The Angling Trust delivered an impressive spectacle at Barston Lakes on 16th May as seven England teams and five World Champions came together to help raise funds for the England Veterans and Anglers with Disabilities team.

All five gold Medal individual winners from 2008 - Will Raison (Nations), Emma Pickering (Ladies), Mark Addy (Veterans), Callum Dicks (Under 22’s), and Matt Godfrey (Under 18’s) - took part along with the world’s most prolific Angling Gold Medallist, Alan Scotthorne.

Dick Clegg said of the day, “The event was first class and consisted of 42 competitors of international level including medal winners from last year. It was a clear demonstration of England being the best and most efficient coarse anglers in the world. I am hopeful that this will go on to become an annual attraction”.

A four hour FIPSed rules competition was held with each team made up of one member from each discipline. This included all of the members of the competing teams from the 2008 World Freshwater Angling Championships watched by their respective team managers, Tom Pickering, Mark Downes, Steve Sanders, Joe Roberts, Mitch Smith and Dick Clegg.

The world beating teams were Drennan Team England, HS Works Carp Team, Drennan U22 Team England, Sensas U18 Team England, Subfish Team England Ladies, England Team for Anglers with Disabilities and the England Veterans Team.

The main objective of the day was to raise additional funds for the teams that currently don’t have sponsorship deals in place for the 2009 World Championships and representatives from sponsors Sensas, Subfish and HS Works came to the event.

Further fund raising initiatives will be held in the coming months, including a raffle and more details will be available on the Angling Trust website (www.anglingrust.net) in the coming weeks.

Source: Angling Trust Fishing news