10 | 9 JULY anglersmail.com
A
SCORCHING summer
Saturday found carp in a
feeding mood at Makin’s Fishery
for the annual Angling Trust
Junior and Youth National.
A total of 96 youngsters
tackled the Warwickshire venue
in the Guru and Dynamite
Baits-sponsored 2019 event, the
lion’s share of silverware going
to talented teenagers from the
Sensas A4 match group.
The Junior category – for
ages 10 to 15 – produced double
delight for A4’s Orange crew,
who topped the eight
teams of six, boosted by
individual winner Owen
Newman, who bagged 30 kg
950 g from peg F7.
Backed by section seconds
for captain Katie Crooks, Harry
Keys, Myles Andrews and Billy
Pitman, and fourth for Austin
Jennings, the team’s 41 point
total gave them a comfortable
victory margin over runners-up
Sensas Mk.1 Datum360 on 35,
with Ramsbottom AA pipping
Sensas Evesham for third on
weight after a tie on 30.
Meanwhile, the Youth
category, for ages 16 to 20,
produced another individual
triumph for Sensas A4, after
John Light Jnr, from their Green
team, slid 55 kg 750 g onto the
scales at peg D4.
Success for the A
youngsters is nothing new.
The A4 club was formed in
the early 1970, based around
Maidenhead, in Berkshire, where
they took their name from the
nearby main road.
Within three years of the
senior squad’s founding, Dave
Marsh launched a junior match
section, overseen for many
years by club stalwart Phil Drew.
The current A4 youth
and juniors manager is Paul
Etherington, whose son Ethan is
part of the set-up.
Paul told Angler’s Mail: “We
still have anglers from Berkshire,
but with so few junior and youth
team matches nowadays, we
also draw anglers from far and
wide across the country for the
National.
“Our junior captain this
year, Katie Crooks, is from
Grimsby. We have others from
Hull, Leeds, the Manchester
area, the Midlands, plus
Buckinghamshire, Hampshire
and Sussex.
“We fielded two teams in the
National’s Youth section, but
demand was so high it could
have been four.
“There’s a great team spirit.
The anglers all communicate
on our own social media
messenger group. We camped
out at Makins and had a BBQthe night before. Some of our
anglers have now made the
England squad, which inspires
all the others. But we’ll keep
building the teams year upon
year,” pledged Paul.
Despite A4’s dominance of
the younger age group and
individual wins, Youth team glory
belonged to Tri-Cast Bait-Tech,
whose 40-points tally was two
clear of Sensas Mk.1 Datum
White on 38, with A4 Green third
on 33.
Section winners Zak Worby,
Kristian Jones and Billy Marlow
spearheaded the Tri-Cast crew’s
victory, with Rob Swan second
in section and second overall
with 50.325.
Andre Grandjean, Angling
Trust head of competitions,
thanked Dynamite Baits, Guru
and all parents, guardians,
coaches and team supporters
for their contributions in making
the event such a big success.A1 result for A
l 3 Golds at Junior National l Tri-Cast lift youth trophy l Big bags at Makins
Match News
More fish in the net and points for A
at Makins in the Junior National.Junior National winning
team Sensas A4 Orange.Youth National individual
winner John Light Jnr.Youth winning team
Tri-Cast Bait-Tech.