Hundreds sign up to 'Super National' match

A NEW competition is to be launched this summer to fill the void left in the match fishing calendar by the cancellation of the Division 1 & 2 Nationals.

The Great Yorkshire Teams of Ten will take place on the New Junction and Aire and Calder Canals on Saturday, August 16, and initial demand for tickets has been impressive as anglers from across the nation have rushed to sign up.

The event, which some people are dubbing the ‘Super National’, is the brainchild of match organiser Paul Caygill, who reveals that 200 participants are already signed up.

“We noticed there was a big space in the match calendar after the Nationals were cancelled and, knowing that many anglers will have already booked time off work, we thought we’d try to sort something out,” Paul explains.

“The match is open to anyone, and we’ll have teams from both Division 1 and Division 2 battling it out on two of the finest venues the country has to offer.”

The two canals in question played host to last year’s Division 1 National, and catch returns were impressive, with more than 100 double-figure weights being put to the scales, and no blanks recorded by the participating anglers.

“We’ve already got 20 teams of 10 fishing, and these aren’t just local lads either – they’re from all over the country – so it should be a brilliant match on a very impressive venue,” Paul adds.

The match will fill the void left by the cancellation of the Div 1 & 2 Nationals

Nationals won't go ahead in 2020

Fish O’Mania and RiverFest will go ahead this year, but the historic Division 1 and 2 Nationals will not, the Angling Trust has revealed. 

A few months ago the idea of any matches being fished seemed far-fetched, so the release of the Trust’s Coarse Competitions calendar this week will be welcome news to the nation’s match anglers. 

However, concerns about social distancing mean the Division 1 and 2 Nationals, events that often draw over 500 participants, have been cancelled. It was a tricky decision for the Trust to make, but John Ellis of the Canal and River Trust is fully behind it:

“I’m a huge supporter of our national championships, but deferring both these events for 12 months is a sensible decision that I know most anglers will support.”

The Division 1 & 2 Nationals won’t be taking place this year.