Team Fox Match led by Derek Willan took the honours in the Angling Trust benefit match, hosted at Barford Lakes on Saturday 18th April. This team event saw 84 anglers compete for generous tackle prizes donated by some of the top tackle companies, who each sponsored a team.

The match attracted some of the top names in the sport who fronted their tackle company’s team. It also brought MP Martin Salter (Labour’s Parliamentary spokesman for Angling, fishing for Team OnlineFishing.tv) and Mark Lloyd (Chief Executive of the Angling Trust) to the banks as they competed alongside anglers from all over the country.

www.barfordlakes.com sponsored the peg fees for the match and anglers entered by paying £20 to join the Angling Trust. Through kind sponsorship from the trade, each team member had team goodies to take home with many teams sporting their own team fleeces and caps. The event saw the Trust gain over 80 new members.

The winning team members received a set of luggage each, the winning individual took home a Fox Match MSB box worth £450 and there were many other tackle prizes for individuals and team placings.

Sarah Thomson from Barford Lakes said “I believe that if the Angling Trust is given the resources it will, through grass roots development and competitions, be able to lower the average age of my match angling customer. 2009 will be a crucial year for the Trust and every angler needs to be encouraged to join in order to develop and protect our sport for years to come.

“We were happy to organise the event in celebration of what will be a new era for match fishing. The generosity of the tackle firms and the high profile anglers who attended just goes to show we are all ready to support a more positive way forward for match fishing”.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust commented: “I am very grateful to Sarah Thomson from Barford Lakes for everything she did to make this excellent match the resounding success it was. There was a fantastic atmosphere at the event with anglers fishing under a banner of unity for the first time, and all entering into the spirit of the occasion. I really enjoyed fishing in the match and learning a huge amount from the world-class anglers taking part. The Angling Trust is determined to represent all branches of angling; match fishing is a vitally important part of our sport and the Trust will do everything we can to support match anglers.”

Mike Robinson MAP Product Manager, who donated each of his team a cap and Polo shirt and also donated 2 sets of luggage for prizes and ensured the best angler in his team went home with a pellet waggler rod and reel, commented: “I think the idea of organising a match to raise awareness of the Angling Trust and drive membership is a brilliant idea.

“More anglers should be made aware of what the Angling Trust can do for Angling, and everyone should join to protect the future of their sport. At last there is a single organisation that represents all types of fishing. Not only will the Trust take action against the problems that affect our sport, but it will also develop the sport from the grass roots. The Trust is a new future for the sport and will help develop programmes with clubs to increase participation within the sport – which can only be a positive thing for the future of Angling”.

Stephen McCaveny, Marketing Manager Daiwa, who kitted his team out in fleeces and caps also sponsored the 6 section prizes (Team Dawia 3112D reels worth £129 each), said: “The Angling Trust is a very important step for our sport, so contributing to this new event was an easy decision. Interaction between the brands is certainly a good thing but fishing in a team with some of the sports superstars must have been a great buzz for the entrants too. We hope this event is here to stay and Daiwa would certainly contribute to it again next year.”
Individual membership for the Trust is £20.

As well as contributing to securing the future of angling, members are eligible to join a Fish for Free loyalty programme and receive £5m public liability insurance cover. Tackle Shops may join for £50 which will entitle them to be promoted on the new Angling Trust website www.anglingtrust.net

The event was sponsored generously by the following company’s; Browning/Zebco, Daiwa, Dynamite Baits, Fox Match, Garbolino, MAP, Maver, Pure Fishing, www.onlinefishing.tv, Sensas, Shimano, Spro, Total Coarse Fishing Magazine, Ultima, Mosella, Mick Wilkinson, Kevin Leech, Tri Cast and Middy.
Barford Lakes is a complex of fishing lakes 7 miles west of Norwich www.barfordlakes.com

Top Three captains
1st Andy May (Ultima) 154lb 8ozs Pleasure lake peg 17 – pellet waggler
2nd Mick Bull (Shimano) 116 – 7 Match Lake peg 13 – pellet mid-water on pole and pellet waggler
3rd Rob Hitchens (Spro) 116 – 2 Pleasure Lake peg 15 – pellet waggler
Top 6 Team members
Chris Allen (Pure Fishing) 93 – 1 Pleasure lake peg 4
Karl Gillet (Angling Times/Dynamite Baits) 88 – 12 Pleasure Lake peg 16
Chris Cooper (MAP) 86 – 10 Pleasure Lake peg 29
Alex Reynolds (Maver) 78 – 10 Match lake peg 25
Colin Rasker (Garbolino) 67 – 5 Pleasure Lake peg 19
Nigel Shipp (Spro) 71 – 10 Willow lake peg 12

Team Result
1st Fox Match Total points 29– Total weight – 298 – 3
Derek Willan 97 – 12 (Willow peg 8) 1 point
Alan Bardell 55 – 3 (railway peg 28) 2 points
Tony Gibbons 14 – 1 (railway peg 44) 5 points
Paul Law 23 – 11 (peg 6 Pleasure Lake) 12 points
Alan Winterton 55 – 1 (peg 16 Colton) 2 points
Chris Downes 52 – 7 (Willow peg 27) 7 points
2nd Spro Total Points – 32 -Total weight – 302 – 15
Rob Hitchens 116 – 2 (Pleasure lake 15) 2 points
Jim Randell 40 – 7 (colton peg 26) 6 points
John Collison 40 – 7 (Match lake peg 11) 9 points
Nigel Shipp 71 – 10 (Willow lake 12) 2 points
Andy Meadows 19 – 4 (Railway peg 32) 9 points
Jason Brewster 15 – 1 (Railway peg 41) 4 points
3rd Browning Zebco Total points 39 total weight – 217 – 2
4th Ultima – total points – 42 – total weight – 293 – 2
4th Pure fishing – total points – 42 – total weight – 255 – 14
4th www.onlinefishing.tv – total points 42 – total weight – 227 – 9
7th Garbolino – total points 43 total weight – 219 – 9
8th Total Coarse Fishing Magazine – total points 45 – total weight 239 – 6
8th Maver – total points – 45 total weight – 234 – 08
10th Shimano – total points 50 – total weight 224 – 4
11th Dynamite Baits/Angling Times – total points 11 – total weight 183 – 15
12th Daiwa – total points 55 – total weight – 222 – 11
12th MAP – total points 55 – total weight 163 – 9
14th Sensas – total points 58 – total weight – 141 – 9

Top three on lakes

Match Lake

1st Mick Bull (Shimano) 116 – 7 peg 13
2nd Kieran Rich (Daiwa) 115 – 13 peg 30
3rd Neil McKinnon (Pure Fishing) 88 – 1 peg 5

Pleasure Lake

1st Andy May (Ultima) 154 – 8 peg 17
2nd Rob Hitchens (Spro) 116 – 2
3rd Chris Allen 93 – 1 peg 4

Willow Lake

1st Derek Willan (Fox Match) 97 – 12 peg 8
2nd Nigel Shipp (Spro) 71 – 10 peg 12
3rd John Hall (Garbolino) 44 – 8 peg 7

Colton lake

1st Keith Pearson (www.Onlinefishing.tv) – 64 – 9 peg 4
2nd Alan Winterton (Fox Match) 55 -01 peg 16
3rd Jamie Masson (Maver) 53 – 2 peg 2

Railway Lake

1st Kevin Wilmot (Total Coarse Fishing) 77 – 12 peg 9
2nd Alan Bardell (Fox Match) 55 – 3 peg 28
3rd Bob Bradford (Ultima) 54 – 12 peg 31

Gareth Purnell
Head of Channel
World Channel Network
OnlineFishing.tv

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