Women Take to the Waves with Gusto; Men's Event Hots Up
03 March 2007

Shauna Ward - courtesy surf-pix.com / BSA

It was the turn of the Women for day two of the BUSA Surfing Championships 2007. The conditions had changed overnight from perfect 4ft barrells to windswept chaos. But the women were undaunted by the gruelling paddle out and put on a good show for the spectators.

A great performance by last years champion Shauna Ward from Ulster saw her progress with ease to the next round. Another stand-out was reining Welsh champion Jo Dennison, who posted the highest scoring heat of round one. Jo seemed to enjoy the tough conditions and showed commitment in her surfing, which set the standard for the day.

Round two of the Men's event saw some of the contestants struggling to find good waves. Matt Le Maitre of Plymouth had no such trouble, scoring two excellent waves and progressing to the next round.

L-R: Matt Le Maitre; Fabien Baker - courtesy surf-pix.com / BSA

The push of the tide brought better surfing conditions for round three. The action was closer to shore and the crowds soon gathered to watch and cheer on their teams. The cleaner 3-4ft waves and the beautiful sunshine made for a very pleasant afternoon and the surfing in the water didn’t dissappoint either. With some scintilating surfing, Swansea's Christian Swanson and Falmouth's Fabien Baker emerged as strong contenders to Le Maitre's title as well as firing their team's challenges.

Tomorrow we go into the final stages of the contest. With the winds set to veer back towards offshore overnight, an exciting final day's competition is in store.

For more photos, check out www.surf-pix.com

Notes to Editors

Brittany Ferries

Brittany Ferries offers easy access to the popular surfing destinations of Western France and northern Spain. Going by ferry means no hassle with surfboards and luggage as everything can be packed in the car. Ferry travel also offers great value, especially if you can travel midweek, with fares from £35 per person based on 2 sharing a car – much cheaper than flying what with all those taxes and no need to hire a car at the other end. To make bookings, surfers should call 08705 360 360 or go online at www.brittanyferries.com

Gul International

Gul is a leading British water sports brand supplying high quality, technical apparel to surf, ski, marine, kayak and powerboat markets worldwide. For more information, please go to www.gul.com

In an industry dominated by big business and smaller brands being swallowed by the giants, Gul has remained independent and true to it’s roots at the heart of British surfing ~ working with Taylor Knox and Christian Fletcher in the early days and British Bull Dog Russ Winter today. We have a large team of riders and support surfing from grass roots to international level through partnerships with the BSA, UKPST, ESF and numerous other individuals and organisations.

Newquay surfer Dennis Cross founded the company back in 1967, and his 40 years of passion shows through in the quality of our wetsuits being produced today.