The incident occurred on the river in Cambridge after an oarsman from Trinity College broke the young angler’s rod.
The pair clashed and violently with the student coming off second best, and the result was that the 20-year-old angler received a year-long youth custody sentence.

The fight has resulted in some bad blood between the two camps, and in an effort to bring some sanity back to the situation, Cambridge Rowing Association and the Cambridge Fish Preservation and Angling Society have met for the first time since the latter was founded in 1885.

The two groups agreed to ‘find better ways of communicating’ with Bill Key, president of the rowing association, describing the meeting as ‘pleasant and positive’.

Commented Graham Tweed, president of the 1600-strong angling club: “From our point of view it was a very positive meeting and we are now hoping to meet on a more regular basis. In the end of the day we have to find a way to co-exist on what is a small and busy stretch of water.”