Whizzo Youth Classic 2003

Report by Kevin Webster, Whizzo Groundbaits (event sponsor)

Match One

“Match Fishing is safe!” This was the opening line, from match co-organisor Chris Durrant, at the Whizzo Youth Classic’s presentation held at Risby Park near Hull on Saturday 23^rd August.

The Classic is a team of six event, fished over two, four-hour matches. Teams are allowed one bank runner/coach to keep them up to date with the team’s progress, provide refreshments or extra bait. The only other people allowed on the bank are the stewards and the press.

Previously held at Moorlands Farm, this is the first year at Risby Park’s Folly Lake which sports 12 metres between pegs, an elevated spectator viewing area, café and toilets.

This year’s teams included Team Wales, Team Yorkshire, Scunthorpe GHOF, Sadjas Whizzo Gold and Sadjas Whizzo Black.

Ten minutes into the match saw all six anglers in section A landing fish. Yorkshire’s Andy Geldart (pictured below left) on A2 immediately got into the rhythm and never looked back on long pole and short line.

The youngest angler on the day was 10-year-old Sadjas Whizzo Black’s Connor Barlow (pictured above right). Connor handled the long pole with remarkable ease and went on to put 11lb 10oz on the scales in the morning event and weighed in an excellent 20lb in the afternoon event, almost doubling the weight of some of his section competitors who were twice is age.

At the end of four busy hours, the weigh in revealed that Team Yorkshire had kept to task and won four out of six sections and second in the remaining two for an almost unbeatable 28 points out of 30. Second after the morning event was Sadjas Whizzo Gold with 23 points with a steep drop to Scunthorpe 14pts, Team Wales 14pts and Sadjas Whizzo Black with 11pts.

Individual morning results: 1 Andy Geldart, Team Yorkshire, 55lb; 2 Alan Rutherford, Sadjas Gold 46lb 8oz; 3 Mathew Osborne, Team Yorkshire, 35lb 2oz

Match Two

AFTER a two hour break, including rump steak and salad, team captains went back into the draw bag to seal their team’s fate.

Andy (dipper) Geldart drew one peg away from his morning glory, putting his team in a confident mood for another section win and repeat performance.

Next up was Sadjas Whizzo Gold’s captain Matt Snape. These lads had their work cut out but had a chance of winning if they could keep their section points high and hope for a couple of low results for Team Yorkshire.

Drawn on the next peg to Yorkshire, the next four hours was set a nail biting fish-for-fish battle on every section.

Section A was been taken apart by Andy Geldart, who went into turbo drive to put an excellent 79lb 8oz on the scales and a maximum five points for the team. Like a true captain, Sadjas Gold’s Matt Snape didn’t go down without a fight and managed 40lb 6oz and third place behind Scunthorpe’s Alex Shephardson on 41lb.

Section E was certainly in the bag for Sadjas Gold’s Alan Rutherford with a repeat performance of the morning event with 47lb 4oz and more than double the weight of Team Yorkshire’s Shaun Kearsley’s 22lb 8oz second place.

Section F was a battle between Sadjas Gold’s Craig Ebbrell and Team Wales Lee Bevan.

As each section was weighed the team coaches eagerly jotted down weights and points while junior bank runner Thomas Durrant ferried the weigh slips back to the café so his mum could input the figures into her laptop.

With only section F to weigh every team stood to lose or gain by every ounce. Each weigh counted and would ultimately affect the points table for every team.

First up was James Maguire, Sadjas Whizzo Black with 32lb 8oz. Next was Matthew Osborne, Team Yorkshire with 22lb 8oz. Both of these where superb weights from swims that failed to break the 10lb mark in the morning event.

Next was Craig Ebbrell, Sadjas Whizzo Gold with 53lb 4oz (pictured above). On-the-bank estimates put Sadjas in the lead by one or two points but no-one knew what Scunthorpe’s Richard Tuxford had on peg F4 or whether Team Wales’ Lee Bevan had beaten Craig from F5.

The scales tipped at 27lb 8oz for Richard and 45lb for Lee. Sadjas Whizzo Gold had pulled back and leapt forward by four points to take the winner’s trophy with a brilliant 50 points, ahead of team Yorkshire’s 46 points.

Wales had put a great fight for 30 points while Sadjas Whizzo Black the team, who sported the youngest competitor in Connor Barlow, scored a respectable 29 points. just ahead of Scunthorpe on 25.

Individual afternoon results:1 Andrew Geldart, Team Yorkshire, 79lb 8oz; 2 Craig Ebbrell, Sadjas Whizzo Gold, 53lb 4oz; 3 Alan Rutherford, Sadjas Whizzo Gold, 47lb 4oz

Left, winners Sadjas Whizzo Gold, right, second placed Yorkshire.

Credits:

Anchor Tackle for their generous donation of Quickshot for all competitors.

Anthony Clappison and Family, for a superb venue and great grub. We’ll be back.

Chris Durrant and family, for all their efforts and enthusiasm, and Chris’s hourly update on the PA system.

All the stewards, team coaches and weigh men.

And finally a special thanks to the all the teams and their supporters who proved that match fishing can be a great spectator sport.

Anyone wanting to enter a team for next year’s event can contact me on 01482 586566 working hours or email whizzokev@aol.com

The date is yet to be fixed but should be around the first week of September. There will be room for 10 teams of 6, first come first served.