ASH BOOSTS TO VICTORY IN THE 2009 VOLKSWAGEN BRITISH NATIONAL SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS, IN ASSOCIATION WITH QUIKSILVER AND FISTRAL BEACH BAR

BUDE’s Reubyn Ash put on a dazzling display of progressive surfing at Newquay’s Fistral Beach this weekend to claim his maiden British title.

Reubyn Ash : photo Annemarie Hughes

The 20-year-old goofy-footer sealed the victory with a huge ‘air-reverse’ that sent the crowd into rapture and staked his claim as heir to Russell Winter’s throne at the top of British surfing.

The event was run over the course of the weekend in beautiful weather and 2-4ft waves, with over 100 competitors competing for the prestigious title of British champion in seniors, womens, masters, veterans and stand-up paddle boarding divisions.

This was the first year that stand-up paddle boarding, an offshoot of surfing rapidly growing in popularity, was incorporated into the event, and Swansea’s Chris Griffiths took the title in fine style on the Saturday.

The waves increased in size overnight and spectators were treated to a feast of surfing in blazing sunshine as the event reached its climax on Sunday.

In the first of the late afternoon finals, Newquay’s Jed Stone put in a typically rock solid performance to claim yet another Veteran’s title, taking his tally of British titles to 18.

The women’s division was won by Anglo –Australian Sarah Beardmore, But she was pushed to the wire by Swansea’s Beth Mason in an enthralling final in which Jo Dennison, also from Wales, and Bundoran‘s Nicole Morgan also shone.

Newquay’s Joff Owen put in a journeyman performance to take the seniors title ahead of Lee Griffin. Joff also put in a solid showing to take third in the Masters final, but had to take a back seat in this one to legends of British surfing Spencer Hargraves and Lee Bartlett, both from Newquay, who went hammer and tong right ‘til the buzzer. In the end Hargraves’ brute force on the bomb sets just got the nod over Bartlett’s lightning fast shredding on the smaller, cleaner waves.

The open finalists hit the water with high tide fast approaching and the fading 2-3 ft waves ruffled by northerly cross-chop. Anglo-Australian Reubin Pearce put himself in a commanding position early on with a series of searing turns on an increasingly rare solid wall, but a decent back-up eluded him. Mark Harris and Andrew Griffin, both of Newquay, also struggled for rhythm as the previously workable rights either backed off or closed out, finishing in 3rd and 4th respectively.

Reubyn Ash read the script and headed south, where the shorter but sucker lefts allowed him to get busy with his now polished new school act.

It takes something special to earn a 7.5 for one manoeuvre, but with five minutes to go and the heat in the balance, that’s just what Ash did. Racing down the line and using the approaching chop as a springboard, Ash pulled an aerial that had the Fistral Beach Bar peanut gallery rubbing their eyes and looking quizzically at their drinks.

Joanne Hillman of the British Surfing Association said: "The event was a great success and the level of surfing, especially by some of the new school surfers at low tide on the Sunday, was fantastic to watch. I'd like to say a big thank you Volkswagen, Quiksilver and Fistral Beach Bar for their generous sponsorship, to all the competitors for putting on a great show, and to all the staff who helped with the smooth running of the event.”

SUP
1 Chris Griffiths
2 Tim Mellors
3 Adam Zervas
4 Gareth Grant
Veterans
1 Jed Stone
2 Gary Collins
3 Tony Good
Masters
1 Spencer Hargraves
2 Lee Barlett
3 Joff Owen
4 Roger Knight
Seniors
1 Joff Owen
2 Lee Griffin
3 Lee Barlett
4 Sean Harris
Womens
1 Sarah Beardmore
2 Beth Mason
3 Jo Dennison
4 Nicole Morgan
Open
1 Ruebyn Ash
2 Ruebyn Pearce
3 Mark Harris
4 Andrew Griffin