The 2007 Relentless British Cable Wakeboarding National Championships were held at Princes Club Bedfont on Saturday 9th June 2007
Most of the countries’ top wakeboarders took to the water on Saturday to make this year’s Nationals one of the largest ever with 58 entries. It was also pleasing to see the highest ever number of female
entries with 18 girls and ladies battling it out for National titles.
This year two new categories were introduced, Under 11 Girls and Under 11 Boys and it was encouraging to see the high standard of riding from such young children. It was also the first time that the new EAME rules were in play and they look set to be popular with the riders and spectators alike.
The riders were working hard to wow the selectors, who would be shortly making their final decision for the British Team, who will compete at the European Championships at the Lido Almere, Netherlands in August. The pressure was on! This definitely showed in the finals, as the riders were out to impress.
The top riders once again thrilled the crowd with their wakeboarding expertise by laying down some of the best cable tricks. These included a double to blind from Nick Davies, frontside and backside 313’s from James Young and Jonty Green. Lewis Cornwall impressed the crowd with his KGB and CK finished his run with a 720 off the kicker. However the trick of the day must go to Ben Hitch with the biggest indy shifty front to blind most people have ever seen.
This year the standard of riding from the girls was much higher than in past years with many attempting Raleys, including Sophie Cordery who at only 13 looks sure to land one soon. Already airborne 2006 Girls National Champion Tor Young, almost landed a blind judge in the finals and claimed a well deserved Gold. Emily Bebbington also rode well taking the top podium position in the Open Ladies and Masters Lady Sarah Kingdom stuck a tantrum off the kicker to also take gold. In the Boy’s category Connor Jones rode exceptionally well taking first place and is certainly one to watch for the future.
After CK qualified first, with James Young and Lewis Cornwall right behind him, the crowds were eagerly awaiting the finals of the Junior Men. They were not disappointed as these young guns put on an impressive display, giving the judges a tough decision with James finishing first, Lewis second and CK third. The last final of the day was Open Men and the top riders battled it out for supremacy. It was tight, but Nick Davies clinched the gold with Jonty Green in second and Ben Hitch in third.Our thanks go to Princes Club for hosting this event, the organizers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes and to the judges and calculators. Thanks must also go to “commentator extraordinaire” Matt Crowhurst for entertaining and informing the crowds throughout the long day, and also a huge thank you to the main sponsor Relentless and the other sponsors Oakley, X-Box, Indo Board, Analog, Vans, Corona, Gravis, Obey and Princes Shop. We couldn’t do it without them.
