England have been crowned European Feeder Cup champions in what was the first international event to be held on home soil in years.
Squads from a whole host of countries including Lithuania, Germany and Hungary travelled to the prolific Barston Lakes in Birmingham to take part but they were all blown away by the might of Drennan Team England Aqua.
Their star-studded line-up consisting of Adam Wakelin, Lee Kerry, Mick Vials, Rob Wootton, Steve Ringer and Will Freeman managed to put together a 47-point score during the three-day event, beating nearest chasers Czech Republic by a very comfortable 16 points.
England went into the final day in a solid position, with nothing short of a total collapse required for anyone else to oust them from top spot.
As expected, they held their nerve, coming second on the day 18 points to comfortably get over the line.
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There was even more reason for cheer when it was revealed that the team had also bagged the top three individual places overall. Rob Wootton recorded a perfect three section wins to take top spot, with Lee Kerry and Steve Ringer sliding into second and third, respectively.
Rob Wootton couldn’t hide his emotions after the presentation, and he told Angling Times: “It’s an absolutely fantastic feeling. To go up against top anglers from all over European and gain a result like that is just incredible.
“We’ve practiced for weeks on end to get our heads around what would be required to get this result and thankfully it’s gone to plan with three great match days.
“The team result is by far the most important part of this, but the individual win is the icing on the cake.”
Lee Kerry has played a big part in masterminding the win and he gave Angling Times an insight to the team plan that had been concocted before the event. He said: “We’ve tried to target bigger fish on a long feeder line using particles such as and hemp and corn with bunches of maggots of worms on the hook. When the carp were hungry, that has proved a really good way of catching them.
“We’ve looked to fill in the gaps by catching skimmers and once again, plenty of particles as opposed to shovelling in lots of worms and groundbait proved to be the way forward.”
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England also entered two other teams – Drennan Team Blue and The Masters – but both were left disappointed at the outcome.
Drennan Team Blue was made up of rising stars that are almost certainly seen as the future of the nation’s international chances and the early stages went according to plan, sitting second after two days.
But day three failed to go to plan, with a series of iffy draws leading to all but one of their anglers finishing in the bottom half of their section. That saw them plummet to fourth overall, with Czech Republic and Hungary moving up to take the silver and bronze slots.
It was a tough outing for England Masters who finished eighth out of the ten teams on show.
Plans are already underway for next year’s European Feeder Cup, with Belgium announced as the hosts.
A DOMINANT DAY TWO FOR ENGLAND
England took another huge step towards winning the first ever European Feeder Cup with a breath-taking team display on day two at Birmingham’s Barston Lakes.
The home nation has entered three squads to take part in the ten-team event and it was Drennan Team England Aqua that once again came out on top.
Their day one score of 16 points was impressive but they stepped it up another notch to record 13 points this time round, putting them on 29 points with a day remaining.
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Mick Vials, Rob Wootton and Steve Ringer all won their section, Lee Kerry took second in zone and Adam Wakelin and Will Freeman secured fourth.
Speaking after the final whistle Rob Wootton said: “Drennan Team England Aqua team have had another great day at Barston. A super set of results against tough opponents. I can’t wait for day three and hopefully we can have another brilliant day.”
England also occupy second in the table, with the Drennan Blue side slotting into that position. They too bettered their day one score, bagging 22 points at the first attempt and 16 points today, putting them on 38 points.
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Sam Collett was once again the team’s leading star with a section win consisting of just over 31kg from peg 110.
The Czech Republic hold on to third spot and have 47 points.
While the team event is what all the competitors are most focussed on, there is also an interesting battle brewing in the individual stakes.
England Aqua’s Steve Ringer (who won the match on day two with almost 56kg from peg 30) and Rob Wootton have won their section on both days, with England Blue’s Sam Collett achieving the same feat. A zone win for just one of them would see them crowned individual champion, and if more than one achieve that, the angler with the biggest weight would take the accolade.
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ENGLAND GET OFF TO A CRACKING START ON DAY ONE
England made home advantage count on day one of the inaugural European Feeder Cup as they took a commanding lead at the top of the table.
The event marks the first international event staged in the country for several years, with Birmingham’s Barston Lakes welcoming ten teams of six anglers for the eagerly anticipated three-day tournament.
Top feeder fishing talent from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Lithuania have flown in to compete against three England squads – Drennan Team Aqua, Drennan Team Blue and The Masters.
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It is Drennan England Team Aqua that have taken the lead at this early stage, scoring a highly impressive 16 points. That was achieved thanks to section wins for Lee Kerry, Steve Ringer and Rob Wootton, with Will Freeman, Mick Vials and Adam Wakelin all finishing in the top half of their zone.
The squad were clearly delighted with the result and writing on his Facebook page, Angling Times columnist Steve Ringer said: “We (Drennan Team Aqua) have had a good start. Personally, I’ve been on peg 15 – a great draw. I had a brilliant start catching eight carp for 35kg in the first two hours. I then lost my way, but a good last hour and a bit of late drama saw me just about win the section.
“I netted my last big carp with eight seconds to go. Bear in mind that if it isn't in the net when the hooter goes, it doesn't count!”
That fish proved vital too, with second in the section just over 3kg behind.
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Drennan England Team Blue are made up of a more inexperienced set of anglers on the international stage, with Jamie Harrison, Mac Stephens, Oliver Scotthorne, Rich Wilson, Sam Collett and Tom Noton selected for action.
They showed no fear from the off though and currently sit in second place on 22 points. Star performer for the side was Sam Collett with a section win that comprised of just over 25kg from peg 105 in the tricky E section.
Finishing off the frame at this stage are Czech Republic on 23 points, with the England Masters struggling to eighth spot after a series of unfavourable pegs came their way at the draw.
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There was even more for England to cheer about on the individual front, with Lee Kerry the day’s winner. Despite having to stick to international rules that ban Method-type feeders and pellets and insist upon the use of a hooklength of at least 50cm, he bagged up in style, bringing a colossal 100kg.150g of big carp to the scales from peg 27.
Speaking on his Facebook page Lee said: “An absolute red-letter day on day one of the European Feeder Cup at Barston.
The team have done a remarkable job and won the day with 16 points, and I’ve had one of the most remarkable days with 100kg of Barston’s finest from peg 27 to win the match.
“I’ve absolutely loved it, but there are two days to go and it’s so close. It is going to be a mega battle!”
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