The North West Association Personal Members team won the Irish Winter Beach Championship with all of the silverware and cash that goes with the prestige event.
And it was a rare action replay, for the very same four anglers took the title on the same Irish beaches last January.
Wirral sea anglers Bill Lindfield, Steve Norbury and Dave Evans joined forces with Gordon Thornes of Deeside to clinch the three-day shore angling festival on the beaches of County Wicklow.
Not only that – but Dave Evans from Tranmere won the individual title and brought £ 1,500 winnings back home across the Irish Sea.
Fishing rules followed the recent trends to measure and return all fish immediately after capture – the best conservation decision ever – and during the three days Dave caught 92 fish for a total of 2,773 centimetres.
It means that if he laid the fish end-to-end along the beach they would measure more than 90 feet (in old money!)
The matches were held under perfect conditions and fished into dark for a variety of species, including whiting and rockling, caught on crab and white ragworm.
Dave, whose tally was 1411cms on day one, 711 day two and 651 on the last day, was absolutely delighted with himself after taking on and beating some of Britain’s best beach match anglers in the line up of 120.
“I especially enjoyed the second day and while I didn’t catch as many fish they were a better stamp of codling and dogfish, including a codling of 53 cms – the biggest of the championship”, he said.
England International Chris Clark from Hampshire was second and Gordon Thornes a very creditable third.
Dave Houghton
www.leisureangling.co.uk
