Trio in team for world champs
Deep sea anglers off to Iceland
THREE East Londoners recently made the National Deep Sea Angling team which will compete at the European Federation of Sea Anglers (EFSA) World Boat Angling Championships.
John Luef, Allen Ford and Rory Leonard is in the team, made up of five members, four of whom are from the Eastern Cape, and will travel to Iceland in May.
“The selection process is a very long road as you have to first join a club then start fishing inter club tournaments, once you have fished three [competitions], then you qualify to fish for your province in inter-provincials. “This process is repeated until you are eligible to be selected to fish for South African Deep Sea Angling Association (SADSAA) in a national tournament,” Leuf said.
“Having been selected to represent SADSAA, you now qualify for Protea selection. It is extremely competitive, only the best get selected.
“All this can take anything up to 10 years or more but don’t let me discourage anyone, as it is definitely worth it in the end,” he said.
All five team members have been capped before, with fellow-East Londoner and team member, Allen Ford coming fourth overall in this year's World Championships held in Norway.
“As a team we are very excited and are looking forward to testing our skills and abilities against the best in the world. We have a fairly experienced team and are hoping to do well. “This is my second Protea cap,” Leuf said.