Match Fishing Giants

[binka]

I've been away from the match scene for a good couple of decades now excluding club "knock ups" on our local water where i'm pools fodder (hey it's taking part that counts!), and I was wondering if there is any "bloodline" from what I remember as prolific teams back then to the teams of now?

Barnsley Blacks... the managerial home of **** Clegg incorporating Dennis White and Tommy Pickering, Dorking (Ken Giles and Keith Arthur?) and Trentman (Wayne Swinscoe, Jan Porter etc) to name but a few.

Appreciating that individuals have moved on are any of these teams still around and are they still as prolific compared to what I perceive (probably incorrectly) to be the match fishing giants of today such as Maver and Preston?

 

[jack sprat]

Dorking and Barnsley are still around and still very strong. Ken Giles was Cofton, BAA and Shakespeare. Keith Arthur was Banstead. The big name for Dorking was and still is Steve Gardener; Dorking have won the 1st Div national two years running though it's much reduced in size. Steve was also individual champion in recent years. Another big name for Dorking is Will Raison. The biggest name for Barnsley is Alan Scotthorne who is a 5-times world champion and has won just about everything else bar the National.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Are Stevie Saunders and Paul (Tommy) Hillier still with Dorking?

 

[silvers]

Barnsley Blacks - still very much around and at the top of the game
Dorking - likewise
Trentmen - not so much of a river team now (partly due to the demise of the Trent and river match fishing in general)

All 3 teams are still right at the top (Barnsley and Dorking more so).
I can't think of any "new entrants" who have made it right to the top - although team fishing is dying out - as evidenced by winter league and national championship turnouts.
other top teams of 20 years ago and now
Starlets
Shakespeare Superteam

Only Van den Eynde Essex have folded of the really successful teams.


On the individuals
Dennis White - still going strong
Tommy Pickering - managing the England feeder team amongst other things (also fishing for them I think)
Wayne Swinscoe - still top of his game on Evesham, Trent and Fen drains
Jan Porter - like Bob Roberts, became a specialist angler
ken Giles- I heard that ken has sold his coarse gear and now only fly fishes.
Keith Arthur - weekend mornings on talksport radio 6-8am, rarely match fishes now

 

[binka]

Thanks for the replies fellas, brilliant.

I can't believe I forgot Alan Scotthorne, it's had me thinking back all day to the days of Kevin Ashurst (can't quite remeber Benny), Billy Makin (I reckon i've still got some of his canal greys somewhere) Ivan Marks and Ian Heaps to name but a few more.

Nice to know that many are still around.

Cheers :w

 

[silvers]

big Kev is still match fishing in Ireland.
Ivan sadly passed away - a book of reprints of his AT articles came out a year or so ago.
I think Billy is living abroad now.
Ian Heaps runs a fishery in Wales (Holgan Farm) and does coaching and even wins some of the matches there.

I consider myself very lucky to have fished against all of them in my younger days.

 

[jack sprat]

I saw that Chris Love is still winning. He won the Embassy in 1973 and I fished against him a couple of years later.