Reubyn Ash
HISTORY was made on Tuesday when the country’s top 28 surfers rocked up for the first contest to be held at Lynmouth.
The Relentless Evolution Series was dreamed up with the idea of taking the best surfers to the best spots in the UK on the best day.
With a £5,000 prize purse the stakes were high at the invitation-only event.
Three local riders joined the lineup with wildcard entries – Charlie Charlesworth of Croyde, Jordan Reed of Westward Ho! and Neil Clifton of Woolacombe.
As the tide pushed up to the high-water mark the contest team set up overlooking the car-park peak, giving visitors to the picture postcard village a perfect vantage point from which to catch the action.
The peeling 3ft left-handers had all the guys frothing and as the heats kicked off they set about them with a flurry of hacks and slashes.
Both Charlesworth and Reed put in impressive performances, progressing as far as the quarter-finals, as did Croyde’s Lyndon Wake.
Following a break to let the tide turn and move across to Blacklands, the final got under way.
It was an electric affair that turned into a two-horse race between former World Tour rider Russell Winter and aerial freak Reubyn Ash.
With the reeling lefts offering up so many hittable sections it was a job to remember how many turns the riders managed to fit it.
Ash, from Bude, posted close to a perfect heat score with a perfect ten for not one but two alley oops, assorted cutties, floaters and a few turns followed by a 9.7, giving the crowd a vivid memory of how Lynmouth could be surfed and earning him the £2,000 winner’s cheque.
That will probably come in useful as he is off to Indo for winter training tomorrow.
Ester Spears, the head judge, said: “Watching that final put the hairs up on the back of my neck.”
Organiser Dave Read thanked Lynton and Lynmouth town council for the help in holding the event as well as the Esplanade Fish Bar for opening at 7am to keep the contestants and crew in bacon sandwiches and coffee.
Relentless Evolution Series – Lynmouth: 1 Reubyn Ash, 2 Russell Winter, 3 Jayce Robinson, 4 Toby Donachie.
Follow the tour: www.ukprosurf.com
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