Angling Trust Team England Fly Fishing

AT Team England Fly Fishing regret to announce that Len Childs, captain of the England team in the 1997 Autumn Loch-style Home International on Loch Leven, passed away on the 4th July, aged 81.

Len, who gained three Loch-style caps, and also competed in the Rivers National, was a stalwart of the South East Federation, with an outstanding record in their loch-style qualifiers on Bewl Water.

He also captained the Meridian team to success in the Lexus, Airflo, Grand Max and other team competitions, winning the Lexus on Chew in 2009.

Laura Childs, his daughter, has requested that anyone who wishes to attend the funeral, or who wants further information, should contact her through AT TEFF General Secretary Alex Adams alex.adams1969@gmail.com or the Angling Trust’s Danny Williams daniel.williams@anglingtrust.net

Each Qualifier provides the opportunity for the eight highest-placed anglers to proceed to the National Final. In 2024 the National Final will be fished over two days on the River Eden. There will be up to thirty two places available at the National.

January 2024

Sunday 21st January (rescheduled again from the 17th December) – River Dee – QUALIFIER CANCELLED

February 2024

Saturday 10th February – R. Test, Wherwell – QUALIFIER CANCELLED

March 2024

Sunday 3rd March – South East FF Federation – Lower Itchen fishery – Organiser: Tony Fox

Organiser Tony Fox reports that the weather for the day was beautiful, and that even if the river was high and slightly coloured, it did clear later in the afternoon. Because of the levels everyone had to park at the main entrance and the walk to the first hut, which was their base for day. Despite the conditions 16 anglers landed 48 grayling, an average of 3 per rod.

Overall Results: 1. Cameron Craigs 2. Mike Heritage 3. Jim Dillon 4. Baz Reece 5. Andrew Smith 6. Gavin Walsh 7. Alex Adams 8. Harry Chance 9. Jay Curry 10. Darren Everitt 11. Daniel Tranter 12. Robert Williams 13. Alex Tipping 16= Peter Buckey 16= John Waters 16= Trevor Hayman

April 2024

Sunday 21st April – R. Ure, Wensley – Organiser: Paul Page

Overall Results: 1. Del Spry 2. Stan Moore 3. Chris Micallef 4. Danny Williams 5. Kevin Moran 6. Brian Lillie 7. Paul Fairhurst 8. Mark Withyman 9. Dan Scott Paul 10. Peter Crowe 11. Chris Richardson 12. Gavin Walsh 13. Karl Watson 14. Paul Baker 15. Tom Hunt 16. Andrew Sowerby 17. Nick Craigs 18. Anthony McKenna

Organiser Paul Page reports: The England Rivers Qualifier was fished on the Bolton Hall and Wensley Beats centred around Lords Bridge on the Bolton Hall Estate in Wensleydale. Despite all the poor weather and high river levels that has beset many of our rivers over winter and early spring, the River Ure had dropped to 0.411 on the scale at Bainbridge and the weekend was set for fine and sunny weather, light winds but still cold.
The 18 qualifier entrants met up at the Three Horseshoes inn at Wensley to pair up with their controllers. 9 fished the morning session on the Wensley Beat with the other 9 fishing the afternoon session, upstream, on the Bolton Hall Beat
The morning session’s 09:00 start on the Wensley Beat downstream from Lords Bridge was greeted with a frosty start, which once warmed up by the sun, set the weather fair with regular hatches of Grannom sedges. Del Spry won the morning session with 7 trout between 26cms and 45cms, of which 3 were in the upper 30’s and 3 in the lower 40’s cms. Del’s 44.5cms fish was the largest trout caught on the day. Danny Williams and Brian Lillie were not far behind with 6 trout each. Mark Withyman came in 4th with 5 trout. The 9 anglers who fished the morning session caught a total of 37 trout between them.
After swapping over from controlling to fishing and changing partners 9 anglers competed in the afternoon session upstream of Lords Bridge on the Bolton Hall Beat.
The afternoon session’s 14:00 start on the Bolton Hall Beat upstream from Lords Bridge was now cloudy broken by short sunny spells, however the temperature remained unseasonably cold. The regular hatches of Grannom in the morning disappeared. Stan Moore who ventured up to the top end of the beat found accommodating trout and won the afternoon session with 6 trout ranging between 22cms and 33cms. Chris Micallef, Kevin Moran and Paul Fairhurst with 4 trout each vied for 2nd, 3rd and 4th places respectively. Chris’s 43.3cms was the largest of the afternoon session. Keith McAdam came third with 3 trout and Chris Micallef fourth with 2 trout. The 9 anglers who fished the afternoon session caught a total of 24 trout between them.
Paul Page the event organiser said that the April Ure Qualifier was always a challenge as the grayling are out of season. However, with 41 trout being caught over the 2 beats, 8 of which were over 40cms, 8 over 35cms and 24 over 30cms, all wild brown trout, once again indicates that the River Ure is still a superb fly fishing river.
Wensleydale and the River Ure are a stunning place to visit and fish. Our thanks go to the Bolton Castle Estate for giving us access to the estate’s fishery and to Tom Orde-Powlett for their continuing support. Also, our thanks go to Aran at the Three Horseshoes at Wensley for his kind use of their car park at the beginning and end of the competition.

May 2024

Sunday 26th May – R. Dee, Llangollen & Maelor AA waters

The Angling Trust reports: AT TEFF River Qualifier, Dee, Llangollen. It’s 09:00 and the first of the AT TEFF Dee Qualfiers is under way. With rain the last couple of days, the river is carrying a little water and colour. We’ve seen Sulphur Duns and what looked like PW’s as well as the usual Olives. John B is seen here, entering the water in search of his first fish. Good luck to him and the rods upstream doing exactly the same.

The Angling Trust reports: AT TEFF River Qualifier, Dee, Llangollen. Apologies for the results not being posted yesterday, phone signals and technology are never guaranteed on natural venues.
In brief, the river did fish fairly well with the extra water in over the week, the morning session faring a little better than the afternoon. The other difference being the afternoon’s wading, with a near miss and a slight dunking to brighten up the afternoon’s banter. Congratulations to the heat’s winner, Dee regular and current Team England River Team member, Kevin Moran. He worked determinedly to winkle out some quality fish on mainly nymphs to hold off John Bowen to a very close second place, who alternated between nymphs and dries. In third was ever-present Tom Hunt, whilst the largest fish fell to Danny Williams on the dry fly.
The next qualifier for a place in this year’s final is again on the Dee, at Llangollen Sunday 30th of June. For your ticket please follow the link here>>

June 2024

Sunday 30th June – R. Dee, Llangollen & Maelor AA waters

The Angling Trust reports: AT TEFF 2024 River National Qualifier, River Dee, Llangollen, Wales. We caught up with our competing anglers at the Hand Hotel for lunch, several of whom where already celebrating some great catches. The river is in good form, although the grayling are still slightly shoaled up post breeding with some usually productive areas being void of them. Fortunately, the trout are all still very present and so far, showing on the feed, fingers crossed they stay active and we see a couple of hatches during the PM sessions.

The Angling Trust reports: AT TEFF River Qualifier 2024 River Dee Llangollen. PM session finished and results back, the news pre-ratification, we’ve seen two catches of eleven fish, so theses catches will rank on length. Two catches of six fish and two of four. Nymph tactics have been quite prominent, however we’ll give more details on the placings shortly. Tight lines until then.

National Final

7th-8th September, R. Eden

Entries & Results Spreadsheet

Trout Social Auction – Now Live!

Be one of six lucky bidders to join our Trout Social with John Horsey event at the stunning Hobby Lake, Reading.

Generously donated by Sportfish as part of their ongoing support of our Anglers Against Pollution campaign, this event on Friday 11th October 2024 promises to be special.

All funds raised by the event will go towards our Anglers Against Pollution Campaign, fighting to keep our rivers clean.

ABOUT THE VENUE

Hobby Lake is named after the bird species which used to frequent the area in numbers.

• The lake has abundant fly life, so offers superb floating line fishing with nymphs or dry fly.
• An exclusive Lake only usually available for corporate bookings
• Spring-fed with crystal clear water clarity and depths from 3 to 15ft
• Stocked with fin-perfect rainbow, blue, brown, golden, sparctic and tiger trout well into double figures.
• Beautiful fishing hut by the lake where we will serve lunch and refreshments

ABOUT OUR HOST FOR THE DAY

John Horsey is an Angling Trust Ambassador and one of the leading fly anglers in the world

• Has been a hugely successful fishing guide for over 20 years
• Co-presenter of C5 successful “Chris Tarrant Goes Fishing” TV series
• Has captained England Fly-Fishing teams at World Championship, European Championship, Loch Style and River levels
• Will be on hand to give advice and help to all

Lunch and refreshments will be provided at the Hobby Lodge and each winning bidder will receive an amazing goody bag to commemorate the event.

Angling Trust staff, including our CEO Jamie Cook, will also be on hand to discuss our work and demonstrate the work of our Water Quality Monitoring Network.

If you would like a chance to be involved, click the link below to visit the auction site. There are six places available and each lot offers an identical day – simply make sure you are the highest bidder on the lot you have chosen and you will win the place on offer.

Closing date for bids is Sunday 28th July 2024 at 8pm.

Visit the auction site now to find out more>>

Money raised from this auction, and all of our other fundraising events throughout the year, is ploughed back into the Angling Trust to support our work. We truly appreciate every bid placed – good luck if you choose to take part.

John Cheyne
Head of Marketing, Communications & Membership, Angling Trust

Lee Cartmail is looking for 20 controllers for the up and coming Bank Home International at Ellerdine Lakes, Telford, on Wednesday 23rd October. AT TEFF will pay £35 to cover any out of pocket expenses.
Contact Lee direct on leecartmail@gmail.com for more details on supporting/volunteering.

The 43rd FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships took place in Occitanie, France, from the 22nd to the 30th June 2024.

AT TEFF was represented by: Howard Croston (Manager & Captain), James Atkinson, Tony Baldwin, Sean Brooks, Scott Nellins & Chris Richardson

Envirofil Ltd & Puraflow Ltd are delighted to be Sponsors of the England World Fly Fishing Team

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

Australia – Belgium – Bosnia & Herzegovina – Canada – Czech Republic – England – Finland – France – Ireland – Italy – Latvia – Lithuania – Mongolia – Norway – Poland – Portugal – New Zealand – The Netherlands – Romania – Slovakia – South Africa – Spain – Sweden – USA

RESULTS

Session 1

In the opening session Scott Nellins gained a 6th place on the Camporells Lakes with 12 fish, while Howard Croston came 14th on the Aude River. Chris Richardson was 15th on the Tet River, with James Atkinson 16th on the Vicdessos River, and Sean Brooks 21st= on the Carlits Lakes. England were lying in 15th place with 69 placing points. Ireland got off to a great start, and were 2nd on 22 points, just three behind the leaders France on 19 points, and five ahead of Spain in 3rd place with 27 points, with the USA 4th and Italy 5th.

Session 2

The second session saw Scott Nellins finish 5th on the Aude River with 17 fish, and James Atkinson scoring a 7th place on the Carlits Lakes. Tony Baldwin was 12th on the Camporells Lakes, while on the other river sectors Sean Brooks was 18th on the Tet River, and Howard Croston 20th on the Vicdessos River. England moved up one place to 14th, while Ireland slipped from 2nd to 5th. With two 1st places and three 2nds France put in another strong performance to widen the gap between them and Italy in 2nd place with 54 points, the USA in 3rd with 63 points, and Spain 4th on 65 points. Sebastien Delcor of France led the Individual rankings, with Lubos Roza (Czech Republic) 2nd, both with two 1st places, and Michael Bradley of the USA 3rd with 3 placing points.

Session 3

In the third session Howard Croston landed 12 fish to come 6th on the Carlits Lakes, while Sean Brooks took 9 on the Camporells Lakes to finish 9th. On the river sectors Scott Nellins came 18th on the Vicdessos River, with James Atkinson also 18th on the Tet River, and Chris Richardson 21st on the Aude River. England remained in 14th place, with Ireland dropping a couple of places to 7th. France maintained their healthy lead in 1st place, with 47 placing points, ahead of Spain, who overtook Italy to move into 2nd place with 96 points, with the USA 3rd on 101 points, the Czech Republic 4th on 112 points, and Australia 5th with 117 points, three ahead of Italy in 6th place. Individually, a 2nd place in his session kept Sebastien Delcor (France) at the top of the placings on 4 points, with Dick Stewart (Australia) in 2nd with 5 points, and Michael Bradley (USA) 3rd, also with 5 points. Two more members of the French team, Pierre Kuntz and Gregoire Juglaret, were close behind in 4th and 5th.

Session 4

A better session for England saw Sean Brooks come 3rd on the Aude River with 18 fish, with Howard Croston finishing 5th on the Tet River with 12 fish, and James Atkinson also scoring a 5th place on the Camporells Lakes with 10 fish. Elsewhere, Scott Nellins came 10th= on the Carlits Lakes, with Chris Richardson 19th= on the Vicdessos River. Despite this, England remained in 14th place, with Ireland also not moving from their 7th spot. Three 1sts, a 2nd and a 3rd saw France remain comfortable leaders with 55 placing points, ahead of Spain 2nd with 137 points, the USA 3rd with 152 points, and Italy in 4th place with 161 points. Individually, the top four positions did not change, with Sebastien Delcor (France) 1st on 7 placing points, Michael Bradley (USA) 2nd, also with 7 points, Pierre Kuntz (France) 3rd with 8 points, and Gregoire Juglaret (France) 4th on 9 points.

Session 5

In the final session Howard Croston scored a 4th place on the Camporells Lakes with 13 fish, while Tony Baldwin came 8th on the Carlits Lakes with 7 fish. On the river sectors Scott Nellins finished 8th on the Tet River, with Sean Brooks 16th on the Vicdessos River, and James Atkinson 19th on the Aude River. England moved up one place to finish the championship in 13th position, while Ireland also moved up a spot to end up 6th. France put in another spectacular performance to become World Champions with 62 placing points, ahead of Spain in silver with 156 points, and the USA in bronze with 182 points, with the Czech Republic 4th on 190 points, and Australia 5th with 214 points. Individually, France made it a 1-2-3 with Pierre Kuntz the Individual World Champion on 9 placing points (four 1st places and one 5th), Sebastien Delcor in 2nd with 10 points, and Gregoire Juglaret also on 10 points in 3rd. Michael Bradley (USA) was 4th and Andres Torres (Spain) 5th. Scott Nellins and Howard Croston were England’s top performers.

Fulling Mill Facebook: We’re just wrapping up an incredible week in France with Howard Croston Fly Fishing and Team England filming a documentary series. We’ll be in the editing room for a while, but expect to see the series come out on our YouTube Channel later this year!

Howard Croston Fly Fishing Facebook: An awesome time with the Fulling Mill guys in France for the 43rd World fly fishing championships. If you’ve ever wondered about competition fly fishing at the highest level, this series should give an insight into the highs, lows and challenges of competitive fishing on foreign soil. Should be well worth a watch.

PROGRAMME

Saturday 22nd June
2:00pm Welcome to Officials & Teams (Chalet des Airelles)
6:00pm Opening Ceremony (Place de Font Romeu)
7:30pm Opening Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Sunday 23rd June
10:00am Briefing for Managers & Captains (Chalet des Airelles)
1:00-2:00pm Lunch (Chalet des Airelles)
3:00pm ‘Environment’ conference (Chalet des Airelles)
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Monday 24th June: First competition session
8:45-10:45am 12:00-2:00pm River
8:30-9:30am 10:15-11:15am 12:00-1:00pm 1:45-2:45pm Lake
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Tuesday 25th June: Second competition session
8:45-10:45am 12:00-2:00pm River
8:30-9:30am 10:15-11:15am 12:00-1:00pm 1:45-2:45pm Lake
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Wednesday 26th June: Third competition session
8:45-10:45am 12:00-2:00pm River
8:30-9:30am 10:15-11:15am 12:00-1:00pm 1:45-2:45pm Lake
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Thursday 27th June: Fourth competition session
8:45-10:45am 12:00-2:00pm River
8:30-9:30am 10:15-11:15am 12:00-1:00pm 1:45-2:45pm Lake
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Friday 28th June: Fifth competition session
8:45-10:45am 12:00-2:00pm River
8:30-9:30am 10:15-11:15am 12:00-1:00pm 1:45-2:45pm Lake
7:00-9:00pm Dinner (Chalet des Airelles)

Saturday 29th June
1:30-2:30pm Lunch (Chalet des Airelles)
3:00pm ‘Environment’ conference (Chalet des Airelles)
6:00pm Closing Ceremony (Place de Font-Romeu & Chalet des Airelles)

Sunday 30th June
08:00-9:30am Breakfast (Chalet des Airelles)
Departure of Participants

VENUE & SECTORS

Keith Wallace (AT TEFF Marketing & Sponsorship) reports: The 43rd World Fly Fishing Championship, WFFC France 2024 will be set in the Pyrenees and the Aude foothills. The mountain ecosystem, at altitudes of 300 to over 3,000 metres, offers a diversity of habitats and a rich biodiversity. The presence of numerous nature reserves, classified natural sites and Natura 2000 sites are all indicators of this exceptional biodiversity. In fact, the championship could potentially take place on several classified sites or Natura 2000 areas (mountain lakes, river sectors), with their recognised and sometimes fragile biological wealth.
During your visit to the championships, you may encounter a number of species that are emblematic of the Pyrenees. Isard (cousin of the Alpine chamois) and ibex on the mountain pastures and summits, over-flown by large birds of prey including the mythical golden eagle and bearded vulture. The marmot will bring you out of your reverie and encourage you to contemplate the rich flora of the plateaux and riverbanks: lilies, irises, gentian, ramonde and many orchids will be present in June.
If you look down into the rivers, you’ll find two species endemic to the Pyrenees, the desman (an aquatic small mammal) and the calotriton (an amphibian), which are very difficult to watch. You may find it easier to follow the tracks of the otter, which is very present in all sections of the river, or the ballet of the common dipper!

The main rivers and sectors selected for the championship include:

Vicdessos River (Sector 1): Located in the Ariege department and very close to the small principality of Andorra, the Vicdessos River is a small granitic stone river (acidic soil), about 15 meters wide, of glacial origin, situated within the Regional Natural Park of the Pyrenees of Ariege. This river hosts a healthy population of Mediterranean-origin striped brown trout, also known as zebra trout. Effective flies in this river include CDC patterns such as mayfly spinners or caddis. Pumpkin, black, and red-coloured Perdigones, and those with an orange collar, are also highly effective.

The Calit Lakes (Sector 2): In the high Cerdanya, near the Regional Natural Park of the Catalan Pyrenees, there are a series of mountain lakes frequented by hikers, with a circuit covering a total of 12 lakes. A selected series of lakes in this environment will serve as the second sector of the championship. In these lakes, trout often patrol the shores and are frequently caught in plain sight. Small nymphs or even ants are used for this purpose. Fishing with intermediate lines is also common when the fish are not active. Brown and rainbow trout can be found in these lakes.

Têt River (Sector 3): The Têt River is regulated for electricity generation, ensuring a more stable flow. Located near the Mediterranean sea, it flows near the town of Prepiñan. This river, with beautiful Romanesque bridges, like the one in Villefranche-de-Conflent, is an ideal spot for dry fly and Duo fishing. Anglers can catch brown trout in its waters.

Camporells Lakes (Sector 4): Camporells Lakes are high-altitude lakes located in the Eastern Pyrenees, near Puigcerda. Surrounded by an impressive alpine landscape at the base of Pic Péric, these lakes, like those in Carlit, occasionally witness brown trout hunting along the shores for insects and small larvae. When the fish are less active, anglers use nymphs with sinking lines of varying degrees. These lakes are home to beautiful brown trout.

Aude River (Sector 5): The Aude is a river that gives its name to the department it flows through. In its upper reaches, the river is between 5 and 10 metres wide. It has the profile of a mountain stream, with a steep gradient and cool, oxygenated waters that are ideal for brown trout. In the downstream section, the river widens out and becomes a plain lowland stream with a much gentler gradient. The profile is completely different from the upper part and more suited to the development of grayling.

You will find more information on the Championship website here>> and on their Facebook page here>>

Country: ENGLAND
Venue: River Tees (upper)
Dates: 19th to 22nd June (incl.)
Match date: Friday 21st June
Accommodation: The George Inn, Piercebridge

IRELAND TAKE THE GOLD

RESULTS

AT TEFF was represented by: Brian Lillie (captain), Peter Buckey, Paul Fairhurst, Tom Hunt, Kevin Moran, Gavin Walsh (reserve), and Paul Page (manager).

The Angling Trust reports: It’s match day and after this week of tactical analysis and fly tying, the four teams are down to business.
Pictures show England’s Tom Hunt, quartering through his peg on D section.
As ever, the Tees trout are playing ball, however not all sections are stuffed with fish.
During the 1st AM session some anglers worked super hard to put a fish in the net.
While other areas needed at least eight to keep up with the rods around them.
It’s all to play for, and the PM sessions start at three fifteen, so more news later this evening.

Team Manager Paul Page reports: The International match day on Friday found the weather set bright and sunny all day, light winds and the river level fallen further. After an early breakfast all competitors arrived at the High Force Hotel to prepare their tackle and meet up with their controllers.
The River Tees from Cauldron Snout down to High Force was divided into 5 beats A-E, the beats were then pegged 1-4 and the 20 Controllers allocated a peg. The pegs being the designated start position for the competitors for the morning and afternoon sessions. The controllers kept the same peg both morning and afternoon, and the competitors changed beats and pegs at lunch time for the afternoon sessions. The championship was fished to IFFA catch and release rules.
The morning sessions started at 09.45 -11.15, 11.15 -12.45.
The end of Session 1 saw Ireland with an early lead with 9 placings and both Scotland (11 placings) and England (12 placings) in close pursuit. 105 fish already on the score card and the temperature rising.
By the end of the Session 2 the leading 3 teams had closed together with only 1 placing point between them. Ireland 21 placings, England 22, Scotland 22 and Wales 35. England winning Session 2 to overtake Scotland.
After lunch, sessions started at 15.15-16.45, 16.45-18.15.
Session 3 kept England close behind Ireland and put a small gap between them and Scotland. Ireland maintaining the lead with 32 placings, England 33, Scotland 35 and Wales now struggling with 50 placings.
With only three placings’ difference between the three leading teams, Session 4 as so often became the one that would make or break team final positions. Considering that 305 fish had already been caught, the teams measured a further 66 fish. Ireland held on to its lead and finished with 42 placings; Scotland managed to overtake England with 46 placings; England, despite catching 10% more fish than any other team, was pipped by 1 placing with 47 placings, and Wales 66 placings.
The Individual winner was Mark Sloan, Ireland, with 29 fish and 5 placings. The top England place was Tom Hunt with 22 fish and 7 placings. Longest fish was caught by Kevin Moran of England, a 31.6cm Brown Trout

(Images: Paul Baker Photography)

England Captain Brian Lillie said after the Championship: “Firstly, it’s been an absolute privilege to both represent and captain this England team. It was an inexperienced team going into the event, with a combined number of only three river caps prior to the event and with three new caps given on the day. This did not matter a jot, and all team members fished brilliantly in the competition. Although we caught comfortably the highest fish numbers, it was a little disappointing that we only took the bronze position, based on the points system adopted, and missing narrowly on the higher medals. Congratulations to Team Ireland on an excellent win. In preparation we lost experienced team member Carl Nixon due to illness, and we wish him well in his recuperation. Howard Croston’s coaching support was also greatly welcomed prior to the event and formed the basis for both practice and match day tactics. Specific congratulations go to Kevin Moran on scooping the largest fish prize, and Tom B Hunt, being top England angler on the day. Gavin Walsh was superb and both Pete Buckey and Paul Fairhurst fished extremely consistently. Paul Page provided sage guidance and the outgoing coordinator Peter Scholes was a great organiser. Good luck Simon Caddy following in his footsteps. As a national team we’ll be back next year with more experience and will hopefully continue to improve results.”

Sponsors

Established in 2014 Hunt’s set out to produce the UK’s first comprehensive range of fly treatments. Hunt’s mission was not only to produce the best, but to be environmentally conscious as well.
Fast forward to today and Hunt’s products are enjoyed worldwide, with an ever-growing base of loyal customers.
Hunt’s are proud sponsors of the 2024 Rivers International and wish all competitors the best of luck. Tight Lines from everyone at Hunt’s.

Following two unacceptable administrative decisions made by me, I have decided that the right thing to do is to resign from my role as TEFF England Team Loch Style manager for the autumn international with immediate effect. I have informed the TEFF Exec, Team Captain and team members. No doubt TEFF will seek a new manager between now and the International in September.
I intend to retain my role as Loch Style Co Ordinator unless asked to stand down by TEFF.
Ian Colclough

Country: ENGLAND
Venue: River Tees (upper)
Dates: 19th to 22nd June (incl.)
Match date: Friday 21st June
Accommodation: The George Inn, Piercebridge

AT TEFF is represented by: Brian Lillie (captain), Peter Buckey, Paul Fairhurst, Tom Hunt, Kevin Moran, Gavin Walsh (reserve), and Paul Page (manager).

The England River International Team, comprising Brian Lillie as Captain, Paul Fairhurst, Pete Buckey, Kevin Moran, Tom Hunt, Gavin Walsh, and Paul Page as Team Manager, settled in on Sunday at their practice digs in Middleton-in-Teesdale.
On Monday the River Tees was high and pushing hard. However, the team commenced their final few days’ practice on non-competition beats to reduce the pressure. Tactics learned from previous training visits to the river continued to work, so it was back to the digs for some further fly tying.
Today, Tuesday, the river had dropped and eased off, although not back to normal June levels. The team practiced on a competition beat to get used to match day timings, finishing today’s practice again on a non-competition beat. Tonight it’s a private dinner and England Team cap and medal presentations.
Tomorrow the team leave for the Official Hotel at The George at Piercebridge.
Paul Page, Team Manager

Yesterday the team moved into the International Hotel, The George at Piercebridge.
Having settled in, the team had their photos taken in their England blazers.
Good news, the river continued to drop and the weather is set to be fine for the last two days.
This morning it was the official IFFA photocall for all four Home Nation Teams with the backdrop of the Piercebridge Roman Bridge. Followed by the traditional “Walking of the Beats” where competitors, now knowing what beat and where they were to start fishing on match day, could finalise their tactics for tomorrow, match day.
Tomorrow, all the team training sessions and individual practices on the River Tees between Cauldron Snout and High Force Waterfall will be put to the test.
Paul Page, Team Manager