HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SUPERCUP!
2019 sees the 20th anniversary of the best club competition
BRITAIN’S biggest team event is 20 years old in 2019! The Angling Times/Bait-Tech Supercup started life in 1999, and this week we can reveal details of the event’s latest exciting instalment.
Fished by over 200 sides last year, the Supercup is open to all club, fishery, tackle shop and match group sides registered to the Angling Times/Bait-Tech scheme. It works on a local knockout system, culminating in big semi-finals and a summer final which will see one name added to the famous trophy.
The opening two rounds are fished through spring and early summer with teams drawn out of a hat to decide each tie. These six-a-side matches will be fished on dates set by Angling Times on venues of the home-drawn side’s choice. Win through these two matches and you’re in the regional semi-final, and if you finish in the top five of that special match the final beckons.
That’ll see 15 sides go at it hammer and tongs over five hours, all hoping to emulate last year’s winners Whitemoor Lakes. “Twenty years on from its launch, Supercup remains the event to fish and as big team matches have dwindled down the years, this competition continues to attract healthy numbers,” said Angling Times match editor Richard Grange.
“The beauty is that any team can make it through to the final. The first round is fished through spring, which with the variable weather and spawning makes for a great leveller, but normally the team that take it seriously and give their matches a bit of thought fare best.
“We can confirm our commitment to Supercup again for 2019,” added Bait-Tech’s Andy Neal. “It’s a great event we very much enjoy and we want to see it build and strengthen for the future!”
Detailed on these pages is all you need to know about the Supercup, as well as relevant contact details for any queries as well as that all-important entry form – good luck!
HOW IT ALL WORKS
The Supercup is a simple knockout competition run
initially on a local basis, with ties of two or three teams all local to each other. After two rounds of competition, the lucky teams to progress get through to their regional semi-final.
These will be held at some of the country’s top commercial fisheries in July and August, 2019, and draws together sides from all over that respective region (North, Midlands and South) to do battle for a place in the grand final.
These opening rounds are fished to section points, not weight, and MUST be fished on the dates specified by Angling Times. This is to stop arguments over which team can fish which date.
Fishery rules will apply, and the home-drawn side will have the choice of venue only. The rounds will be fished by six anglers a side.
Once the first round tie is completed the home-drawn team must send the result to Angling Times for publication, using the match report card sent out with contact details for opposing teams after the draw has been made.
Teams that have made it through will go into the hat for the second round draw, which is typically made a week after all first round matches have been completed. These matches will follow exactly the same lines as the opening round, finishing in time for winning teams to practise on their semi-final venue.
HOW TO ENTER
To begin with, teams must be registered to the Angling Times/ Bait-Tech scheme. Don’t panic if you’re not, it’s free to do and only takes a phone call to 01733 395109. If you have fished the Supercup in any of the previous years, you are already signed up so there’s no need to call.
Once you’re in, send the entry form (below right) to the Angling Times address shown, along with your entry fee and squad sheet of anglers wanting to fish. This list must have a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 names.
All entries MUST be received by Tuesday, February 19 to go into the draw for the first round, which will be published in the Tuesday, March 5 issue of Angling Times.
You can find the full list of rules on our website. If there are any you don’t understand, please give Angling Times a call for clarification.
If you’re a home-drawn team, you must contact your opposition to arrange the match as soon as possible – contact details will be sent out to home teams as soon as the draw is completed. If you’re an away team, just sit tight and wait for that phone call.
ENTRY FEE
It costs just £30 to fish the Supercup, just £1.50 per man if you enter a 20-angler squad – around half-a-pint of beer! This can be paid via cheque or Postal Order and all you’ll have to pay from then on are the pools for each match you fish.
WHAT YOU WIN
The lucky winners will receive the sparkling silver trophy and other trophies as a memento of their day out, plus the £1,000 cheque from sponsor Bait-Tech.
All teams competing will go home with something to show for their efforts – a boxful of BaitTech goodies will be distributed among the team along with a free breakfast and evening meal for all anglers, courtesy of Bait-Tech.
You’re not forgotten if you come second or third, either, because trophies and cheques for £500 and £250 are up for grabs for those teams, as well as cash from the pools for the individual top five anglers and section winners and runners-up. Trophies will be awarded too.