Dream Teams!
It was the scene of two remarkable victories involving England’s Junior Under 16 and 21 squads in July. Remarkable in as much that both teams emulated their senior counterparts with equal ‘golden’ devastation. The Under 16’s deserve particular mention with four of the squad featuring in the top five places, including gold and bronze medals. The team finished 11 points clear of their nearest rivals, the Czech Republic.

Above: The Under 21's, left to right: Calum Dicks, John Plows, a young Serbian lady, Lee Thornton, Ricky Hines, Pemb Wrighting and Emma Pickering.

However, it was the performance of the Under 21’s, against some very stiff opposition, which caught the eye and even had manager Mark Downes hopping up and down the bank like a frisky March hare! On a weekend which saw the weather produce two contrasting matches they pushed arch-rivals France into silver position, six and a half points behind them and saw off strong contenders, Hungary and Poland. We were fortunate also to have one of the south’s rising stars competing, Pemb Wrighting, who showed true class to claw his way back from a mediocre draw on day two to snatch an individual silver medal. We caught up with Pemb on his return to his home in Liss, Hampshire and asked him about that weekend.

Above: The mass of brollies told the day's story, weatherwise, with Pole, Sebastian Macza, (first right) and Pemb opting to forgo the brolly so that they could fish unrestricted.

What were your thoughts prior to the start of the match on day one?
It was very hard work but obviously worth it in the end

Was there a general team plan?
Not initially, but by the end of the practice week we’d formulated a plan which involved starting short at 6m with a more softer mix with a view to catching skimmers, which would be the main target fish. We also found fish long on the 11.5 metre maximum limit.

How did that first day go?
That first day was drizzly and miserable all day. Our short line really came good and it ended up a bit of a stitch up, as we caught most of the teams napping on that line and by the time they cottoned on it was too late. We finished with one section win, three section thirds and a fourth out of 21 peg sections. It was this initial plan which pushed us clear on day one. We’d recorded 14 pts on the day, 12 pts clear of nearest rivals France.
I drew peg 20 in C section and my final weight consisted of 114 skimmers which gave me third in section with 4.650kg, all caught short! It was a different story on day two as they’d now cottoned on to the short line potential.

Above: The eagle eyed amongst you will no doubt have added up the scores to make 109 fish. We can reliably reveal that this is incorrect as the true score was kept by Pemb's parent who didn't take their 'eyes off the ball'... unlike Pemb's scorer!

Above: Pemb weighs his first day catch while Welsh team Manager, Eric Humphreys, (left and above brolly) looks on.

Below: Day two was a complete contrast to the first day with clear skies and bright conditions... this time the brollies were for the sun, not the rain!

What happened on the final day then?
It was a total contrast to day one with clear skies, bright sunshine and hot temperatures and just about everyone started on that short line. I’d drawn C section again, but this time the not so good peg 13, it was those higher numbers you really needed.
The Italian, next to me, balled it short, but the Welsh lad on the other side didn’t for some unknown reason. I had a skimmer first chuck and then bumped one and didn’t have a bite for 10 minutes so I went on my long line and tried to keep pace with the rest, but for that first hour I gradually fell behind.
Over that second hour I started to claw my way back, plugging away at 11.5 metres. I just kept changing and trying things and then started to catch some catfish of about 4-6 ounces.

Top two: Pemb balls in on the short line and then takes a fish first chuck. It didn't last and Pemb then had to claw back his way to the front over the last two hours fishing the 11.5m line.

Approaching the final hour how were you doing?
Joe Roberts was running my section and told me that I was about halfway up, but still not high enough. I could see that the Italian guy next door was getting more agitated because he’d missed a few bites and then dropped a fish at the net. I on the other hand was starting to get one a chuck by then. The Hungarian, a couple of pegs up, had also slowed up and at the start of that last hour he fed six balls, so I knew he must be struggling as that was a sure sign of trying to rejuvenate the peg.

So with an hour to go, you were lying in the top half of your section, but at the wrong end, what was going through your mind at this point?
My aim was simply to capitalise on every bite and make sure I kept that momentum of fish coming to the net.

Did the word ‘panic’ enter your head at anytime during the day?
For the fist half hour of the match I was a little nervous but after that I just settled down, especially when I started to pick up those catfish. You can’t hurry the ‘cats’ because you’d have to lower the rig then watch as the float gradually goes under before eventually striking into the fish after a count of two!

Did Joe make you aware of who was the danger in the last hour or did he just leave you to get on with it?
He asked me how the Italian was doing next door and I said he’d slowed up. Joe said our main rivals France had their guy some 3 or 4 pegs away and he’d also slowed up, so he told me to just keep plugging away.

When did it dawn on you that you were in with a shout of a good section position?
I thought I must be quite near the top of the section at the end but didn’t think I’d win it, because my main focus was to do the best from a poor draw for the team. I knew I’d have decent points because everyone around me had all stopped catching, but assumed that the higher numbers, where I’d been the day before, would do well and beat me anyway!

Above: Pemb looks over an officials shoulder to check how his weights looking... he needn't have worried because his main rivals couldn't match his late surge.

So you basically believed you were fishing for fourth place, at best?
Yes, all I could do was just concentrate on beating those around me, like the Italian and Hungarian. When the weigh-in came closer, the Belgian, two to my left, had over 3 kilos (he eventually came second in the section). Then my weight registered at 4,680 which was 68 fish comprising of 15 skimmers, a few sunfish and the rest ‘cats’. I knew that the Hungarian had caught well, especially in the first hour because he’d had 16 or 17 fish to my 3. He’d also started long and kept the ‘cats’ coming, like me, but he ended up with just over 3kg. His ‘cats’ were obviously a bit smaller than mine!

But you still had pegs 19, 20 and 21 to come, so that 4th place was looking good then?
Yes… on peg 19 was Sebastian Macza, the Polish lad who’d won this section the day before from two up on peg 21. He caught 88 fish, so I just assumed he’d beaten my 68, but when the scales went over the 3kg mark I realised that he to had obviously caught much smaller fish.

You’re now in third place with only two left to weigh, tell us what you were thinking about?
With just those two pegs left I was trying to focus on the fact that I’d come up with good points for the team and when peg 20 registered just over a kilo I still wasn’t aware off any future implications. Then Joe said the last man had nowhere near my weight… but you’re never quite sure are you!
Joe was spot on though, the scales went round to about 2.5 kilos and all I could hear were people cheering behind me… as well as Joe. To be honest I couldn’t quite believe that I’d won a section in a world championship…. it was a great feeling.

After your section had weighed in, did you know how the rest of the team had done?
Not really, but throughout the day Joe had kept saying we were doing OK but I wasn’t sure.

When were you aware that you’d be in with a chance of an individual medal?
Not straight away, but once we’d all calmed down a bit and I started packing up, the Hungarian, two up, started jumping up and down. It turned out that his friend had won his section again so it was pretty certain he’d won gold. Shortly after that the Hungarian manager, Szilard Magyar and his brother Gabor Dome, came over to me and said that a Czech angler also had two section wins but that no one else had done any good so it looked like I may have got bronze. I just said “great, but do you know about the team result?” Just then Joe came shouting and jumping down the bank saying “Mark reckons we’ve won it, and if Mark says that then its pretty certain we have!”

Above: The boys take a well deserved dip with their Manager Mark Downes and Assistant Joe Roberts.

How did you feel on hearing that?
I felt on top of the world, I’d never felt anything like that before, it was just unbelievable. It’s just that we’d all grown so close during the week, even Lee Thornton, who didn’t get a fish, was still as much a part of the team success as anyone, we were all in slight shock. Although you set out to win, when you do it’s still a bit of a shock to the system.

Thoughts of an individual medal had obviously taken a back seat, so when did you actually find out about that it was a silver medal and not bronze?
That’s right, to be honest I didn’t even think about it. All that mattered was that the team had won, and although I’d heard Will Raison say that when you know the teams done well all thoughts of individual glory become completely secondary, it wasn’t until this moment that I really understood that.
When we went in to the presentation area the Polish angler in my section, Sebastian Macza, who could speak excellent English, came up and said well done to us all. He was followed by their manager, who started talking in Polish, which we couldn’t understand so we asked Sebastian to translate and he’d said that we’d all fished very well throughout the two days and that C section was a very good section for medals. So I said, “oh yes, very good” then he said one bronze and you silver, and I replied “ WHAT?”
It seems that as Sebastian had come back with a 5th in his section it meant that he’d totalled 6pts for the two days, while I’d recorded 4pts and then it clicked… I’d won Silver!

Above: The moment when the truth was revealed to a somewhat surprised Pemb, by the Polish manager, that he'd scooped silver, not bronze!

So what happened about the Czech angler with two supposed section wins?
Don’t know… must have been something that got lost in translation on the bankside grapevine I suppose!

So having learnt that you’d now scooped Silver, instead of that Bronze, what were your thoughts on it all?
Well, my mum and dad were with me at the time and they were over the moon… to say the least. It hasn’t really sunk in with me yet…and it probably won’t seem real until I finally see it in the press, in black and white.

This, of course, is the last year you can fish for the under 21’s, and you’ve finished on a high note!
Yes, I couldn’t have wished for a better ending. I’ll just keep on doing what I’ve been doing and hope I continue to make further improvement and who knows what might happen in the future.

What did Mark say about it all?
I’d never seen him so happy when he finally realised that we’d won. He was running down the bank totally over-joyed. I’ve never seen him move so fast!

That must have been a sight for sore eyes?
Yeh, he was really chuffed! He said to me that I’d fished really well and congratulated me on a job well done. Joe was brilliant with us as well and really pleased for us all.

So now it’s back to work, and back to the southern match circuit?
Yes, I’m at Lavender Farm this weekend in the summer league with my team Bordon Angling. I would just like to say a big thank you to Steve Barnett at Bordon for all the help he’s given me with kit and bait over the past year or so, its helped me enormously. I’d also like to thank Drennan, Sensas and the NFA for their sponsorship and organisation and last but not least… my mum and dad. They’ve been with me from the start and without them none of this would have been possible, even since I’ve been able to drive on my own, they’ve always been there for me at the big events and now, finally, I’ve been able to pay them back in the best possible way!

Above: And finally, two people without whom all this would not have been possible... Mum, Sue and Dad, Bill.

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