25 years of Drennan Q&A

When tackle company Drennan agreed to sponsor the England match team 25 years ago, neither party could have imagined what a successful partnership the deal would grow into in terms of medals won and the development of a worldwide angling brand.

In that quarter of a century, Drennan Team England has enjoyed unparalleled success at the World Championships with eight gold medals, five silvers and three bronzes, while nine individual champions were crowned – including Alan Scotthorne’s historic five wins and the third and fourth of Bob Nudd’s four titles.

England is now the number one match fishing nation in the world rankings and still the team that everyone else watches in practice to see what they’re doing.

The likes of Alan and William Raison attract massed ranks of spectators eager to pick up tips from these global fishing stars. In fact, from the 25 years of World Championships that Drennan Team England has fished, the team has finished outside the top five only three times!

None of this would be possible without the backing of Drennan International, who have pumped thousands of pounds into supporting the team on their adventures around Europe. 

While the squad and its management may have changed, there’s been one man at the helm overseeing their rise and actually attending on the bank each year to urge them on – Peter Drennan himself.

So, with the Drennan and England partnership celebrating 25 years, who better to ask about the origins of this long-standing sponsorship than the man himself?

Q: Peter, why did you get involved with England in the first place?

A: Well, 25 years ago – back in 1993 – the England Team had only been getting some low-key sponsorship from the now defunct Steade Fast tackle company, who were no longer going to continue their support.  

Determined to give his team every chance of competing at the highest level, manager Dick Clegg was seeking a new and better level of sponsorship, and together with the sport’s old governing body, the NFA, they approached us.

Q: What are the benefits of the deal for Drennan?

A: I can’t say it has been a lucrative process for us as tackle manufacturers, but we are proud of the association, we have friends in the squad, and are fervent fans, so sponsorship will hopefully continue for many, many years to come. 

Q: How did it happen? Was there a chance discussion or was it something you put on the table?

A: I was mates with several of the regular team members and, as a tackle company, we liked the idea of getting involved.  

I think we have been good, long-term sponsors, keeping very much at arm’s length and not interfering with administration or team selection!

Importantly, we recognise that individual stars on the team have their own sponsorship deals and have never sought to influence individual tackle selection in any way.  

Q: Down the years, what’s the best venue you’ve been to?

A: For me, the best venue and performance has always been the River Seine in the centre of Paris in 2001 – not for the fishing itself but for the wonderful location and the crowds, when England beat the French in their own back yard!

Q: And the worst?

A: For the worst venue there are one or two candidates, but despite the great result for England, Holme Pierrepont is right up there, as there was hardly a fish to be caught.  

It should have been a showcase for what we can offer, but it was a bit of an embarrassment and I felt bad for anglers who had come so far to catch so little. 

Q: England have been hugely successful in these 25 years – how do you see the future panning out for the team?

A: For the first 15 years or so of our association, England were only really competing against a maximum of four or five other teams, principally Italy, France and Belgium – the rest were not in the same league at that point in time. All that has now changed and numerous nations, particularly Eastern Europeans, have come right up to speed.

Fortunately, the team has never been stronger than it is today, and in joining Mark Downes, Steve Sanders has bought all his Dorking captaincy knowledge to the management team. So, quite rightly, England are still rated as No1 in the world – a remarkable indicator of just how adaptable and versatile they are fishing all those very different continental waters and doing so under CIPS rules, which are so seldom applied in the UK.

Q: Name your dream team of six anglers that have fished since 1993.

A: I have been asked many times to name my best-ever team, and because methods and techniques continue to evolve, it is difficult to depart too far from the sophistication of today’s squad.

One other characteristic has to be considered in my selection process – the ability to win big events consistently. This is difficult to define but it’s easy to see the results, so Bob Nudd, with four individual wins and Alan Scotthorne, with five, have to be in my best-ever team.

Currently, William Raison is probably the first name on the team sheet and it’s equally difficult to leave out Des Shipp. From earlier years, I’m going to bring Kevin Ashurst and Steve Gardener into my six-man squad. This leaves out many great anglers – so my apologies to those I haven’t mentioned here.