AUTO SLEEPERS BRITISH NATIONALS 2010 REVIEW

October 2^nd 2010 will go down as one of the greatest day’s competition in British Bodyboarding history. The forecast for days had been good; the reality on the morning of the Nationals competition and the fourth and final round of the Auto-Sleepers British Bodyboard Tour was simply epic. The offshore wind blew down the Porthtowan valley, chilling the assembly of competitors before heading out to sea grooming the six foot plus bombs that were unloading on the banks outside.

October 2^nd 2010 will go down as one of the greatest day’s competition in British Bodyboarding history. The forecast for days had been good; the reality on the morning of the Nationals competition and the fourth and final round of the Auto-Sleepers British Bodyboard Tour was simply epic. The offshore wind blew down the Porthtowan valley, chilling the assembly of competitors before heading out to sea grooming the six foot plus bombs that were unloading on the banks outside.

There was so much at stake, eight national champions would be crowned at the end of the weekend and the 2010 Tour champion decided. At 9am on Saturday morning it could have gone to six different riders, who could hold their nerve?

First in the water was the Open division. Huge ARS’, tweaked inverts and perfect reverses set the tone for the event. Early standouts included Portreath ripper Tim Brown who after a couple of years out of competition looked hungry for glory. Another rider back on the contest scene was Ali Daniels whose fast reverses and a sick after the hooter, backflip had the regulars worried.

Day one also saw the semi finals of the seniors, the under 16s and under 18s and the drop knee divisions in the water. Again the standard was high but the under 16s in particular showed the future of the sport is in great shape as they committed to heavy sections landing some lofty rolls, watch out you open division riders, the new kids are coming!

The day was completed with the quarter finals of the Open division. Once again Brown looked good taking another first place in his heat but showing equal form was local hotshot Damian Prisk and tour contender Jack Johns. The other contenders for the tour title fell by the wayside in the quarters which meant it was a two horse race, Jack Johns or current tour leader, Remi Geffroy.

Day two was different, the swell was still there and so was the wind but now it was a straight northerly, straight onshore and the big clean faces were now at best “tough” but in all honesty, it looked plain nasty! First to take on the punishing conditions was the Masters division, sponsored by Collection House Ltd. With two out of the four riders coming from Jersey, the trophy looked like it could be heading for the islands. It sounds odd but the honourable mention of the heat has to go to Colin Crowther who endured a full 35 minutes of paddling as set after set landed on the pint sized Jersey man but he didn’t give up, good effort! The title was really only between Pete Bolam and Simon Watkins. Both struggled to find a section that didn’t threaten life and limb but it was Bolam’s longer rides and controlled spins that eventually saw him take the title back to Bristol. Colin managed to snag one good ride just before the hooter to finish 3^rd and edge Wales’ Jono Sharp back into 4^th.

The conditions were still big when the Beach Hotel Porthtowan under 16 division took to the water, but once again they showed they will be contenders in the open division in a year or two’s time. This clash of the south coast titans featured a number of big rolls which impressed the judges. In the end, it was the speed and power of 15 year old Harry Smith’s riding that helped him beat Lloyd Atherton into second place.

The increased number of women in this year’s competition was really encouraging. The style and commitment to the conditions was excellent with all four finalists demonstrating great control in the heavy surf. The early exchanges had all four riders on similar scores and at the half way point it was anyone’s to win. However, Tabitha Fox upped her game and nailed a number of spins in a flurry of waves that saw her posting excellent scores on the judging sheets which was enough to seal the deal and take home the CW Harwood women’s crown.

As in the women’s division, it was reassuring to see so many entries in the under 14 division. The big conditions made it hard for the young riders to make it out the back but some tactical positioning got them into some nice inside reform waves. All the riders demonstrated solid control in the fast waves with some great rail to rail surfing. Sian Spooner came within inches of landing several el rollos and Jamie Loweth and Ryan Bullen also came close to completing their forward spins. It was Sam Crabtree who took the Rob Barber Bodyboarding School sponsored title as he ventured further out and took off on two big clean faces and scooped down the line fine style, nice one Sam.

The next final was Found Boards sponsored Seniors division. Four stalwarts of the British bodyboarding contest scene went for it with Chris Bray making his mark early in the heat with a tight spin in the pocket finished with a projecto roll. Barber responded with a similar wave but threw in a tight reverse to lead the heat. Prisk gambled and sat to the right of the other riders and it almost paid off but a second solid ride from Barber saw him pip his rival to the post and another shiny trophy to add to the cabinet was confirmed.

Auto-Sleepers Open Winner Jack Johns and his cheque for £700

With the tabulation done, the final order was revealed, Daniels in fourth, Speller in third, Prisk in second and to a huge cheer, Jack Johns was announced at the 2010 British Bodyboard Club National champion and winner of the 2010 Tour. The top three positions on the Tour were Damian Prisk in third, Remi Geffroy second and Jack Johns first. You can see the full leader board at britishbodyboardclub.co.uk