Denmark trio enjoy great run at longboard classic

Denmark trio Paul Taylor, Lucy Small and Laura McEwan all featured in respective amateur finals at the 21st annual Whalebone Longboard Classic in Cottesloe at the weekend.

Held in small conditions at Isolators, the Denmark trio all reached finals on Sunday at the popular WA event that doubles as a World Surf League Longboard Qualifying Series event and brought together more than 130 professional and amateur longboarders.

Taylor finished victorious in a hard-fought over-55 men’s final, with his crafty manoeuvres earning him a combined two-wave score of 14.25 out of a possible 20.

Taylor defeated Rod Lyons (9.5), Ian Dobrich (7.85) and Russell Bajars (7.05) to take home the title.

He also competed in the over-35 loggers division, reaching the four-man final, where he claimed fourth place, with a score of 4.67 not enough to edge out winner Neil Thompson (13.34), Jason Weeks (7.07) and Alex Cochrane (6.47).

Small also relished the winter conditions as she progressed to the open women’s loggers final against a stack of high-calibre opposition.

The 25-year-old took it right up to the best longboard competitors in Australia on her way to third place with a score of 9.17, edged out only by Queensland’s Kirra Molnar (14.37) and WA star Georgia Young (13.37).

Showing just how tough the opposition was for Small, Young won the women’s LQS final on the same day, which was one of the main drawcards at the event.

In the under-18 junior girls’ category, McEwan finished second in the final, with her combined score of 7.67 only bettered by Queensland rising star Emily Lethbridge (16.73), who was actually runner-up to Young in the major LQS women’s final.