After rejecting Britain’s rivers out of hand because of the deterioration in sport, Drennan England’s coaches Mark Downes and Mark Addy have chosen Furzton Lake in Milton Keynes, Bucks to stage the Six Nations Championships on Saturday and Sunday August 10/11.
Following several trials, including those to decide the England junior team, the two Marks agreed that the water meets the criteria set by the Confederation Internationale De La Peche Sportive (CIPS), the world governing body for the sport. They also said that no river England was reliable enough as a match water to stage such a prestigious match.
“We needed a water where the anglers have a reasonable expectation of catching fish and where the infrastructure is good,” said Mark.
“Milton Keynes is a fairly central location in the UK with an excellent road, rail and airport network. I used the lake for my recent Drennan Team England youth trials and the returns were good.
“Almost within casting distance of the lake is a hotel which is perfect for the competitors and for use as a match headquarters,” said Mark who added: “Of course we wanted to choose a water which gives us an advantage … and we should be able to win at Furzton!”
The two coaches are using the ‘Six Nations’ to have another close look at Des Shipp (Dorking) and Steve Hemingray (Dorking) who fished in the Six Nations last year. Darren Cox (Starlets) and Paul Yates (Essex County) are added to established Drennan Team England regulars Will Raison and Steve Gardener.
