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Bodmin-based team reports best competitve seasons
by George Mojo
21/12/2007:// The Bodmin-based Gul Surf team is reporting one of its best competitve seasons in competition around the world.
The two Cornish members of the five-strong squad have contributed to scooping nearly 7,000 World Qualifying Series pro points, close to 11,000 UK Pro Surf Tour and an impressive six national titles.
Newquay's Russell Winter has been leading the teams charge, continuing to reign as British number one, being the only UK contender inside the top 150 on the WQS tour rankings.
Winter has had another successful year both at in Cornwall and internationally.
The talented regular footer continued his WQS campaign, chasing the premier Five Star and Six Star contests around the world and again again held onto a top 100 final ranking and has further consolidated his place amongst the European surfing royalty with his relentless commitment to pushing his surfing on the International circuit.
While back in Newquay on a brief break from the world tour, the 33-year-old used a few British contests as a warm up for the Vans Triple Crown in Hawaii.
He won the British Cup, British Inter-Clubs team and Firewire Expression Session in the month he had at home.
Just hours after getting out the water from the final of the Gul Newquay Open he was on his way to Heathrow to fly to Hawaii for his next WQS battle.
Winter now has a well-deserved break from competing for a brief time over Christmas before heading back onto the WQS in January.
Fellow Cornish surfer Mark "Egor" Harris joined the Gul team back in March.
His focus for 2007 was the UK Pro Surf Tour - a title that he first won back in 2002.
The England International was surfing incredibly well with successive top eight finishes on the tour and a fourth place at the Fat Face night surf, switching between the top two overall positions with Pereranporth's Sam Lamiroy for most of the year.
Unfortunately disaster struck on the Scottish leg of the tour, when he sustained a pretty serious ankle injury during a free surfing session. This took him out of the final two events and ruined his chances of taking the UKPST crown for 2007.
Before injury struck Harris got his hands on a title that had eluded him for many years, the British Championship. He took the crown in fine style at his home break of Fistral.
Beth Mason made it a Championship double for the team at the British Open when she retained her Women’s title from 2006.
This crown was the icing on the cake for Beth who has had a hugely successful year on the British and European circuit. She was selected for the Welsh team that travelled to Anglet for the Eurosurf Championships, where she took 11th place in the women’s division, which was second highest position out of all the Brits, behind team mate Jo Dennison.
Mason also made the most of her final junior year by taking the Welsh Under 18 Girls National title at Porthcawl.
The UKPST was also a fruitful hunting ground for Mason this season. Despite missing an event due to her Welsh team commitments, she racked up enough consecutive top four finishes topped off with a win at the Gul Newquay Open to claim second place on the Women’s tour overall.
There was another National title to add to the girl’s collection this year too. Celine Gehret took part in the Swiss Championships in Hossegor where she won the Ladies title, which has qualified her to take part in the World Games in 2008.
Young longboarding star Ben Haworth has swept the board in his final year on the junior longboard circuit, winning every heat and therefore every junior title on offer.
He took the English Junior Championship at Newquay and followed it up with the British Junior title at Godrevy. Ben now has a couple of winter training trips planned before he returns next season to take part in the Open contests.
The 2008 Beachley Classic got underway this morning, completing Rounds 1 and 2 as well as the opening two heats of Round 3 at nearby Freshwater Beach in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) waves
Layne Beachley (AUS), 36, has officially announced her retirement from full-time competition, effective at the end of the year
Former Exeter University student Josh Lewin first heat at the Ocean and Earth Pro in the Canary Islands has been delayed because the 2ft surf was deemed uncontestable
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