Source: Angling Trust
It has been announced that each of the 11 Canal & River Trust’s regions will host a qualifying heat with the top five pairs going through to the 110 peg final. This will be held along the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal on Saturday 24 October 2015.
The dates, venues and host clubs for the qualifiers and the final are listed below:
• Sunday 12 April – Grand Union Canal – Loughborough Soar Angling Society
• Sunday 26 April – Shropshire Union Canal – Hodnet Angling Club
• Sunday 03 May – Grand Union Canal – Northampton Nene Angling Club
• Sunday 24 May – Kennet & Avon Canal – Devizes Angling Association
• Sunday 21 June – Gloucester & Sharpness Canal – Winget Angling Club
• Saturday 11 July – Aire & Calder Navigation – Boothferry Aire & Calder Joint Canal Committee
• Sunday 26 July – London Waterway – Venue to be confirmed
• Saturday 15 August – Rochdale Canal – Heywood & District
• Saturday 05 September – Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal – Wolverhampton Angling Association
• Sunday 20 September – Beeston Canal – Nottingham Anglers Association
• Sunday 27 September – Leeds & Liverpool Canal – Wigan & District Angling Association
• FINAL Saturday 24 October – Birmingham & Fazeley Canal – Dams & Lock Angling Club
Tickets are priced at £20 per angler (£40 per peg) and will go on sale in early February through the Angling Trust. A 50-peg junior canal championship match will be held on 24 October.
The Canal & River Trust’s national fisheries & angling manager, John Ellis, said:
“It’s been a long held ambition to see a major national event of this type launched on the canal network. I feel sure that many club anglers will fancy their chances on qualifying for the final on their own local patch and then who knows what might happen.”
Angling Trust senior competitions manager, Ben Thompson, said:
“We are delighted to be working with the Canal & River Trust on this competition. Last year’s pilot programme on the Shropshire Union Canal went very well and we hope that the introduction of a series of qualifiers followed by a grand final will create opportunities for more anglers to compete in their local area.”
Further information will appear on both the Canal & River Trust and Angling Trust websites in the New Year.
