Two Closely Matched in Senior Final
A Stiff onshore breeze rendered the three to four foot surf bumpy and unpredictable for the IW Surf Club’s 17th annual competition at Compton Bay on Sunday, but an increasingly high standard of surfing was displayed as the competition progressed.
A close first heat saw Clive Richardson, Graham Skelley and Steve Williams proceed to the next stage in favour of Wayne Bradley, Mike Smith and Gail Streets, the only lady competitor.
Heat two produced and clear winner in Ray Hutchings. Barney Barnes and Dave Downer knocked out Roger Butler, Colin Graham and Dave Jacobs, thereby joining Hutchings in the final.
Meanwhile, a thriving junior section enabled the club to stage a special event for the under 16’s in which they demonstrated the rapid progress made this summer.
A worthy winner of this section was Paul Blackley who was presented with a trophy.
Conditions for the senior final improved with the diminishing wind, making for smoother if slightly smaller waves.
Hutchings, Richardson and Williams quickly established themselves with good, solid surfing in the available action., and a close result became likely.
Barnes, Skelley and Downer all surfed with competence but were eventually outclasse.
Richardson consolidated his earlier success with several long, left and right breaking waves which earned him thrid place.
Williams, riding a conventional single-fin board, and Hutchings, on a tri-fin design, were closely matched throughout the event.
It was Hutchings , however who edged ahead in the closing stages with a right-breaking wave, tightly ridden earning him a high score.
Final placings awarded by judges Dave Jacobs and Ann Macpherson were –
Ray Hutchings, 82 points
Steve Williams, 76
Clive Richardson, 67
IOW Surf Movie – by Andrew Haworth
A great big thanks to Andy for coming down to the Island for the Surf Movie Night weekend and for being there with his camera when we got those great waves on Saturday 9th October 2010 at Compton.
Andy has a great Longboarding movie ‘Devon Lanes and Longboards’ (shown on the movie night) for sale.
The film was born out of the love of surfing and an appreciation of North Devon, its waves, its people and its places. Devon Lanes and Longboards features many of the UK’s top Longboarders surfing at various beaches around the North Devon area. Starring local surfers including Ben Haworth, Ashley Braunton, Phil Hill and many more. It also features other top Longboarders such as Ben Skinner, Elliot Dudley, James Parry and Adam Griffiths.
The motivation to complete and publish the film was stimulated by the awful news Andy’s sister was diagnosed with secondary cancers in April 2009. Andy wanted to show her his love and support by making and dedicating this film to her fight against cancer and to donate all the profits from the film to a charity of her choosing.
Barney Barnes
From the Virgin Islands they traveled onto America, working their way across to the west coast. They stopped in North Carolina to stay with Barney’s sister Rosie who was at university there. Word had got around about Barney and Chris’s travels through Europe and across to the Caribbean and onto the U.S.A. and the university president had questioned Barney’s sister Rosie where they would be staying. When he found out that they were staying at her small flat he made arrangements for them to stay at his mansion. The staff were never to remember Barney and Chris’s name properly and they soon became known as Bonnie and Clyde by the them.