Pembrokeshire Surf Club win the Welsh Surfing Federation’s Wilkinson Sword

Pembrokeshire Surf Club win the Welsh Surfing Federation’s Wilkinson Sword following victory in the Welsh inter-club surf contest at Langland Bay.

Report Steve White. Photos Chris French.

The west Wales team put on an outstanding display to finish just ahead of last year’s Sword winners Langland Board Riders.

The win means PSC are guardians of the Sword for the first time in the competition’s history.

As defending event champions, LBR had earnt the right to host the Welsh inter-club event and hoped that home ground advantage would ensure retention of Welsh surfing’s most coveted of trophies, the Wilkinson Sword, donated by its names sake’s sponsors when the event was founded back in 1980.

Proceedings got underway in the morning with a big U18s Boys showdown between Elliot Barton (LBR), Eli Perrins-Davies (CCSC), Euan Buick (PSC) and Henry Munro (WCSC) slashing the trough at Langland on the drop from high.

This was followed by the Over 45s and Over 35s, then the reef started to throw up shoulder-high rights for the Women’s heats. Millie Zoeftig and Ellie Dixon (both LBR), Caitlin Bazley (CCSC), Katie David and Josie Hawke (both PSC) battled the rippy conditions successfully to register good scores.

The waves stood up to the cross-off wind for the Men’s and Women’s longboard mid-morning, with Ed Bresnan (LBR) and Craig Bright (CCSC) getting over the nose in clean, waist-high surf. Ellie Dixon and Breige Lawrence put numbers on the board for LBR and WCSC respectively with some solid longboarding displays.

With the big tide falling back and the breeze picking up, conditions got more challenging in the afternoon for the juniors’ heats. Despite this, Ffion Lewis’s efforts in the U18s Girls division gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about. Indi Lynch kept the scores ticking over for PSC, and some nice controlled turns from Gwen Morgan (WCSC) went down well with the judges.

Tom O’Leary WCSC

Seth Morris PSC

Ryan
Thomas PSC

Max Tucker WCSC

A big shout out to Ted Davies (LBR), Elijah Jones (PSC) and Coby Williams (WCSC) in the U14s Boys heat. Also to Josie Hawke (PSC), Taylor Shelmerdine (LBR), Caitlin Bazley (CCSC) and Summer Moore (WCSC) in the U14s Girls heat, all of whom managed the wind-blown conditions heroically to rack up points for their respective teams.

The outcome of the comp hinged on the final five Men’s heats, with competitors threading together scores over a wide area at near-low tide Langland. Mark Vaughan led by example, heading straight out back to patrol the sand bar. CCSC’s team captain was rewarded for his efforts with a nice cover-up on one of the bigger sets.

Euan Buick saved the fireworks for the end of the day. His clean boost off an inside ramp sent spectators and PSC into a frenzy and set the seal on the Wilko heading west for the first time in his club’s history.

Final Scores

1st PSC – 13,750 points
2nd LBR – 10,750
3rd WCSC – 9,500
4th CCSC – 7,250

Reacting to the win, PSC team captain, Harry Cromwell said:

“It’s a huge achievement to get a full team out and it’s the first time we’ve taken home the Wilkinson Sword.

“The waves were not the best and it was a bit difficult, but there’s been some great surfing today so that’s no excuse.

“Mark Vaughan was a stand-out surfer today, and Euan Buick who landed a nice air at the end of the day and a barrel in there somewhere as well.”

Phil Sadler, Coach & Team Manager at Pembrokeshire Surf Club said:

“It’s been a long time coming – we’ve been trying to get a full team together for quite a few years. It’s been difficult as the contest is very much a tactical game in terms of how it’s scored. But we’ve finally clicked, which is great.”

Welsh Surfing Federation’s director, Huw John said:

“It’s fantastic to see the Sword travel to Pembrokeshire for the first time in the event’s over 40-year history.

“The day’s action brought a range of conditions and at times some superb surfing. More importantly it brought the Welsh surfing community together for what is the WSF’s traditional curtain raiser to the season.”

In summary, the Wilkinson Sword was a great day, with Langland Bay’s multiple breaks giving plenty of variety given the conditions available. A big shout out to the Welsh Surfing Federation, event officials and LBR crew for hosting a fantastic event, and congratulations to PSC on the historic win. We look forward to heading west next year for the Wilkinson Sword 2024.

Huge thanks go to:

Judges / Officials – Huw John, Jamie Bateman, Rhydian Brewer, Steve White, James McGregor, Gwen Spurlock, Craig Nicol, Paul Killa, Phil Sadler, James Jones and Simon Page.

‘El Templo’

The Best of Witch’s Rock from 5 years of footage in 11 minutes.

“We tried to be there always at the best swells,’ says Filmer/Editor by Marcel Freitez “The team was always Malakai Martinez, Dean Vandewalle, Aldo Chirinos and Tiago Carrique having fun with the barrel machine.

Film will be presented at the 2nd Tamarindo International Surf Film Festival.

Behind the scenes of Carwyn Williams – Legend (of Welsh Sport)

Carwyn Williams, repping Swansea, Wales, and the underdogs at Pipeline, Hawaii.
Much loved and respected by surfers world wide he was living in a car under a tree when he was ‘adopted’ by the Black Shorts. (Mahalo!) Just one of the classic Carwyn tales.

Tonight marks the launch of a new documentary for BBC Wales – Carwyn Williams – Legends of Welsh Sport. It is a story that should be celebrated by every Welsh surfer and inspire all surfers from outside the big surfing powerhouses of Australia, Brazil and the US that even if you have shitty waves, with talent and determination you can achieve. But perhaps the biggest lesson is to be learned from his comeback from a ‘surf career stopping’ accident to placing second in Europe.

He is a legend, and personally at the time when they said he’d never surf again, I knew he’d prove them wrong… because nothing was ever going hold him back from chasing his dream.

SE: How long have you been trying to get your Carwyn documentary off the ground. Must be ten years now?

Gareth: I shot my first Carwyn doc in 1996 when he was on the European tour for the first time since his injury and came second. The crew spent six months off and on following him on the tour and interviewing surfers about him. I knew of Carwyn from my days in the Gower, but I didn’t know him, only his reputation in and out of the water. I was so impressed by the respect everyone had from him. We interviewed Kelly Slater, Ross Clarke Jones, Robbie Page and loads more and they all had great stories!

Twenty-five years on and we had an opportunity with our new company Nimble Productions to do it again, this time for BBC Wales. It’s a different type of film, more reflective on a life very much played for keeps. Carwyn hasn’t changed. Ok, maybe a bit older and surfs less, but the zest for life is still there and the respect of his peers is as strong as ever. He tells of his height such as beating Damian Hardman, the world No1, as a wildcard in the Hossegor Pro, and the lows, snapping his leg in a terrible car accident and hitting rock bottom in a Swansea hospital. His fight back is inspirational and now the chilled out older Carwyn has a lot of wisdom to pass on. It’s a classic ‘local boy done good’ story.

ASP Lifetime Achievement Award.

Why did you want to do it so badly?

Carwyn epitomises to me a heyday of surfing that has probably now been lost. Free spirited adventures chasing waves without a care about tomorrow.

What is your favourite story/most surprising fact you found out while making it?

There are so many Carwyn stories of talent in the water and especially out of it. It’s what people say about Carwyn that I love. Robbie Page said in an interview about Carwyn ‘He’d give you his last piece of bread, as long as you smiled whilst you ate it’

What can young Welsh surfers, or indeed sports people, learn from his story. I think he kind of chased and captured his dream for the most part.

Carwyn has a wonderful philosophy of life. I think young sports people should follow his single-minded ambition to become the best. He was blessed with raw talent and didn’t squander that talent. If the accident hadn’t happened he would have been a top 44 surfer, but his fight back is his real legacy. The strength of mind to not only walk and surf, but to challenge again at the top is remarkable. And he did it all with a smile and a beer in his hand!

Welsh surfing legend Carwyn Williams features on Legend of Welsh Sport tonight 10.40pm on
BBCWales 1 and BBCiPlayer. Watch it.

LogMaroc

Josh Hocking, Ed Bresnan, Lahcen Aguerd, Ander Mendiguren in the land of long righthand points.