TEAM Ireland emerged victorious in the annual Celtic Cup Surf Competition which was staged in Bundoran over the weekend.
The competition was resurrected in 2017 after a gap of a number of years and the Irish have been the winners each year since.
Pictures by Conor Conlon Photography
A party of almost 20 Scottish surfers (from juniors to seniors) arrived in Bundoran late last week and immediately made themselves at home on the world famous Peak surf break enjoying top class conditions throughout Thursday and Friday.
Conditions slightly deteriorated on Saturday morning as the competition was about to get underway, with events then moving to Main Beach for the afternoon.
Sunday brought a bright and frosty morning with perfect conditions at the Peak which provided many thrills for those competing and spectating.
The competition then finished up just after lunch. Not wanting to miss out on any opportunity, many of the visiting Scots took advantage of the natural amenities and surfed through the afternoon until it was time for the prize giving.
A large crowd gathered for the prizegiving in the Great Northern Hotel on Sunday evening with over 40 medals awarded in the various categories.
The culmination of the presentation ceremony was the announcement of the winners of the Celtic Cup for 2019.
Points gathered across the weekend from each surfer were totalled with Team Scotland receiving a total of 18,525 cumulative points and Team Ireland receiving a total of 21,364 cumulative points making them the overall winners.
There was good success for local competitors in the individual categories. Rossnowlagh woman Una Britton took victory in the women’s section with Bundoran’s Shauna Ward in third. Sligo native Aaron Reid, who now resides in Bundoran, won the men’s event.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairperson of Irish Surfing Kevin McCloskey thanked all of those who had made the competition possible including the Bundoran Boardriders surf club who facilitated the event, Malin Waters who provided sponsorship, Discover Bundoran for promotional assistance and Zoe Lally of Irish Surfing for coordinating the competition.
The results of the competition are below:
U12 Boys
1.David Fanning, Ireland
2. Ben Kobedza, Scotland
3. Jack Murray, Ireland
4. Rory Murphy, Ireland
U14 Girls
1. Akiya Moore, Ireland
2. Natalie Kobedza, Scotland
3. Alex Fanning, Ireland
4. Yasmin Moore, Ireland
U14 Boys
1. Craig McLachlan, Scotland
2. Lorcan Southcombe, Ireland
3. Ben Kobedza, Scotland
4. James Cloney, Ireland
U16 Boys
1. Kilian Maher, Ireland
2. Craig McLachlan, Scotland
3. Ben Maher, Ireland
4. Ben Kobedza, Scotland
U18 Girls
1. Natalie Kobedza, Scotland
2. Jude Lee, Ireland
3. Bea Greenberg, Ireland
4. Akiya Moore, Ireland
U18 Boys
1. Kilian Maher, Ireland
2. Tiernan McCrea, Ireland
3. Craig McLachan, Scotland
4. Callum Condon, Ireland
Longboard Men
1. Tom Breen, Ireland
2. Andrew Kilfeather, Ireland
3. Chris Clarke, Scotland
4. Joe Stapleton, Ireland
Longboard Women
1. Pheobie Strachan, Scotland
2. Gemma Gillespie, Ireland
3. Veronika Kisela, Ireland
4. Bea Greenberg, Ireland
Masters
1. David Blount, Ireland
2. Chris Sutherland, Scotland
3. John Britton, Ireland
4. Kerry Larkin, Ireland
Women
1. Una Britton, Ireland
2. Pheobe Strachan, Scotland
3. Shauna Ward, Ireland
4. Holly Widger, Ireland
Men
1. Aaron Reid, Ireland
2. Rory Tuohy, Ireland
3. James Garvey, Ireland
4. Chris Clarke, Scotland
Teams
1. Ireland 21,364pts
2. Scotland 18,525pts
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