The 19th of May sees the start of a fabulous week for those lucky enough to have qualified for this year's Embassy Challenge Final, set in the beautiful Costa Daurada on the North East coast of Spain. However, this year's event will be tinged with sadness as it will be the last ever final, due to this government's stance on tobacco sponsorship in sport, which will cease this coming July. This brings down the curtain on 34 years of 'outstanding' sponsorship by Imperial Tobacco and deprives angling, inparticular, of a truly fantastic partnership.

This year, the 40 qualifing pairs shall be joined by all the previous winners, plus a few specially invited guests, this should add some extra spice to the whole week.
Unfortunately, three of the former winners are unable to fish the winners competition as they all qualified for this year's final! Garry Walley and Jimmy Hines won in Denmark in 1998, Chris Vandervleit and Gary Miller won the first final to be held in Spain in 2001, beating Geoff and Steve Ringer by the smallest of margins. The Ringer's are also back this year hoping to go one better. Another pair of former winners are Rick Tweedle and Brian Harding who won the last final to be held in Denmark in 2000.

Left: This is one big mother of a river!

Above: Steve Ringer with his 2001 catch which so nearly upset the Vandervliet/Miller apple cart

Among the invited guests are former World Champion, Tom Pickering, and fellow England international, Dennis White. The pair were the winners on Skanderborg Lake in 1995 where Tom picked up that massive bonus £50,000 for breaking the European 5 hour match record with a weight of 323lb 11oz. This is the pair's second trip to Spain, having previously qualified for the 2001 final.

All the anglers are in for a feast of fishing as reports coming from the venue state that there has been a mass stocking of 70,000 'pasties' up to 1kg, into the river. Due to the poor fishing on the reservoir last year the competition has been made into an all river affair. The two sections below the dam will be retained, but two new sections will be used half a mile downstream. However, the reservoir will remain as a reserve venue in the event of flooding on the river.

The party will be flying out of Stansted Airport on the specially chartered Boeing 737 'Embassy Eagle' to Reus Airport, just 20 minutes drive from, their home for the week, the Hotel Pino Alto, in Miami, Tarragona.

The competition venue is about an hour's drive from the hotel, meaning an early start for all. Breakfast is at 6am with the coaches leaving at 7am. Fishing is from 11am to 4pm, the hottest part of the day, but hopefully some of the more lucky competitors will find some shade, otherwise get that 'lobster' cream out fella's!.

Tackle for this event will not be your normal match kit. Heavy pole and carp tackle is needed to tame the fast and rocky Ebro. There are eddies and glides throughout that hold the rivers carp, but heavy feeder tactics at distance should produce the better fish. Although not caught in the last 2 years, there are barbel in the river and don't forget there's always a chance of a big 'pussy' cat.

Above: Some of the fantastic scenery and fishing, Spain has to offer, is what this year's lucky competitor's will encounter.

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