Surfing England’s Junior Surf Series Kicks Off. In the first of five stops across the UK, the coastline of North Devonshire at Croyde Bay hosted the first event of the Surfing England’s Junior surf series.
From northern most locations such as Tyneside to Cornwall in the far south, over 30 athletes entered the event. There were four shortboard divisions separating the boys and girls under 12 and under 14 years of age.
The conditions were difficult with some large gusts offshore, but were made less by the relatively small waves encountered. In the boys under 14 division, Lukas Skinner led the way with a total of 11.27 points, easily defeating Heath Gillespie, who came in second with 6.57 points. Reuben Joseph Wakely, and Sebastian Connolly rounded out the top four.
In the under 12 boys shortboard, Joshi James comfortably defeated second-place finished Wilbur Prisk with 8.53 points compared to 5.70 points. George Moy represented North-Devon with a third-place finish, while Harvey James Waters placed fourth.
Only four girls competed in the under 14 shortboard division, but each girl represented themselves and their region very well. Sunny Ingram won the division with 5.27 points, followed by Bethan Davies, Harlyn Sykes, and Lilly Issberner.
In the under 12 girls shortboard division, Hazel Bennett defeated five other competitors with a total of 3.83 points. Summer-Marie Moore finished second, with Lila Skinner and Betsie Reay rounding out the top four.
The series will continue stops in Newquay, Widemouth Bay, West Cornwall Global Boarders, and Tynemouth Surf club. The winners from each competition will square off in the finals in late October.
The goal of Surfing England is to showcase top-tier youth surfers in the UK. If the first event is any indication, the future of British surfing is shining brightly. Don’t be surprised to see the likes of Sunny Ingram, Hazel Bennett, Lukas Skinner, and Joshii James continue to rise to the top now and in the future!
