SCARECROWS, elephants and whirly-birds filled Pine Lake this weekend, as GVC hosted the final tour stop of the National Wake-boarding Championships.

The morning qualifying heats (Boys, Junior Men, Masters, Pro Ladies, Open Men and the Pro Men) saw overcast conditions as the riders tested out new tricks and attempted to place themselves highly for the afternoon's finals.

Pine Lake riders were triumphant for the third year running with local girl Louise Moore's winning not only this tour stop but also the overall women' s title for the UK.

And Dave Knight did one of the best rides of his five-year career bagging the gold medal in the open men's champions: "It's been truly awesome.

I could hear everyone cheering for me from the banks their support was fantastic.

It' s a brilliant feeling".

As the day went on it became clear that although fiercely competitive, the riders have a great respect for one another and they are there primarily to enjoy their day on the lake.

Not so local Paul Burgess, drove for seven and a half hours to participate, won the masters (over-30s) final and the overall UK Masters title: "Pine Lake is beautiful, it's got everything! Out of all the tour stops this year, this is by far the best venue and the atmosphere is great from all the spectators around the lake".

Paul will find himself with some serious competition next year, as David Knight announced his decision to move into the Masters with his heart set on winning the 2003 UK and European Tour

Unfortunately the day was a disaster for young Rob Moyle who was unable to compete due to a serious training injury.

Instead Ben Hitch continued his consistent form to take the overall Pro title.

The event was a huge success and can be seen on Sky Sports and Channel 5 this September.