Country: ENGLAND

Venue: River Ure

Dates: 20th to 23rd June (incl.)

Match date: Friday 22nd June

Accommodation: The George Hotel, Piercebridge 

Results:

1. Scotland  36 fish  1616 fish pts 46 placing pts
2. Ireland  46 fish  2079 fish pts  48 placing pts
3. England  37 fish  1646 fish pts  56 placing pts
4. Wales  33 fish  1498 fish pts  59 placing pts

‘Moc Morgan’ Trophy : Terry Bromwell (Wales) – Top Individual – 6 placing pts

‘Mike Childs’ Trophy: Brian Russell (Ireland) – Biggest Fish – 42.9cms

Congratulations to Scotland to their victory on a day of bright conditions.

AT Team England FF was represented by:

Fred Bainbridge (captain), Jonathan Barnes, Mark Harrison, Del Spry, Gilliaum Vermeulen, Scott Nellins (reserve) & Jeremy Lucas (manager).

Full Results: iffarivers2018

The Angling Trust reports: 

Scotland Secure Gold in the International Fly Fishing Association Rivers International

Friday, June 22^nd, probably the most difficult conditions this season in terms of conditions for fly fishing. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales met on the River Ure to contest the IFFA River International on the magnificent Bolton Castle Estate in North Yorkshire. The harsh reality of the results suggests indeed that the conditions were hostile, despite the conditions each and every angler gave their all and it was Scotland who prevailed and took the gold medal.

Team England was ferociously captained by Fred Bainbridge whose boundless energy drove the entire team, which included three new caps, Gilliaum Vermeulen, Del Spry and Mark Harrison, such that even this comparatively inexperienced team was always going to be a threat. Fred’s intimate knowledge of the Ure, and tactical prowess was shared with the team from the day he was made captain and the team also benefited hugely from the experience of veteran dry fly master, Jonathan Barnes.

The draw for starting pegs did not aid England’s cause, but then a draw should never be an excuse. The standard at international level, on rivers, is now higher than it has ever been, and vastly experienced England manager, Jeremy Lucas commented “In my own observation I witnessed an exemplary performance, both in the build-up preparation and the international itself, of each team member. This includes the perception and experience of our seasoned reserve, Scott Nellins. It was heartening to see them go out there, with the entire range of methods and fly types at their disposal, with strength throughout a team – which was biased towards the inexperienced at this level – and then to see such a performance.”

The morning sessions were generally poor for England and the team found themselves in last place at the lunch time break. In such testing conditions avoiding the blank was incredibly important, but unfortunately for England, through no lack of effort, they recorded a couple. However, Jonathan Barnes secured two first placings in his morning sessions, while both Fred Bainbridge and Del Spry secured one second placing. Although with the afternoon to come, England were still confident they could recover and move up the table.

To a degree, England showed this as the team romped away to two firsts and two seconds in the third session, but the river had also ‘died’ by this time. Clear skies and bright sunshine meant conditions failed to improve, while a strong downstream wind developed making conditions even more challenging for all anglers on the water. The final session came down to avoiding the blank and England’s Mark Harrison took two fish, enough to win his section in very challenging conditions. Despite the team registering measurable fish it wasn’t enough to challenge the other nations for the title and Team England finished in third place as the event came to an end.

The ever popular and magnificent competitor Terry Bromwell, of Wales, to great applause, won the Moc Morgan trophy for the top individual, while his team fished hard they could only manage a fourth place. Ireland pushed the overall winners closely and had the consolation of the Mike Childs trophy for the day’s biggest fish (42.9cm), though it was Scotland who stole the day.

Jeremy went on to say “On such tiny things do international fly fishing championships hinge. Had Jonathan Barnes caught a fish in his last session, he would have won the day. Had the single fish caught by Fred, Gilliaum and Del been a little bigger, they too would have massively influenced the results. Finally, the best team on the day always wins, but Team England performed admirably, all the way back to the moment it was formed on last year’s National Final, and each member can hold his head high with pride. It was a great privilege to be with them throughout the campaign. Our congratulations go to Team Scotland on winning the event and to Terry Bromwell and Brian Russell on their individual achievements.”

Results: 

Teams: 1st, Scotland; 2nd, Ireland; 3rd England; 4th Wales.

Individual: Terry Bromwell, Wales, with six placing points. Top England rod, in 5th, was Jonathan Barnes. Other Team England placings: Fred Bainbridge (Captain), 11th; Del Spry, 15th; Gilliaum Vermeulen, 16th; Mark Harrison, 18th.

Photograph courtesy of Paul Baker Photography http://www.paul-baker-photography.co.uk/