This year’s Division One National Championship was fished on the Bristol Avon between Chippenham and Keynsham, with the river a foot or so above above normal and very coloured following heavy rainfall.
The team event demonstrated the talent and strength of Team Daiwa Dorking who retained the title they won last year on the New Junction Canal. What’s more organisers, the Angling Trust, cannot remember this feat being achieved before without delving back into the history of the old NFA Nationals.
Not only did Daiwa Dorking win they did it in style with an outstanding score of 433 points out of a possible 510 and nine of the team finished in the top ten in their respective sections. The team are going from strength to strength following their successful win in the Angling Trust Winter League final held at Partridge Lakes last weekend.
Second place saw another fine team performance by Maver Image who scored 401 points and, reputedly, did not even practice for this event. All of their anglers finished in the top twenty in their sections. Third place went to the consistent Barnsley and District team with 387 points.
The top ten teams all won a place in the Preston Innovations’ World Club Classic weekend to be held on the last weekend of September on the Newark Dyke.
Team Result
1) Daiwa Dorking 433 points
2) Maver Image 401 points
3) Barnsley and District 387 points
4) Garbolino RAF 375 points
5) Garbolino Blackmore Vale 373 points
6) Daiwa Gordon League 371 points
7) Starlets A.S. 370 points
8) Maver Bathampton 341 points
9) Browning Hotrods 323 points
10) SPRO Dorset Raiders 318 points
There were some excellent individual catches with many weights in excess of 5kg and all the winning weights were made up of bream, especially in Newbridge and Bathford sections of the river.
First individual was Steve Priddle fishing for SPRO Dorset Raiders. Steve drew peg E23 and after a quiet first hour caught 25 bream between 1.5 and 3kg for a fantastic winning weight of 52.200kg. He caught all his fish using a groundbait feeder in nine metres of water with a worm hookbait.
Runner up was Alan Brown fishing for Mosella Lostock Tackle; drawn next to the winner he used similar tactics for a weight of 35.680kg. Third place went to Paul Cannon fishing for Hull works Sports Association on peg C2 with another bream weight of 30.550kg.
Top Ten Individuals
1) Peg E23 Steve Priddle SPRO Dorset Raiders 52200kg
2) Peg E22 Alan Brown Mosella Lostock Tackle 35.680kg
3) Peg C2 Paul Cannon Hull Works Sports Ass 30.550kg
4) Peg C21 Dave Massey Sam’s Tackle Wigan 22.930kg
5) Peg E24 Graham Jones Yarm Angling Ltd 16.430kg
6) Peg B51 Steve Clegg Collins Green 15.150kg
7) Peg D49 Gary Miller Maver Image 14.340kg
8) Peg C22 George Robinson Scunthorpe and District 12.820kg
9) Peg C1 Andy Pollard Daiwas Gordon League 12.670kg
10) Peg D46 Aaron Goodchild Maldon A.S. 12.640kg
The silver medal section winners were:
Section A Peg A50 Andrew Bush Team Mosella Selby 6.400kg
Section B Peg B51 Steve Clegg Collins Green 15.150kg
Section C Peg C2 Paul Cannon Hull Works Sports Ass 30.550kg
Section D Peg D49 Gary Miller Maver Image 14.430kg
Section E Peg 23 Steve Priddle SPRP Dorset Raiders 52.200kg
Section F Peg 37 Dave Norwood Scunthorpe and District 10.960kg
Section G Peg 51 Michael Bernsten Garbolino Blackmore Vale 4.600kg
Section H Peg H7 Jon Adkins Garbolino Blackmore Vale 6.120kg
Section J Peg J32 Rob Perkins Matrix Dynamite Trentmen 7.100kg
Section K Peg K 17 David Smiddy Yarm Angling Ltd 12.600kg
