DAVID Speller wiped out the opposition in this weekend’s Earth, Wind and Water Channel Island Bodyboarding Championships, nailing the open, junior and drop-knee contests despite freezing air temperatures and icy seas.

The current British junior champion neatly handled the three- to six-foot surf to score 13.16 points at Petit Port against ten other competitors – no Guernsey boarders took up the invitatition – made up of three juniors, three masters and four seniors.

Speller’s performance, which included a cleanly exited tube-ride and a well executed back-flip on a hollow left-hander, edged out rival junior Phil Le Neveu, who finished second in the overall standings. These two spearheaded the first heat of the morning, alongside fellow juniors Dan Garton and Mike Alfano.

Contest director Colin Crowther said: ‘Because of the severity of the cold, we adapted the format of the event so that each bodyboarder would have to surf only one long heat, rather than be in and out of the sea surfing numerous heats. The competitors’ highest-scoring two waves counted towards their overall championship score. ‘This made for a very interesting competition, as the usual tactics of doing just enough to progress through a heat had to be put aside in favour of going all out for the win.’

Pictured: Gary Le Neveu and Simon Watkins