There's no disputing that Drennan Team England have been one of the most consistent and dominant teams on the world stage since the beginning of the new millenium. The talents of five-times World Champion Alan Scotthorne, 2008 World Champion Will Raison, ten-times team gold medallist Steve Gardener, plus Stu Conroy, Des Shipp and Sean Ashby, have been the public side of a well-oiled team that fears no one... and no venue!
They quite rightly take all the praise and plaudits when they succeed, but behind this group of talent there is a 'backroom' of unselfish individuals, without whom the team would be hard pressed to maintain its current standing in the world's arena.
To begin with, there is the unrivalled and continued sponsorship, during the championship week, from Peter Drennan which, over the years, has enabled the team to spend an extra week prior on the venue. It is here that they are able to serve valuable time getting a feel for the venue, species, baits and the tactics that they will require before the commencement of the official practice period and the two days of competition.
 The three English architects of many a victory, organise and muster their troops before each international battle!Over this initial week, the six-man squad (the management team don't arrive until the weekend before practice) will formulate an initial picture, albeit well away from the official match length, so when Mark Downes and Mark Addy arrive, much of the hard work would of been done and the team can focus on the positives and hone their tactics. Most is done in the comfort of their hotel before the first bait is cast on Monday's first official three-hour practice. Over the remaining week, the two Mark's with Dick Clegg OBE, the Angling Trust's International Events Manager, watch and advise the squad as they fish, and along with them, help formulate tactics for the Championship.
 It's not a situation any manager will relish, nor something any angler, who dreams of fishing for his country, wishes to be in either!It's not always easy!
Probably one of the most difficult and uncomfortable duties for any management to take, England included, is that of deciding who the 5-man team will be for the first day's competition, and then telling one unfortunate angler that he will be dropped from it. It's normally always the hardest decision to call, as all six squad members are usually on top form. This year it was Stu Conroy who drew the short straw, but after the initial disappointment had worn off, he was focused and knew he had an important job to do on the day, because it's during this first day that you really start to get a feel and picture of the real Drennan Team England coming together... it's not just about the five anglers fishing!
The new day dawns...
Just before the first official bait checks, Dave Johnson and I arrived at the venue to find the two Marks talking to William's father John, Simon Willsmore, England youths Cameron Hughes and Callum Dicks, plus Callum's dad Paul. Also in attendance were last minute arrivals Lee Kerry and Joe Carass, who were also offering assistance. With less than an hour to go, Mark Downes began briefing everyone and handing out the remaining walkie talkies to Dick, Stu, John and Simon. The rest would be walking the various sections, helping to keep track of England's rivals.
DJ had allocated me section A, where England's man was Alan Scotthorne, and he was spoilt, bank-runner-wise, because he had Stu Conroy and Dick Clegg monitoring progress within his 16-man section. Although there was another half to the section, it would not impact on England's score during the first day, but it certainly could during the final day.
Right from the start, Stu and Dick were keeping a very close watch on proceedings, as the venue's carp had decided to put in an early appearance on some pegs. There was further help in the shape of Lee Kerry, who could be seen prowling up and down the section with a 'hot' notepad. The importance of being able to have 'eye's-on' everything, became apparent when the fish count from the first hour was posted. The French angler Vasseur, on A6, had amassed a good number of fish, but these were bleak, so the picture could be misleading, unless you physically asked each steward what size fish the angler had been catching. Not easy when you take the language problems into account!Of those angler's with a small fish count, many had carp in the net. It certainly was proving difficult to work out who the front runners actually were!
 Alan Scotthorne weighs in with a solid two points, to keep England ahead of the chasing pack.After three hours the picture was still as confusing as ever, to most that is, including me! However, Stu and Dick had put together a picture of the match and believed that Alan, although it was a tight call, was second or third in his section, as the Scot David Corcoran was deemed to have done enough to take top spot and it was a good call. The Scot eventually took the section with a hard-won 13.155kgs. Alan was in second place right up until the last angler had weighed-in, Dutchman Stefan Altena, who beat him by one carp, leaving the Englishman with three points. It was clear that with Alan's runners producing a picture of what was happening around him, he was able to vary his tactics and thereby ensure he stayed in touch with the leaders throughout the three hour match.
England narrowly won the first day from a rampant Scotland, but the team's day had far from ended, as the day's events had to be discussed to identify if any changes to their tactics were required and how they would approach the final day. The group was also aware of those teams they needed to watch more closely than others, as they would pose the greatest threat to any possible podium position. These would involve all the UK's nations (including Ireland) as well as Italy and Holland. The major difficulty would be keeping a track of these teams when they fell into a different half of the section! Although England's task was to win every section, it would prove unlikely as with large carp and hybrids springing up anywhere, results could be thrown into turmoil with just one fish! The pressure really was on those running the bank.
'Crunch-time'
With Will Raison dropped for the final day, Stu Conroy came in and drew peg A17, the first peg in his half of the section. The Irish, Welsh and Dutch star Dieter Friederichs were also in the section, so the bank-runners needed to monitor them closely during the three hours. Although the Home nations had done well on the first day, England's real concern were the Italians and revitalised Dutch team, under Jan Van Schendel. With just a slim 5.5 and 8 point respective cushion over these teams, England needed to keep a careful watch on both their dangerous rivals. This would be especially crucial as England only had Italy in three parts of their section, while Holland were only in one... runners would have to try and be in TWO places at once, to keep them in sight!
 Never far away from them, the two Mark's always have the all-important 'Talkies' to maintain contact.Sunday's assignment saw me cover the action in B section and the first half of C. This meant that I had both Marks' within my catchment area and as the match progressed I was able to eavesdrop on the 'talkie-chat' going on between them and the other runners. It soon became clear that Stu Conroy was doing well in his half of section A, but it also looked like the Italian Falsini was doing well in the other part, behind 'Flying Scotsman' Jamie Masson. Stu might just be infront of him, but it wasn't certain! It was left to Dutchman Friederichs to press Stu all the way to the finish line with the Irish and Welsh lads just behind.
It was a different picture in B section where the Italian Stefano Defendi was drawn close to England's Des Shipp (B19 and B25). This contest was being closely watched by Mark Downes, as Defendi was catching carp. Des Shipp, however, was not, but was following the team plan of catching smaller fish and waiting for the larger ones turn up. The crucial thing here was that Des was picking up the heavier catfish... not bleak, an important point which the Italians may come to regret later. Holland's Stefan Altena was dropping behind in the first half section and would not trouble them.
Don't Panic!
There was a serious problem beginning to develop in section C, as Sean Ashby (C12) was struggling badly while Italy's Umberto Ballabeni (C27) and Dutchman Jurgen Spierings were posing a threat in the other half of the section. It was now the time that the back-up team really came into it's own. Rather than panic, Mark Addy spent some time discussing possible tactical changes with Downsie and Sean, to try and catch that elusive carp. Mark remained in close attendance during this period, to reassure Sean and not let his focus waver. There where carp in the area, so it was important for him to stabilise this focus and keep Sean's confidence high.
 Will Raison and his father John were Steve Gardener's eyes and ears during the final day on section D.
John Raison and William were monitoring section D for Steve Gardener on D30, who was catching well, with Ireland's Cathal Hughes looking like his main section rival, while Italy's Gianluigi Sorti and Jo Adriolo of Holland doing okay in the first part of the section.
In section E, Alan Scotthorne (D27) was going head-to-head with the Italian Gabba just two pegs away. Sweden's Stefan Holst (D18) would ultimately take the section from the other end. In the first half section, Dutchman Christian Surquin was slowly being dropped by Russian 2009 World Champion Igor Propov and San Marino's Oscar Grandoni.
 It's a familiar sight at the end of every Championship, managers, like Mark Downes, adding up their sums to get first indications of where their team finished... they are usually correct to within a point or so!Building a picture
With continued reports constantly coming in from the all the bank-runners, Mark Downes started to put together the possible points scores and with 30 minutes to go he looked a worried man. Although points-wise, England were believed to be doing well in A, D and E sections, B section was a little unclear while C was becoming a real cause for concern, as Sean was well down the field and had already lost a couple of good fish. Downsie pressed everyone for continuous updates as the minutes counted down. His mood changed dramatically when, with less than five minutes to go, Sean hooked and eventually landed a priceless carp with minutes left on the clock (see Worth it's Weight in Gold). It was a fish that would help change the course of the Championship.
The match was now over and with the information he'd been given, Mark had a rough idea of the result, but it was still a case of waiting for the weigh-in to be completed. With only five sets of scales it would be sometime before the important weights from each section started to filter through, so he was constantly on the 'talkie'.
 Stu Conroy can vouch for the power and liveliness of these Guadiana fish!Stu Conroy won his section from Holland's Friederichs' and had three points advantage over Falsini in the other part of the section. Stefano Defendi finished second in B section, with this team believing they were well ahead of rival Des Shipp. In fact they were in for a surprise when Des produced a good catch of carassio, small hybrids and backed them up with a load of catfish, to fishing just two points behind Defendi. Apparently their bank-runners had not grasped the significance of those 'cats' during the three hours!!! Dutchman Altena had dropped to 6th place in his half.
Just two teams in it
In section D, Steve Gardener had finished two points ahead of the Italian in the other half, thus cancelling out the two points Italy had gained from Des, with the Dutchman behind. In E section, Alan Scotthorne finished second, a place ahead of the Italian while the other half of section had Holland's Surquin finishing 7th. With Holland out of it, it now remained between the 'Azzuri' and the '3-Lions'. It all rested on Sean's position in the first part of C section, against that of Ballabeni's in the other... England were four points to the good at this stage with no teams, other than Italy, posing any threat. Even with that last-minute carp pushing Sean him up the field, it still looked tight. Sean weighed in 5.150kgs, but there were nine others who finished in front of him! As the weigh-in of the second sector progressed, Downsie's maths made him believe that the Italians needed to at least win it, to take the title.
Reports during the match had put the Italy very close to England and, after what seemed an eternity, the news came back that Ballabeni had only finished third. Even though the final result had still to be officially announced, the England lads began their celebrations, because everyone knew the result (to within a point) from the constant watching and regular feedback from all the runners monitoring the various section weigh-ins. Lets face it, the team would not have been having an early bath in the Guadiana otherwise!
 England's hero's get the drink in to cool themselves down inside... before they GET IN the drink, to cool the outside!After the reception, Mark Downes not only paid tribute to Steve, Stu, Will, Sean, Des and Alan, but also stressed how important it was to have had the services of John, Dick and Simon, as well as the other England lads. Without their help the management team could not have received the flow of information, so vital in making many important decisions during each of the two days, that ensured England were once more World Champions... Well done to the Real Drennan Team England! |
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