Simple Match Fishing Forum

One of my back-burner projects has been helping John Essex complete a list of National championship winners. Somewhere along the line the NFA and Angling Trust managed to lose the records and whilst going through Angling Times is a last resort it would be good to narrow the final search down to as few as possible. For each year we need year/division, no. of teams, Individual winner, Individual winner's team, Winning weight, Winning team, Winning team's points score and venue. We have been through many magazines/year books etc. and the out standing ones are as follows:
1997 divs 3, 4 & 5 - no. of teams only
1998 div 4 - no. of teams only
1999 divs 2 & 5 - no. of teams only
2001 divs 2 & 3 - no of teams only
2003 div 2 - no. of teams, winning weight, winning team, winning points
2003 div 4 - all results
2004 div 3 - all results
2005 div 3 - all results
2006 div 1, 2 & 3 - no. of teams, winning weights, winning teams and points
2007 div 1, 2 & 3 - all results
2008 div 3 - all results

Many thanks in advance; I know John will be very appreciative of any gaps filled in the list.

Mark,
I have been helping John with this for a quite a while although he probably doesn't know it as it was through the Angler's Mail who I have written for for nearly 30 years now. I supplied him with a fair bit of older stats, results, venues etc, many of which I also fished myself. Not too long ago, before this project came on the scene I advertised all Anglers Mail copies from about 1970 (probably 69 when I fished my first National) but nobody wanted them even foc. Mind you they would have needed a crane to shift them! To be honest I don't think AM would have these results either because a lot of stuff like this was lost during an office relocation.

I think I suggested once to contact last years winners (Shakespeare in this case) and get the winners from the engravings on the trophy. If you have no joy come back to me and I'll try and find time (not an easy thing at the moment) to help out.

There was a Division Six at one stage (I think it didn't last long though maybe just the one season). I can remember doing a story on the only guy I know that fished in every Division, no-one ever contested it so I am certain that was right.

01785 257416 if you want to contact me.

Thanks Bill. For the moment we'll see if anyone knows any of the results, especially those ones from the 2000s. We have all of the other results in a table. Div 6 was 91, 92 & 93 only before it started contracting again. Angling Times may well be the last resort! As you say space is the problem with vast amounts of newspapers. I have a lot of fishing magazines but far less of the magazines.

Starter for 10.

The 1997 Division 3 National, Soudley and surrounding area, was fished on on the Shropshire Union Canal on Saturday 6th September on Honet, Lilco, Audco, Park Fluid-Fusiliers and Stoke City AA waters. The draw was at Stapeley Water Gardens. Eighty-one teams actually fished although eighty-two went into the draw, peg 2 was not drawn as Christchurch AC did not attend.

The possible reason was that this was the only National ever to be fished for four hours, (not as listed in the programme obviously) as far as I know as it was the date of Princess Di's funeral. As a result of this I belive the NFA gave teams the option to pull out if they so desired. I actually covered that match, with the late Rodney Coldron, for the Anglers Mail.

Barclays Bank AA drew peg 39!!!!

Apart from that I think I had a pair of blue underpants on!!

Thanks for that one. I can remember the fuss about Christchurch AC as it was a club I was a member of for a long time. I heard the news the previous Sunday at one of their club matches.

Starter for 10.
The possible reason was that this was the only National ever to be fished for four hours, (not as listed in the programme obviously) as far as I know as it was the date of Princess Di's funeral. As a result of this I belive the NFA gave teams the option to pull out if they so desired. I actually covered that match, with the late Rodney Coldron, for the Anglers Mail.

I fished this one with DRAX AA Selby.
At one point they considered cancelling the event altogether....however t'was agreed to reduce it to 4 hours

As a sign of respect .....Come 11 o'clock we all stood up for 1 minute's silence.

Must say it was very moving!!

Slightly off topic - well miles away really

Did you ever fish the E S I championships with Drax Pedro ?

Slightly off topic - well miles away really 

Did you ever fish the E S I championships with Drax Pedro ?

No, sorry TK. ... cant help you there

Even more off topic

In my early team fishin dayz.....I once ran bank for DRAX on Welland n Coronation Channel. ....in a 45 seater coach 

Managed to visit all 12 sections TWICE!!  :surprise

Our captain  ...Bob Huntington manged 5th overall....with one ov his slabs swingin scales rand to 11lb 

Starter for 10.
The possible reason was that this was the only National ever to be fished for four hours, (not as listed in the programme obviously) as far as I know as it was the date of Princess Di's funeral. As a result of this I belive the NFA gave teams the option to pull out if they so desired. I actually covered that match, with the late Rodney Coldron, for the Anglers Mail.

I fished this one with DRAX AA Selby.
At one point they considered cancelling the event altogether....however t'was agreed to reduce it to 4 hours

As a sign of respect .....Come 11 o'clock we all stood up for 1 minute's silence.

Must say it was very moving!!

I fished that one too Peds. bang on 11 a whistle blew and , to a man, everyone in our section stood up in respect. Really moving to look around and see it happen without prompting

Starter for 10.
The possible reason was that this was the only National ever to be fished for four hours, (not as listed in the programme obviously) as far as I know as it was the date of Princess Di's funeral. As a result of this I belive the NFA gave teams the option to pull out if they so desired. I actually covered that match, with the late Rodney Coldron, for the Anglers Mail.

I fished this one with DRAX AA Selby.
At one point they considered cancelling the event altogether....however t'was agreed to reduce it to 4 hours

As a sign of respect .....Come 11 o'clock we all stood up for 1 minute's silence.

Must say it was very moving!!

I fished that one too Peds. bang on 11 a whistle blew and , to a man, everyone in our section stood up in respect. Really moving to look around and see it happen without prompting 

We were a little closer to home that day MrV - a debut visit to the Trent at Wolseley Bridge. Remember it well, we had a mins silence at 11am....and I snuck home with nearly 10lb of prime redfins off a peg at the back of the garden centre

I fished that Shroppy national too, for Tiverton AC and likewise remember how moving it was on the whistle.

Also recall fishing an open on the Tiverton Canal on the morning that she died and the atmosphere was so subdued, no one could believe the news that had broken overnight.