New Canal & Rivers Trust Pairs Champs
Die hard canal anglers will have their own ‘RiverFest’ in 2015 following the announcement of dates and qualifiers for the Canals & Rivers Trust Pairs Championship.
Following last year’s pilot match, which saw just the one match fished on the Shropshire Union Canal at Soudley, 2015 will see anglers tackling 11 qualifiers on canals spread across the UK. In partnership with the Angling Trust, the Canals & rivers Trust will run qualifiers on venues such as the Kennet & Avon Canal, Beeston Canal and Gloucester Canal starting on April 12 with a 110 peg grand final to be held on the Birmingham/Fazeley Canal on Saturday October 24.
‘It’s been a long held ambition to see a major national event of this type launched on the canal network,” said Canals & Rivers Trust National Fisheries and Angling Manager, John Ellis. “I feel sure that many club anglers will fancy their chances on qualifying for the final on their own local patch and then who knows what might happen?”
Tickets for each match are priced at £20 per angler (£40 per pair) and will go on sale in early February through the Angling Trust. A 50 peg junior canal championship match will also be held on October 24. Venues and qualifiers are as follows:
Sunday April 12 - Grand Union Canal, Loughborough
Sunday April 26 – Shropshire Union Canal, Hodnet AC waters
Sunday May 3 – Grand Union Canal, Northampton area
Sunday May 24 – Kennet & Avon Canal, Devizes
Sunday June 21 – Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Winget AC waters
Saturday July 11 – Aire & Calder Navigation Canal, Boothferry Aire & Calder Joint Canal Committee waters
Sunday July 26 – London Waterway venue to be confirmed
Saturday August 15 - Rochdale Canal, Heywood DAC waters
Saturday September 5 – Staffs/Worcester Canal, Wolverhampton AA waters
Sunday September 20 – Beeston Canal, Nottingham
Sunday September 27 – Leeds-Liverpool Canal, Wigan
FINAL: Saturday October 24 Birmingham/Fazeley Canal
