Second place for Welsh Angling team
Welsh anglers couldn't quite repeat their feat of sweeping virtually everything before them when they competed in the European Federation of Sea Anglers 2012 European Shore Championships.
This top competition, which was organised by the Icelandic section, was fished on the beaches and piers of Akureyri and, as in 2011, they did win Individual Gold as Derek Gregory made it three individual golds in a row in these prestigious championships.
Wales also had three other anglers in the top nine, with John O'Connor in sixth, team manager Phil Lustig, seventh and junior angler Scott Brunton in ninth. The Wales A team, lead by their captain and double EFSA European Shore Champion Ken Gainfort, comprising the aforementioned sixth and seventh individuals, together with Steve and Scott's father, Haydn Cole did manage to secure the International teams' runner up position and thus the team silver.
A warm welcome and good weather
66 competitors from seven countries across Europe met up at their hotel, just outside Akureyri, on a fjord on the north coast of Iceland to attend registration for the event and there was a warm Icelandic welcome from the organizers and the Mayor of Akureyri, with a meal laid on for all the participants including two juniors and four ladies as well as the usual adult male representatives.
The weather gods shone on the whole event with only the last fishing day, from the piers in Akureyri, being cold and windy, though the rain and snow stayed away. Fishing on the first day was from daylight into dark on the side of the main road into Akureyri with reporters, cameramen and TV crews in attendance. They'd even had the carriageway nearest the bank of the fjord cordoned off to make the fishing safer and more comfortable. The webpage http://dryboots.weebly.com/ contains the official local newsletter, in English, for the event.
The competition explained and day one
At registration the anglers were drawn each to one of 14 pegs in each of the five zones, in which the five-hour matches would be fished, there being one angler from each international five-man team in each zone, in this catch and measure event, the greatest aggregate length determining the positions in the zones, with individuals fitted in around them.
Where you finished in your zone would determine the points you were awarded with numbers of fish caught being used for count back purposes in the event of any ties. Catches weren't great on that first day in all zones bar zone A, in the deeper water, where 33 fish were needed to win, with ten fish being enough in others.
Days two and three
Day Two meant an hour's drive to a little port further out in the fjord by the name of Hjalteyri, where catches were better, in that it took eventual winner Derek 42 fish to win the zone on length only from Michéal Quinn from Ireland, also with 42, whilst John O'Connor managed 35 for third in that zone. Catches were good if not a little patchy in other zones also. Day Three, expected to be the best numbers wise, was fished off the piers in Akureyri and so it turned out in most zones.
In total over 3,000 fish of ten different species, weighing 2.5 tons were caught and measured and of good sizes too. Tina Lustig and Haydn Cole both managed to land double-figure Cod, Haydn's narrowly being the longest round fish of the event at 81cm, the longest flatfish was a Long Rough Dab of 49cm caught by Joe Gough of Ireland, who also landed a 53cm Whiting. Other significant fish included a 59cm Haddock to Iceland's Helgi Bergsson, English rod Dave Clark had a 42cm Dab, Ireland's Warren Doyle landed three Wolfish, the longest being 70cm, the longest Plaice was 48cm to Scotland's Dan McKay and Michéal Quinn had a 56cm Coalfish.
Results computed and medals awarded
So, with the fishing over it was time to compute the results and to award the prizes followed by that all important presentation of those coveted pins. Winner of the Gold Pin and EFSA European Shore Champion, was Welshman Derek Gregory from Ireland's Paul Tyndall, who took the Silver Pin with Gibraltan Charles Dario Neale third and winner of the Bronze Pin. The senior event was also won by Derek, the Ladies by Icelander Sigurlaug Hanna EirÃksdóttir and the junior event by Scott Brunton, fishing his first international event. So, Wales also had the Junior EFSA European Shore Championship to go with Derek's title. In the International Team event, in which the worst score is discarded each day, the Wales A team were narrowly beaten into second by the Gibraltans with Ireland B in third.
Gala dinner a great success
To round off the championships the Gala Dinner & Presentation went very well with thanks to the staff of the Hotel with a view, I use its English translation as the Icelandic is not only too difficulty to pronounce its just as hard to spell, for putting it on and managing to feed and cater to the needs of all the hungry anglers. Thanks are also due to them for the way they looked after everybody during their weeks stay at the complex. Well done and thank you.
PHOTOS:
The Silver medallist Wales A Team (L to R) John O'Connor, Haydn Cole, Ken Gainfort, Philip Lustig, Steve Lewis with Helgi Bergsson hidden at the back.
Gold Pin Winner Derek Gregory (Right) with EFSA Shore Festival Officer Phil Lustig
Junior EFSA European Shore Champion Scott Brunton (Left) with EFSA Iceland's Helgi Bergsson.