On Saturday 29th October twenty youngsters from across the country contested the Angling Trust & Canal & River Trust Junior Angling Championship 2016 on the Staffs & Worcs Canal in Penkridge, Staffordshire.

Samuel Claydon of Swineshead, Lincolnshire led the way on peg 13 with 3k 130g consisting of 2lb of gudgeon and roach plus a welcome chub around the 4lb mark.

A tie occurred for the runner-up position when England Ladies International Samantha Sim’s son Billy Kirk from Worthing, West Sussex and local Penkridge rod Charlie Smith both recorded 2k 140g a piece. Charlie’s father Mark Smith and grandfather Dave Smith fished the Canal Pairs Final which also took place on Saturday, finishing a respectable 41st. Great to see three generations of the same family all out on the bank! Billy and Charlie both had mixed silvers bags from pegs 24 and 20 respectively.

Fourth place was also shared equally between Walsall, West Midlands’ Holly Nicholls and Wiltshire’s Lewis Roberts when they both scaled 1k 030g. Holly at peg 19 and Lewis on peg 4. Joshua Newman from Sleaford, Lincolnshire came sixth with 980g from peg 23.