Following the successes of bringing home the gold medal in 2005 and the near miss of 2006, NFA Team Manager Tom Pickering has now selected his squad to win back the Gold medal at the World Championships in Spain.
The only change from the squad that competed in Portugal is the introduction of 16 year old Samantha Perkins in place of Emma Pickering who is expecting her first child.
Samantha who comes from Nottingham and fishes for Trentman A.C has come through the youth world championship system and fishes at an incredibly high level for her age.
This year the World Championships will be held on the Castrejon Canal in Toledo, Spain on the 25th and 26th August. The venue is well known to Team Manager Tom Pickering who has fished there twice before himself and is well experienced with the techniques required on this stretch of water.
Tom Pickering stated, “At the 2006 World Championships in Portugal the team did not win a medal and we were all very disappointed; however, 2007 is a big year and the team is determined to reclaim the title. The whole team is really excited and can’t wait to represent their country and bring the title back to England. The venue in Spain is first class and having been there twice before I know a bit about it, so roll on August”.
Dick Clegg, the NFA International Events Director stated, “I have every faith in Tom and the teams’ ability to win a gold medal at the forthcoming World Championships. They are probably the most experienced team of ladies, we have ever had and they are more than capable of bringing home a medal”.
The manager and coach, Tom Pickering and Alan Scotthorne respectively have named the squad as Julie Abbott, Claire Dagnall, Helen Dagnall, Samantha Perkins, Wendy Locker and Sandra Scotthorne.