearly paying off, as he banked some great waves today and made it through to the quarter-finals. You can find out more here.
RESULTS:
WOMEN’S OPEN
1. Bell Betteridge 2. Willow Smith 3. Emily Currie 4. Sunny Ingram
OPEN (MEN’S)
1 Fynn Gillespie 2. Asbjorn Gwenin 3. Reen Bowden-Inoue 4. Heath Gillespie
