Drennan Team England have proved yet again that they are the best angling team in the world by winning the World Nations Championship in Merida on 26th & 27th June 2010 with 32 teams competing for this prestigious title.
After a bad day for England in the World Cup, it proved to be an incredible day for angling with Drennan Team England being pushed all the way by a determined Italian team to take the World Championship title by just 2.5 points. Sean Ashby of Derby, netted a 1.5kg carp with just minutes remaining on day two to take the lead and land the title of worthy World Championship winners.
Prior to the World Championships both Mark Downes and Mark Addy, Drennan Team England International Managers said that after nine years of success they were sending the most experienced team to fish this year’s World Nations Championships , and how true that was. The Drennan Team England squad consisted of; Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne, Steve Gardner, Sean Ashby, Stuart Conroy and Des Shipp.
Drennan Team England started the Championship as favourites and managed to take the lead on day one with 21 points, with their nearest rivals Team Daiwa Scotland taking second position with 23 points. Tactics for the team were a combination of bleak, carp and catfish with most teams fishing a three line attack for bleak at seven to eight metres on a short line.
Day One Classifications
Alan Scotthorne – A Section 3 points
Sean Ashby – B Section 4 points
Des Shipp – C Section 3 points
Will Raison – D Section 7 points
Steve Gardener – E Section 4 points
1st Drennan Team England 21 points
2nd Team Daiwa Scotland 23 points
3rd Italy 26.5 points
Day Two – Stu Conroy replaced Will Raison, as the team Managers drew up a rule during the Championship that if anyone finished below fifth in a section they would sit out the following day. Stu Conroy managed to secure a section win which proved valuable on the final day. Bank runners were vital to help rely information to the team from Mark Downes and Mark Addy, with all playing a major role in the Championship.
Day Two classifications
Stu Conroy – A Section 1 point
Des Shipp – B Section 4 points
Sean Ashby – C Section 10 points
Steve Gardner – D Section – 2 points
Alan Scotthorne – E Section – 2 points
1st Italy 16 points
2nd Drennan Team England 19 points
3rd Holland 22 points
Individually it was Frank Meis of Luxemberg with 2 points who won the gold medal with 16.73kg, Cathal Hughes of Ireland took the runner up position with 3 pts and 24.68kg and in third place was Rumen Vitkov of Bulgaria with 3 pts and weight of 22.365kg. It was a fantastic result to see all four nations appearing in the top six overall results on the final day.
Final Team Classification
1st England 40 points
2nd Italy 42.5 points
3rd Holland 51 points
4th Ireland 60 points
5th Scotland 60.5 points
6th Wales 66 points
Final Individual Classifications
1st Frank Meis (Luxembourg) 2 points 16.73kg
2nd Cathal Hughes (Ireland) 3 points 24.68kg
3rd Rumen Vitkov (Bulgaria) 3 points 22.365kg
4th Dieter Friederichs (Holland) 4 points 20.42kg
5th Jamie Masson (Scotland) 5 points 28.22kg
6th Alan Scotthorne (England) 5 points 24.01kg
7th Ian Hughes (Wales) 5 points 20.34k
Mark Downes, Drennan Team England International Manager stated “ winning is never easy, but when you have got great anglers and great backroom staff it comes together more often than not. Spain was not an easy venue, you could fish one method and do well, but to win you had to adopt a host of skills. Bleak fishing, slider fishing and of course the 13m line, not just for big fish, but for carp as well. Our ability to mix and match at the drop of a hat won us this gold……tactically we got it spot on.”
Dick Clegg, OBE, International Events Manager said “after being involved for 27 years I think this team is possibly the best ever produced by any country in World Championship angling. The commitment and dedication shown by the team members cannot be faulted and they deserve all the accolades possible. I was aghast at some of the doubters thinking that a couple of the team were getting a little bit long in the tooth. Have a look at where the oldest two members finished in the final individual placings!
Tactically the two Marks have once more got it 100% correct. It was a privilege to be part of the set up and I can only hope that this success is acknowledged by our government and sports departments, and that finally, we anglers are recognised as fantastic sporting ambassadors for our country.
We would also like to say a big thank you to Peter Drennan of Drennan International, as without his continued sponsorship and support of Drennan Team England it would be very difficult to send the team to take part in the World Championships.”
