The Wars of the Roses revisited

The War of the Roses is one of the oldest rivalries in sport, especially in football, cricket, rugby and now fishing. Next month, two teams from each respective county will do battle over two legs at two separate fisheries, to help raise money for the England Veterans Team to compete in the World Championships this year. Leading the white rose of Yorkshire will be Dick Clegg, International Events Director for the Angling Trust and a devout ‘Yorkie’ from Barnsley.

“This is a very important, long-standing rivalry and us Yorkies need to put right the defeat of King Richard III during the battle of Bosworth in 1487! This Richard the Clegg OBE is going to batter Danny the Sixsmith! None of our international teams are eligible for funding from any public bodies and only a handful of our teams are sponsored, yet they all consistently deliver at world level. We hope these two fundraising events will help our Veterans team get to Portugal and bring back the gold. We’d like as much support as possible and I’m recruiting from everywhere, I’m looking for mercenaries but I’m not paying!” joked Dick.

Holding the red rose for Lancashire will be captain Danny Sixsmith, an England veterans team member from St Helens who is feared on many North West waters. Danny said that his side will be more than ready for the challenge.

“So this Richard the Clegg is going to batter us is he? We’d have to fish with no hooks for that to happen, he’s not got a prayer! It’s going to be a great two matches at two fantastic venues, I’m getting the troops ready!” he said.

Each side will comprise of forty anglers, with the first leg at Partridge Lakes in Warrington on Wednesday 6 May, followed by the return leg at Lindholme Lakes near Doncaster on Wednesday 20 May. There will be pools and a raffle on the day and spectators are welcome. Historically, the Wars of the Roses consisted of several conflicts between the Houses of York and Lancaster between 1455 and 1487. The final victory went to the Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who defeated Richard III of York at the battle of Bosworth Field. The term roses refers to the badges used by the two opposing sides. 

GET INVOLVED

To register your interest in fishing for each side, telephone Dick Clegg (Yorkshire) on 07534 267512 or Danny Sixsmith (Lancashire) on 07917 320244.

Click here for more angling news...