Cash or Cup?

I saw something written by one of the columnists in the Angling press this week on the subject of that fella who got thrown out of his club for being too good.

What caught my eye was the suggestion that the club could substitute a cup or shield as the prize for winning a competition rather than a cash prize.

Personally, I would far rather win a little cup than cash. It would make the costs of fishing the match much more reasonable too.

A few quid as a prize is soon gone, but a cup is still there to bring you fond memories of your achievment for years afterwards. I suppose some people would win so many cups they would have no place to put them and would not like the idea.

What do others think about this and what would you prefer for winning a match - cash or cup?

What cups and trophies do you already have?

I have a cup from when I played football for England. It was the European cup finals which were held in Germany that year.

Well OK, it was the European railway workers 5-a-side football championships.

9th place we finished but got a cup anyway. Inger-land, Inger-land etc.

I suppose it depends on the value of the event.

Given the choice between the World Series of Poker main event bracelet or the prize money I`ll take the $7 million tyvm, although the bracelet is worth a few bob.

For a friendly club type event I`d be happy enough competing for a trophy. Once money is involved things can turn a little unfriendly and in something like match fishing where the amount you spend on bait can be a deciding factor taking away the prize-money element would probably level the field a little.

As for trophies I`ve won, I have a shield for winning a poker league and a couple that I was awarded by my ju-jitsu club.

I know a couple who fish the local canal and they have a trophy they fish for. Whoever catches the most fish on a particular day gets to have the cup on their bedside table until they next go out fishing.

I've long been of the opinion that many people are put off match fishing by "pools" money. I don't believe that there are too many people out there that object to being beaten by the better angler, but giving them money out of the other competitors pockets is a different matter. If fishing matches really are the pure sporting event that many suggest, then winning for the sake of winning should be enough. I know of no other "sport", outside of pub games, where competitors routinely chip in for a prize pool. While I accept that there's plenty of skill involved, I'm afraid that I don't really consider poker, pool and darts as sports, especially the former. I find the prospect of pitching up at your local 10k road race and chucking a tenner into the pot to be utterly laughable.

Absolutely right. No money prizes also opens the door to bait-limit matches, so a group can fish competitively without bankrupting themselves - particularly attractive to the retired, the young, the unemployed and the otherwise skint.
Particularly attractive to me, at any rate - which reminds me, I forgot the tightwads...