Outdoor Sports News - with PembrokeshireSport.co.uk

Neil nets big first prize in the RNLI Open

The 5th Felinfoel Brewery Double Dragon RNLI Annual Fishing Open, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club, Haven Angling Group and West Wales Match Anglers, was held on Sunday 22nd January 2012 on Amroth Beach in South Pembrokeshire.

Good catches recorded

Unlike last year, a fortnight did not make much of a difference in catches compared to two weeks earlier, good catches of flounder being recorded at both the Air Ambulance Open and this match. This time 39 out of the 96 anglers that fished, which included eight ladies  and eight juniors (6 boys & 2 girls), managed to weigh in 74 fish as compared to two weeks earlier when 37 anglers weighed in 130 fish. The only difference this time was the size limit, which was increased to 30cm as compared to 25cm, as advised by the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers, the National Governing body for Recreational Sea Angling in Wales.

 

Winners claim top prizes

The winning angler who managed to land 5 flounder for 2Kg 350gms was Cwmbran angler Neil Evans, netting him the first prize of £250. The biggest flounder at a very respectable 970gms went to a Geordie now residing in Maenclogoch, Bryce Cochrane, fishing only his second Open Competition so he took the pool of £100.

In a close second was Neil’s pairs’ partner, Mike Mather from Kenfig Hill, who has won and featured high up in previous opens held at Amroth. He had three bigger flounder for 2Kg 015gms, allowing him to pick up the runner’s up prize of £75. Third place, by an even smaller margin, was Air Ambulance winner Haydn Cole (Lamphey), who had five flounder for 2KG 005gms, which won him £50.

Pairs, ladies and junior results

Obviously the pair’s competition was won by Neil & Mike with their eight flounder for 4Kg 365gms. So, they picked up £80, with father and son combination, Jeff and Chris Stephens (Bridgend), second, as they had been two weeks earlier in the Air Ambulance comp with six flounder for 2Kg 870gms again netting them £40. Third in the pairs were Steve Jones & Stuart Billings, the ladies’ prize was won by Sandra Thompson of Milford Haven with a flounder of 670gms and the junior winner was Cameron Pritchard, who’d been third junior two weeks earlier with two flounder for 1Kg 040gms, the only Junior to catch.

Huge support and valued help

However, the most important result on the day was that the event raised just over £1200, for the Angle & Tenby Lifeboats. First thanks for this sterling effort go to our main sponsor Felinfoel Brewery, along with their rep Jamie Owen, for continuing to sponsor this event. We congratulate the anglers from the organising clubs, together with Roger Harris of the Amroth Arms, who always makes his premises available and provides valued support at this event’s disposal.

We must also mention Saundersfoot Angling Club, who once again supported our Charity events by holding a club match within this match. Finally, we must again thank all the kind and generous sponsors of the event, who donated cash,  made collections and donated prizes for the mega raffle which ensured continuation of the event’s great success. These were Shane Tucker, Roger Harries (Amroth Arms), Andrew Skeels, Alex Nicholas, Martin & Sandra Thompson of Anglers Corner Milford Haven, John O’Connor, Denis Nicholas, Haydn Cole, James Skeels, Ken Gainfort, The Brooke Inn St. Ishmaels, Haven Angling Group, Leigh Rogers, Chris Winn, Robbie Scale, Bart Morgan, Mervyn Davies, Andrew & Wendy Luxford, Dale Sailing, Consort, The Lobster Pot, Marloes, Chris Griffiths, Grainger Tubolt, Simon Safety, Brown MacFarlane, Travis Perkins, Talbot Timber, Phoenix Saxton, Rhyal Engineering, Lawson HIS, Pembrokeshire Recycling, Glyn Edwards and Tenby RNLI.

PHOTOS:

1. Pictured (Left to Right) are Mike Mather, Sandra Thompson & Neil Evans with Cameron Pritchard in front, who also won the raffle first prize of £100 kindly donated by Roger Harries (Amroth Arms).

 

2. The surf and weather conditions are shown here, along with the Tenby Lifeboats, offshore and inshore, which trained on the day in view of the anglers.