Team England, comprised of Will Raison and Des Shipp, continued English dominance of the Betway Fish’O’Mania International event as they lead from wire-to-wire to pick up the title for the fourth consecutive year and claim the £10,000 first prize.
It became apparent around the halfway stage that it would be a race to see who could claim second prize as Shipp and Raison proved why they are unstoppable on commercial waters. They lead by nearly four kilos at the first 30 minute weigh-in and by the two hour mark that lead had increased to 11 kilos.
They maintained that gap for the middle part of the match before turning up the heat in the closing stages to win by 14.870kg from Holland. Consistency was the name of the game for England as they caught throughout, backed by their astute management team of Mark Addy and Mark Downes.
Shipp, who was making his debut in the pair’s event, was thrilled with the win, “Me and Will stayed in the same room last night and we couldn’t sleep, the pressure of it all, being England and being champions.
“With an hour to go we weren’t really sure because there were a few carp being caught and we were beginning the think it would go the opposite way. It is great to win, brilliant.”
Raison was keen to emphasise the team aspect of their success; “As a team we all sat down last night and had a really good meeting. Things were still up in the air but we knew what we wanted to do.
“At Cudmore you never really know how it is going to be until half an hour into the match, and that suits anglers like Des and myself who are experienced at this style of fishing. You have to plan but you do need to suck it and see what happens in the match.
“Having Mark Addy behind me has really helped today, not only does he have a fantastic angling brain but he has been there and done it, fished World Championships.”
The England pair started on the slightly shorter pole and caught a mixture of tench, barbell, one decent carp, some skimmers and roach. Shipp caught three carp early on and then a couple in the last half hour but consistency was the key.
In the race for second place and the £5,000 prize, it was the Dutch who came through the field to pip Poland by 1.710kg. With the event broadcast live on Dutch TV, it was a terrific performance from Dieter Friederichs and Jurgen Spierings who caught nearly 5 kilos in the last half hour to pip the Poles.
Full Results
1. England – 42.770kg
2. Holland – 27.900kg
3. Poland – 26.190kg
4. Ireland – 25.250kg
5. Scotland – 23.800kg
6. Wales – 21.820kg
7. Hungary – 12.460kg
8. France – 10.420kg
Biggest Fish (£1,000)
Will Raison 4.200kg
