Source: Angling Trust
The qualifiers for the 2014 event will begin earlier than 2013, with the first match taking place on the River Calder, Mirfield on Sunday 22 June. The qualifiers will then continue on a weekly basis through to the last qualifier for 2014 on Saturday 01 November on the River Nene, March.
Three anglers from each qualifier will progress to the grand final on the Wye in Hereford on 15 and 16 November 2014.
Angling Trust’s RiverFest enters its second year and once again will carry the biggest ever individual prize for a river match, a whopping £12,000 going to the winner of the grand final, an increase of £2,000 on the 2013 first prize.
Angling Trust Ambassador, Dave Harrell, the man behind the original concept of the competition said:
“We have worked closely with different clubs and associations and introduced eight new venues to the list for this year. We have also planned things so that there is only one qualifier for each of the first 20 weekends of the season. This will give anglers the chance to plan their matches more easily, and also give clubs and associations the opportunity to run practice opens in the lead up to the qualifying matches.”
Ben Thompson, Senior Competitions Manager commented:
“We were absolutely delighted with how RiverFest was received by match anglers in its first year and it is an excellent addition to the calendar. Building on that success was very important and in addition to eight new venues, we are delighted to be able to increase the total prize money on offer for RiverFest 2014 to £29,000, with the winner taking home a very impressive £12,000.
The prize money is subject to sell outs during the qualifiers and retaining the level of sponsorship from 2013. We received overwhelming support from clubs and associations offering their venues for this year’s qualifiers and we would like to thank everyone who has come forward offering their support.”
The format for the competition will be the same as last year and entry forms to apply for the qualifying matches will be available from the Angling Trust, and a coupon will be available in Angling Times and Angler’s Mail from Tuesday 18 March.
Further details will also be available on the Angling Trust website.
Dates and venues for the 2014 RiverFest qualifiers:
1. Sunday 22 June – River Calder at Mirfield.
2. Saturday 28 June – River Swale at Morton.
3. Saturday 05 July – River Severn at Lower Lode.
4. Sunday 13 July –Bristol Avon at Newbridge.
5. Saturday 19 July – River Trent at Newark Dyke.
6. Sunday 27 July – River Trent at South Clifton, North Clifton, Laughterton.
7. Saturday 02 August – River Weaver at Northwich.
8. Sunday 10 August – River Soar at Sutton Bonnington.
9. Sunday 17 August – River Yare at Beauchamp Arms.
10. Saturday 23 August – River Tees at Bowesfield, Yarm.
11. Saturday 30 August – River Don at Sprotborough.
12. Sunday 07 September – Great Ouse at Littleport.
13. Sunday 14 September – River Wye at Breinton, Bartonsham, Eign.
14. Saturday 20 September – River Severn at Bridgnorth.
15. Sunday 28 September River Trent at Burton.
16. Saturday 04 October – River Thames at Oxford.
17. Saturday 11 October – River Severn at Worcester, Upton.
18. Saturday 18 October – Warwickshire Avon at Evesham.
19. Saturday 25 October – Yorkshire Ouse at Hunters Lodge, Linton-on-Ouse.
20. Saturday 01 November – River Nene at March.
Grand Final 15 and16 November – River Wye at Hereford.
