RIVERFEST’S APPEAL IS THAT ANY QUALIFIER CAN WIN IT!
That’s true of any contest decided on weight, not points T
HE Angling Trust RiverFest is a fantastic event that has changed the face of river match angling.
It has dragged it from the doldrums into which it had fallen following a huge downturn in sport, for whatever reason, on all flowing water.
Mike Bedding deserves enormous praise by taking his outstanding day-one weight and taking the fullest advantage of his day two draw to narrowly beat Sam Merry just three pegs away, having pipped him on the first day from the very next swim (see pages 68 and 69 for the full report of the two-day event).
Because the overall winner is decided on weight I have always wondered why it’s a two-day final. I could understand it better if the result was decided on points but that’s only my opinion.
A weight match always gives anglers what the boxing fraternity would call ‘a puncher’s chance’ and perhaps that is why the event is hugely popular – if every match was won by the best angler there would be very few competitors!
At least the vagaries of the enigmatic River Wye allow a ‘win-or-bust’ approach and the end product is a match where, usually, no conclusion can ever be foregone.
Well done to the winners, the organisers and, especially, my old mate Dave Harrell for fighting so hard to get the event into the matchfishing calendar.