NEWQUAY WRAP: SIMPSON DOMINATES, AUSTRALIA SETS THE STANDARD

Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series | Opening Round Recap — Newquay, England


The Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series opened its international campaign in Newquay, England, and the verdict was swift — Australian surf sports is operating at a level of its own on the world stage.

Henry Simpson: A Statement Performance

Henry Simpson delivered a masterclass at Newquay, taking victory across every event he entered. From the surf swim to the iron man, Simpson was clinical throughout, leaving little doubt about where he stands in the global pecking order.

The Newquay iron rankings told the story clearly Simpson first, Bob Whittaker second, with Jim Turner (3rd), William Davies (4th), Piran Phillips (5th) and David Miller (6th) rounding out the field. In the swim, Simpson again led the way, finishing ahead of Kiran Gammon, Whittaker, William Davies, William Watkins, and David Miller.

The one blemish? The surf ski  where local favourite Piran Phillips took the win, with Simpson and Lewis Rosewell sharing second, and Clemens Wulkopf (3rd), Whittaker (4th), and Jim Turner (5th) following. It was the only event that stopped Simpson from completing a clean sweep, and even then, it barely dented his overall dominance.

On the board, Simpson again topped the men's rankings ahead of Whittaker, Phillips, Kiran Gammon, Clemens Wulkopf and William James.

Bob Whittaker pushed throughout and made Simpson work for every result —but in the end, Simpson's class across disciplines was impossible to match.

Emily Doyle: Quality Over Quantity

Emily Doyle's appearance at Newquay raised eyebrows — not for what she did, but for how little she raced. After more than 24 hours of travel, competing in just one event felt light. She topped the women's iron rankings ahead of Sash Hemmens, Ellie McCloy, Molly Roodhouse, Rosemary Edwards and Farli Abram-Bridges — a commanding result that only made the limited program more puzzling.

That said, context matters. Doyle is committed to all three international WOS events, and with training blocks happening abroad, her program may well expand as the season builds. The talent is clearly there — the question is whether we'll see more of it.

The Women's Field: Depth on Show

Across the women's disciplines, the depth was genuine. In the swim, Sash Hemmens led a competitive field ahead of Molly Roodhouse, Grace James, Ellie McCloy, Ella Jones, and Abigail Carson. On the board, Ellie McCloy took top spot, followed by Evie Wong, Sash Hemmens, Lillian Roche, Molly Roodhouse, and Farli Abram-Bridges. In the ski, Rosemary Edwards won the women's event ahead of Evie Wong, Ava Wong, Lillian Roche, Ella Garrett, and Violet Hibberd.

Australia Still Sets the Benchmark

Together, Simpson and Doyle made one thing clear: Australia remains the standard by which international surf sports is measured. Multi-disciplined, consistent, and ruthlessly competitive facing an Australian at a WOS event is increasingly the truest test of where you rank on the global stage.

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The Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series continues on to Hossegor this weekend and if Newquay is anything to go by, the bar has been set high. Stay tuned for more news about this weekend.