Welsh Team Clean up in European Shore Championship

Welsh Team Clean up in European Shore Championship

A party of 12 anglers set off to represent Wales in the latest European Federation of Sea Anglers (EFSA) European Shore Championships, hosted by the Irish section, from the 1st to the 5th of November. The event is being held at Kilmuckridge, in County Wexford, on the south east coast of Ireland. Anglers from other countries also taking part in the event included England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland and Germany.

Fished over 3 days in what can only be described as balmy weather conditions, with bright sunshine and little wind, means the catching would not be easy. The Welsh contingent acquitted themselves admirably and come the presentation dinner, every one of them picked up some of the spoils.

The Welsh A Team; (left to right) Phil Lustig, Ken Gainfort, Haydn Cole, Steve Tucker and Alan Cheswick with Irish Section president Dermot Finnegan in the background, sporting a black eye from a nasty fall and nothing more

The Welsh ‘A’ team was made up of Ken Gainfort (St. Ishmaels) the Captain, Steve Tucker (Skewen), Haydn Cole (Lamphey) and former European Champions, Phil Lustig (Stackpole) champion in Tenby 1998 and Alan Cheswick (Pembroke Dock) in 2002, Bray, Co Wicklow, Eire. They narrowly missed out on the team Gold Medal, however they took the Silver Medal finishing up second to the England ‘A’ team and pushed the home side, Ireland’s ‘A’ team, into third place.

In the individual event, once again the English anglers triumphed with Brian Booker taking the Gold pin from Dave Lovelock. Top Welsh rod, Steve Tucker, was third taking the Bronze pin and Ken Gainfort taking fourth. Things were very close with there only being 1 point separating each of the first four places.

The sort of weather conditions that had to be endured!

However, in the pairs event, Ken & Steve won quite easily and together with Steve Lewis (Llangunnor) and Shane Tucker (Milford Haven) they also won the team of four event, pushing the English into second in both cases. The Tuckers (not related) also managed second in the Executive four man team event with Ken and Phil in third and Alan and Haydn in the fourth placed team.

The other members of the squad, John O’Connor (Cosheston), Andrew Skeels (Lamphey), Leigh Rogers (Milford Haven), Bob Elworthy and Steve Davies (both of Pembroke Dock), all featured in the daily pools and super pools for most fish, longest fish etc, which made it a most successful end to the competition.

The Irish section must be thanked once again for their superb organisational skills in hosting such a cracking event and for their hospitality, which as per usual, was second to none.