PHOTO:
Pictured (left to right) are Andrew Skeels (Organiser), Shane Tucker (third), Mark Cowell (Winner), Peter Kraus (Wales Air Ambulance link) and John O’Connor (Organiser). (Picture by Graham Roberts)

 
The 12^th Wales Air Ambulance Open Beach Fishing Competition, organised by members from Pembroke & District Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club and West Wales Match Anglers, was recently held on Amroth Beach in South Pembrokeshire.
 
It was well attended, despite the havoc wreaked on the road to the Telpyn end by the great storm of two weeks earlier, the weekend on which this popular event would normally have been held.
 

Excellent fishing and great support

 
It was great to see Amroth, despite nature doing its worst, once again, like the previous four years, continuing at its best and fishing like it used to fish years ago. This made for a brilliant competition with just about every angler catching something.
 
The turnout and support was good with 102 anglers including 5 junior boys, 7 Ladies, but this year no Junior Lady, competing. We thank them all very much indeed for their support and must, once again, mention Saundersfoot Angling Club as they held a match within this match which helped swell the numbers.
38 anglers, including two ladies and two juniors, weighed in 108 flounders, with a lot more undersized flounders and all types and sizes of rockling, for which Amroth can sometimes be renowned, being caught.
 

Cowell makes his mark

 
The winning angler, who pouched the first prize of £200, managed to land eight decent-sized flounder, for a total weight of 3Kg 720gms was the ex-Welsh Shore team manager and Welsh International angler, Mark Cowell, from Llantwit Major.
Second was another regular attendee, Andy Young from Llanelli, who also managed to bag eight sizeable flounder but for a lower total of 3Kg 515gms, netting him £75.
 
In third place was Milford Haven angler Shane Tucker, who weighed in five flounder for 2Kg 935gms, getting him £25. The pool for the heaviest fish and walking away with £102 was a Swansea rod Dai Davies, whose heaviest weighed 940gms, unlucky for local angler Steve Parry (Pembroke Dock) whose heaviest was only 10gms lighter at 930gms, two fine flounder indeed.
 
The pair’s competition, in which both anglers had to weigh in, was won by Andy Young and his partner, Leigh Rogers from Milford Haven, with 13 Flounder for 5Kg 895gms. Second with seven flounder for 4Kg 370gms were Haydn Cole (Lamphey) and John Nicholas (Tenby) whilst third with eight fish for 3Kg 990gms were Steve and Gwyn Davies (Pembroke Dock).
 

Ladies and juniors do well

 
The Ladies section was won by another Welsh International in June Howell, from Tavernspite, with a flounder of 420gms, and the junior section was a tie between the only two juniors to weigh in, Jordan Mruk and Alex Blunsden (both from Pembroke). They both had one fish of 370gms. We, have to thank James Lemon of Awesome Fishing for adding to the prizes for the junior section winners with a free guided trip out on his boat or on shore bass fishing later this year. Unfortunately, this year, Leigh Rogers’ wife Angela has now retired from her post with the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation so no matched funding for the magnificent raffle this year, nor in years to come, but we thank Angela for her help and them for their generosity in previous years.
 

Superb sum raised for Air Ambulance

 
However, the most important result on the day was that the event, by the time all the money promised is in, will have raised £1041 for the Wales Air Ambulance, pushing the total raised over the 12 years this competition has been running, to approx £17,000. To thank for this sterling effort we must first congratulate the anglers from the organising clubs, together with Roger Harris of the Amroth Arms, who always puts his premises and valued support at this event’s disposal. Also we must mention local Air Ambulance contact Peter Kraus, who was instrumental in starting it all 12 years ago and who always turns up on the day.

 
Thanks to all!

 
Lastly, we must again thank all the generous sponsors of the event, including those already mentioned who donated cash, made collections and donated prizes for the mega raffle which ensured continuation of the event’s great success. These were Julian Shambrook of Anyfish Anywhere, West Wales Match Anglers, James Lemon of Awesome Fishing, Roger Harries (Amroth Arms), EFSA Wales, Andrew Skeels, Pembroke & District Angling Club, Neyland Sea Angling Club, Pembroke Haven Motor Boat Angling Club, Osprey Sea Angling Club, John O’Connor, Robbie Scale, Cameron Pritchard, Sheila Mason, Simon Nicholas, Denis Nicholas, Grainger Tubolt, Classic Carpets, Wheelers Embroidery, Phoenix Saxton, Lawson H.I.S., Howells Engineering, Gwyn Davies, Shane Tucker and Leigh Rogers.