Saturday brought good swell conditions for the running of the Jersey Surfboard Club Channel Island Championship. Holding the competition later in the year paid off with competitors enjoying a the remnants of a deep low. Waves were consistently 3-4ft with a strong and quite chilly northerly wind.
The Under 18 girls were in the water first to set the tone for the day and in difficult conditions Lucy Walker found the right wave to display conviction and control to score the highest wave score of the heat and take the under 18 title.
The Under 18 boys saw some ferocious surfing with a number of surfers producing dynamic and exciting manoeuvres in the critical parts of the wave. Some great surfing from Josh Evans And Ben bates saw them join Alex Vibert and Matt Chapman in the final. However it was Chapman’s day as dominated the final to take the Under 18 crown. Champman posted the highest score of the event with a barrel followed by a huge floater in his Semi Final.
As part of the Under 18 category there were a number of under 14 surfers fighting it out for the Under 14’s Championship. Hayden Bishop recently crowned AIB under 14 champion again dominated his opponents to take the Under 14 Channel Island Championship crown.
The Senior Men’s championship once again provided some of the most exciting surfing which saw a number of experienced competitors displaying controlled but dynamic surfing in good surf conditions. Ben Chapman, fresh from his success in the European Championships in Ireland, looked sharp and managed to clinch the title after some good wave exchanges between all the surfers.
Mark Durbano ran away with the masters title with some dynamic and exciting surfing in an event that saw a very high standard of surfing from all the competitors. Mark’s backside attack impressed the judges – his power and flow met the judging criteria and subsequently he was rewarded. Michael Charlton demonstrated his fitness and performed well and Piers Gould surfed with finesse and classic style to surf into second and third respectively.
The Grand Masters saw the veterans of the group take to the water with nearly 100 years of surfing experience between them. It was the most eagerly anticipated competition of the event as Simon Gould faced off against Dave “woof” Ferguson and former European Ladies Champion Arlene Maltman. In difficult conditions it was Simon Gould who came away with the win. Dave “woof “ Ferguson was awarded the wipe-out of the competition for numerous waves but still did enough to snatch second in the dying seconds of the heat.
Arlene Maltman took to the waters again to compete for the For the Ladies Open Title. Chantelle Coote and newcomer Phobe Gould were her competition in the final of this blue ribbon event for Ladies Surfing in the Channel Islands. In the end it was Chantelle Coote’s flowing turns that clinched her victory and the open title.
The Longboard final saw a number of experienced competitive surfers battle it out for the title. Favourtie Josh Le Marquand didn’t quite find his form in the tricky conditions and failed to back up his score with a second good wave. Ben bates surfed well throughout the contest but it was local legend Cole Jouanny who produced the much needed wave scores to take the title. Cole’s repertoire of old school and progressive surfing impressed the judges. This is Cole’s first Channel Island Longboard title after a number of years of coming up just a little short.
The final event to take to the water was the Men’s Open Final. This is the event which sees the best surfers from the Channel Islands battle it out to claim the top spot. This year’s final did not disappoint as four of the islands tops surfers, Christian Bolletta, Piers Gould, Ben Chapman, and the younger Matt Chapman took to the water. All the competitors surfed well in difficult high tide conditions and a strengthened northerly wind. All demonstrated some stunning surfing. However it was to be Matt Chapman’s day as he executed some powerful and progressive turns and deservedly took the top spot.
The Jersey Surfboard club would like to thank all the sponsors of the event, The Watersplash and the judges for giving up their valuable time, and the spectators for making this event so memorable.
Results
U18 Girls
1.Lucy Walker 2.Chantelle Coote 3.Megan Vibert 4.Phobe Gould
U18 Boys
1.Mathew Chapman 2. Alex Vibert 3.Ben Bates 4.Josh Evens
Best U14
1.Hayden Bishop 2.Charlie Rio 3 Aaron Rowe
Senior Man
1.Ben Chapman 2.Sam George 3.Scott Eastwood 4.Piers Gould
Masters
1.Mark Durbano 2. Michael Charlton. 3. Piers Gould 4. Simon Gould 5. Dave Ferguson
Grandmasters
1.Simon Gould 2.Dave Ferguson 3. Arlene Maltman
Ladies Open
1. Chantelle Coote 2. Phobe Gould 3.Arlene Maltman
Lonboards
1.Cole Jouanny 2.Josh Le Marquand 3.Ben Bates 4.Alex Vibert
Open
1.Mathew Chapman 2.Ben Chapman. 3.Piers Gould 4. Christian Bolletta.
Open and U18 winner Matt Chapman
