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Craig McLachlan on the crest of a wave after becoming youngest surfer to win open Scottish title


By Jean Gunn

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Craig McLachlan is carried aloft by former Scottish champion Mark Boyd (left) and fellow North Shore Surf Club member Scott Main after becoming the 2021 open title holder. Picture: James Gunn
Craig McLachlan is carried aloft by former Scottish champion Mark Boyd (left) and fellow North Shore Surf Club member Scott Main after becoming the 2021 open title holder. Picture: James Gunn

Sixteen-year-old Craig McLachlan clinched the open title at the Scottish National Surfing Championships after achieving the highest score in the final on Saturday.

The fifth-year Thurso High School pupil said: "I wasn't really expecting to make it to the finals so it was crazy to me that I won. The waves were really fun, so I was over the moon. It has just given me drive to push towards surfing more and progress even more."

Fellow competitors in the championships, held at Thurso East, were full of encouragement for the talented young surfer who was taking part in his first men's event.

Competition was strong, with the previous title holder Mark Boyd, of Thurso-based North Shore Surf Club (NSSC), making it through to the semi-finals.

Craig, also a member of the local club, won his first heat, came second in the next one, then went on to win his semi-final heat before going on to secure the top points (17.5) in the final as well as the highest wave score. He also became the youngest surfer to take the top national award.

Last month Craig won the under-16 title at the Scottish junior nationals.

Taking the runner-up spot in the open at the weekend was Finn MacDonald of North Coast Watersports.

The top title in the women's competition was also taken by a local surfer – this time it was the turn of Phoebe Strachan (25), who regained the championship title after a three-year gap. Phoebe, of NSSC, previously won the title in 2018 and the following year she lost out by just 0.7 of a point.

"I was hungrier than every to get it back – it means a lot to win again," she said. "All the practice and dedication I have put in has finally paid off, which is satisfying.

"The conditions were not really great, with so much river water going through, but it was manageable. My thanks to the organisers because without them we would not have been able to have this event for everybody."

In the final she was up against fellow NSSC member Iona McLachlan, of North Coast Watersports, who was pipped into second place.

Keeping up the local presence in the finals was Chris Clarke, who was the runner-up in the longboard competition.

Event organiser Tamara Hicks said: "It was absolutely brilliant – we are proud of everyone. It was just magical for the only real window of calm waves to be exactly when we needed them in the final."

She explained that they were lucky to push through three-quarters of the competition on the Friday and then to get through the finals on Saturday before the wind direction changed.

The prize-giving was held on Saturday night at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso. A welcome event had taken place there on Thursday night.

A number of local businesses sponsored the event and Thurso Community Café arranged to provide packed lunches for the event officials on each competition day.


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