MATCH OF THE MONTH
Two days of intense competition witnessed a wide array of tactics deployed by police in suffolk
Two-day team event in Suffolk.
The annual Police Sport UK National Team Championships was once again back on the East Coast. This year, the Suffolk venues of Felixstowe and Aldeburgh welcomed police forces from around the UK, who entered 30 teams of four anglers.
Fishing over two days and to SAMF catchand-release rules using the weight-to-length conversion chart, all anglers were issued with bait packs that consisted of lugworms, mackerel and squid.
The opening match was at Felixstowe and fished during darkness. This turned out to be an absolute fish-fest as hordes of whiting and the occasional dogfish were beached by the competitors.
Zone D certainly proved to be the hotspot, where Martin Case, representing Dorset A, put in a sterling performance, winning the section with an astonishing 61 fish for 851pts. Just behind was Paul Gelman (Hants A) with 60 fish for 843pts, while Durham’s Ian Ainsley finished third with 52 fish for 704pts.
Zone A was won by event organiser and Suffolk A team representative Steve Aylott, who carded 42 fish for 673pts. Essex A angler Dave Clark was second with 38 fish for 566pts ahead of Tom Gibbs (Norfolk A) with 35 fish for 560pts.
Gregor Hay (Scotland A) headed up zone B with 42 fish for 670pts, while Steve Allen (Norfolk A) had five more fish for 653pts. Barry Uden (Kent A) was third with 40 fish for 557pts.
Kevin Green (Norfolk A) caught 33 fish for 479.1pts to top zone C, narrowly ahead of Paul Diment (Kent B) with 31 fish for 479pts. Ian Morrison (Scotland A) was third with 29 fish for 401pts.
variety of tactics
Conditions weren’t ideal for day two’s event at Aldeburgh. A calm and clear sea greeted anglers pegged between the town beach and Thorpeness. A variety of tactics tested skills to the maximum, with those choosing to fish Continental-style having more success.
Zone A winner, Steve Raeburn (Scotland C) put in a consistent performance to beach 16 fish for 212pts, with Dorset A member Iain Fryett catching 14 fish for 164pts.
Paul Gelman (Hants A) was third with 11 fish for 110pts.
Carl Harper (Hants A) caught 18 fish for 207pts to win zone B. Just behind on 17 fish for 170pts was Richard Croft (Cambs A). In third place, Simon Clark (Essex B) had 15 fish for 155pts.
Meanwhile, Tom Gibbs (Norfolk A) gave himself a real chance of taking the top individual title as he improved his firstday result by winning zone C with 25 fish for 290pts. Chasing him all the way was Josh Sawyer (Met A), who caught the same amount for 274pts. Dean Graham (Kent A) couldn’t catch the pair with 15 fish for 184pts.
Zone D proved to be a real struggle as fish either escaped or dodged baited hooks.
Durham angler Ian Ainsley showed his class when he changed tactics and decided to ambush rockling in the gutter. He also caught dabs and whiting to beat those around him with 16 fish for 193pts. This was enough for him to get his hands on the individual title too.
Second was Steve Watts (North Wales) with 14 fish for 181pts, and Martin Hatfield (Essex A) was third with 14 fish for 179pts.
impressive
Although it’s not classed as an elite match on the calendar, for these retired and serving police officers it’s highly competitive. Many of these contestants, who are Sea Angler readers too, don’t chase Penn Sea League points around the UK, but the skills they showed over the two days in Suffolk were certainly impressive.
Next year’s shore event will be hosted by Devon and Cornwall constabulary.