IT was a proud week for Pembrokeshire surfing at the recent ISA World Championships in France as the six person Wales team comprised of three athletes from our county.

Jo Dennison, Harry Cromwell, and Ryan Thomas joined Mark Vaughan, Rob Blythe, and Emily Williams in helping their country finish a creditable 28th out of the 47 nations involved.

But for Thomas, the whole affair was notably more surreal than it was for his teammates.

Both Dennison and Cromwell were already out in France when the 28-year-old received his call up, after another Pembrokeshire surfer, Alex Morris, was forced to withdraw.

“I got the call on the Friday and I didn’t have to think about it twice,” said Thomas, who insisted he had not given up hope on Welsh senior selection after last representing his country at the European Championships in Jersey in 2009.

But after negotiating with his boss to have the weekend off work, Thomas then found himself driving to London the following morning to sort out an emergency passport after discovering his original had expired.

However, on the Sunday, he caught a flight from Heathrow to Biarritz, where the Championships were taking place, in time for the start of the event on Monday.

And if Thomas had any doubts whether or not he was mixing with the World’s elite, they were cast away when his opening heat he drew Ian Goveina of Brazil, a World Surf League regular ranked the 27th best on the planet.

Unsurprisingly Goveina progressed, and all six Welsh surfers felt the force of stiff opposition as they went into the repechage stage.

Thomas enjoyed much better heat, only narrowly missing a place in the next round, while Cromwell did make the next stage before also being eliminated.

But for Dennison, a multiple Welsh and British champion, there was true disappointment after winning her opening repechage encounter, only to suffer a dislocated shoulder in the warm up for the second round, and she was forced to immediately withdraw.

And yet a finish inside the top 30 represented a good week for the Welsh side and Thomas, who runs the Coolwater Surf Academy in Newgale and is sponsored by C-Skins Wetsuits, said he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“I’ve surfed against the best in Wales and then the UK – but this was just another level up again,” he said.

“I didn’t go in with any preparation and hadn’t surfed for weeks, and there was a massive gulf in class compared to anything I’ve competed in before.

“But I enjoyed it and it has really made me want to earn another chance to surf for Wales.”

Indeed, Thomas, currently competing on the British Pro Surf Tour, is now targeting representing his country in the European Championships in Norway this October.

The Welsh team were sponsored by MiPosr, Billabong and Porthcawl Harbourside CIC.