Keith Arthur’s views on the news
It’s a platform for match angling’s finest to show their skills
IREMEMBER getting an email from Kevin Locke, an old mate from my tackle shop days in South London, asking if he could have a chat with me on Fisherman’s Blues about a project he had in mind.
That project was to become the World Pairs. Over the years I have had a raft of people coming to me with grandiose schemes – for support, advice or whatever – and the great majority of them fall by the wayside.
Kevin, who loved his fishing in Ireland so much so that he developed a business there, had the right combination of desire, business acumen and common sense to make the event happen and develop it into the remarkable success it is today.
Another old friend Robin Morley, Daiwa’s deputy managing director, backed the event with a wonderful trophy and magnificent prizes, and the rest is history. The event is now as big a draw as any Irish festival, past or present, and the fishing this year has been brilliant for the most part, despite let’s call it the ‘variable’ Irish weather!
As in most premier match angling events the same names appear on the leader board, proving that the longer an event goes on, the more likely that cream will rise to the top.
One of the most consistent match anglers this year, Will Freeman, is now surely pushing even harder for a spot in the World Feeder Team.