Above: Emily Currie from Bude took first place, with Peony Knight in second and Lucy Campbell in fourth place.
Celebrating with the official UK Surf Pro Tour beer, Sharp’s Atlantic Pale Ale, was held at Watergate Bay on Saturday 2nd, Sunday 3rd and closing with an epic final on Monday 4th, spectators were treated to spectacular surfing from the Junior, Longboard, Senior, Women’s and Men’s divisions.
The blustery bank holiday weekend saw the English National Surfing Championships put the countries best to the test. The waves ranged from small and choppy on Saturday morning to overhead, clean and perfect for the finals on Bank Holiday Monday. Sponsored by Sharp’s Brewery as an extension of its ‘There’s an Adventure Brewing’ campaign, The English Championships was implemented in partnership with Andy Sturt of the ESF and Brender Wilmott and her team of students from Cornwall College.
The bank holiday weekend saw the 43rd English National Surfing Championships. Spectators were treated to a smorgasbord of traditional and progressive surfing styles by surfers of all ages; from seasoned veterans to the rising stars of the under 12’s, all competing for the highest titles in English surfing.
Above: Lily Mandeville who came 1st in the U14s.
There were double celebrations across the womens with Emily Currie winning the Women’s Open and the Women’s Longboard and coming fourth in the under 18’s Women’s. Ellie Turner won the Girls Under 18’s and Under 16’s and came second in the Under 14’s. Quite and achievement! Ellie Turner stormed through some choppy surf to win the Zumba under 18 Girl’s category with a wave score of 8.5, as well as the Boneyard Under 16 girls competition. Emily Currie continued her campaign by winning her first Women’s Longboard title in two years, gaining a wave score almost double that of her fellow competitors.
The English Surfing National Championships is the first major event of the season and also reveals whose winter training has been the most effective. As well as the national title, the surfers are competing for the chance to represent England at the upcoming European Surfing Championships in Morocco this October.
Sponsor, Sharp’s Brewery also awarded surfers with the overall highest wave score of the event, with Josh Ash claiming that title for the Men’s and Lucy Campbell for the Ladies division.
Above: Georgie Timson second in the U18.
RESULTS
Women’s Final
1. Emily Currie
2. Peony Knight
3. Anne Cecile le Tallec
4. Lucy Campbell
Under 18 women
1. Ellie Turner
2. Georgie Timson
3. Peony Knight
4. Emily Currie
Under 16 girls
1. Ellie Turner
2. Ruby Breadon
3. Lily Madeville
4. Mischa Maguire
5. Georgie Buckley
Under 14 womens
1. Lily Mandeville
2. Ellie Turner
3. Bonita Whitelock
4. Tegan Blackford
The event sponsors provided a relaxing beach vibe for spectators and surfers with music from the Red Bull beach buggy and Sharp’s Brewery providing free tastings of one of the regions fastest growing beer brands, Atlantic Pale Ale. Live surfing commentary by Nick Williams, ensured those on the beach were kept constantly informed of the action in the water. An extensive list of sponsors and supporters for the event included Sharp’s Brewery Cornwall College, Fetch Surf Co, The Dritek Hanger, Snugg Wetsuits, Niglon, Zumba Fitness, Checkered Photography, Fistral Beach Extreme Academy, Disco Beads, Get Fruity, Boneyard Clothing and Red Bull
Dave Reed of the UK Pro Surf Tour said, “It has been an epic weekend, and a great coming together of the forces within the English surfing scene to witness this showcase of the very best of our country’s talent. Congratulations must go to all of the worthy winners but also to the teams at the English Surfing Federation and the committed and enthusiastic young people of Cornwall College for all of their organizational efforts and commitments. Thanks to all of our sponsors and particularly to Sharp’s Brewery for stepping in with the key sponsorship at short notice.”
James Nicholls, Senior Brand Manager at Sharp’s Brewery says, “Being based on the North Cornish coast we are very passionate about watersports, the opportunity they provide us all to live a healthier, happier lifestyle and of course the economic benefits they provide the region. We were delighted to invest in supporting local and British talent and witness such a strong competition this weekend. We wish all of those going onto the European Surfing Championships the very best and are looking forward to the next stop on the UK Pro Surf Tour.”
Sharp’s Brewery’s has just launched a new ‘There’s an Adventure Brewing’ surfing campaign with South West big wave surfer Andrew Cotton. People across the country have the chance to win a trip to Ireland or Portugal to watch the man himself surf the world’s biggest waves, as well as attend a surf training camp at his home in North Devon. Visit www.sharpsadventure.co.uk to enter and keep up to date on social media via Twitter @SharpsBrewery and Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharpsbreweryuk.
