END OF SEASON REPORT 2002/03

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. The 2002/03 season was a turbulent but ultimately successful one for RAF Coarse Angling. Inevitably, planning for potential operations in the Gulf, and then OP TELIC itself, impacted on the season, although to the great credit of the Association, a full fixtures list was completed, both within the area leagues and for the RAF team. After a disappointing NATO Championships, in which the RAF came second to the RN (who had 2 RAF ‘guest’ anglers), the RAF team bounced back to record a convincing win at the Inter-Services, with an outstanding performance on the RN’s own match water at HMS Dryad, and out-an-out carp venue. Not only did the team win, but the RAF also had the top 3 individuals, including the individual champion in Sgt Dusty Kiddell, who weighed in 109lb with an excellent performance on the method feeder. The 2002 National Division One Championships were held on an extremely fickle Basingstoke Canal, where, despite a week of hard practice, the draw was all important. The RAF finished a disappointing 35th, although individually, Graham Welton recorded an outstanding second place, with a 8 kilo 860 gram weight of Tench and Bream. The team picked themselves up for the European Military Championships, this year held on the Mons Canal in France. The UK team won the Silver Medal, closely behind Belgium, who fielded their usual international line-up. On the domestic side The Inter-Unit Championships were held in less than ideal conditions in Cardiff, as part of the Golden Jubilee Festival. A total of 23 teams participated, with RAF Lyneham A Team taking the honours over second place RAF Brize Norton. The individual winner was Sqn Ldr Nick Barling from RAF Benson, who weighed in 26 lb, and second place went to Flt Lt Tomala from RAF Lyneham with a 22lb 13oz. STC again won the Inter-Command championships, and the Inter-League Championships were held at the Makins complex, where the East Midlands league recorded a comprehensive victory. The season ended with an excellent turn-out at the traditional RAF versus Old lags match on an out-of-sorts River Witham, with the Old Lags once again proving that they can still fish a bit. Away from the angling, RAF Lyneham put in an outstanding effort to raise over £900 for the RAF’s chosen charity, and RAF Leeming again held their annual charity match on their own stretch of the River Swale, to raise £1000 for local charities. A more detailed breakdown of the leagues seasonal activity is given below, but to summarise, RAF Coarse Angling, despite the operational pressures over the past 12 months, was able to complete a full season, competing successfully at the highest level and remaining an active, vibrant and successful sport within the RAF.

LEAGUE ACTIVITY

3. Each of the 7 active leagues completed a full programme, although unsurprisingly numbers were down due to the high number of out-of-area commitments.

a. Chiltern Angling League (CAL). The CAL season averaged 24 anglers per match, with 28 being the highest total for a single match. A total of 50 different anglers fished at least one match in the league, indicating the effect caused by OP FRESCO and planning for Op TELIC. A total of 12 teams competed in the league, with RAF High Wycombe A team finishing as convincing winners, ahead of RAF Northolt A, and in third place, RAF Uxbridge A Team. Individually the result was very close, with one point separating the top 3 anglers. Wg Cdr Johnstone from RAF High Wycombe ran out the eventual winner, with Sgt Field of Northolt in second and Mr Neal from RAF Halton third.

b. East Anglian Wednesday League (EAWL). The EAWL also enjoyed a busy season, with 86 different anglers populating the bank throughout the season. The highest attendance for a single match was 41. Competitively, the combined Brampton/Wyton team enjoyed a clean sweep, winning the Summer League and the Knockout Cup, narrowly beating RAF Coltishall. Individually, Sgt Kiddell was a convincing winner of the Summer League, scoring 7 section wins and 2 seconds from 10 matches.

c. East Midlands League (EMAL). The EMAL was particularly affected by service requirements, with RAF Waddington personnel regularly deployed, and the temporary closure RAF Coningsby making them unable to fully contest the league. Despite this, an average of 25 anglers attended matches, with a maximum of 31. The summer league was won by RAF Coningsby A, with RAF Waddington A as runners-up, and Sgt Davies beat Cpl Coombes for the individual title. The winter league was won by RAF Waddington A team, ahead of RAF Digby. The EMAL also won the Inter-league event held at Makins fishery.

d. South West Angling League (SWAL). The SWAL was also a victim of operational contingencies, although new rules to account for the high amount of civilianisation of the regions units proved extremely successful. 43 anglers attended league matches over the season, with 23 competing in over half the matches. 11 teams from 9 units competed for the team title, compared to 4 teams from 2 units the previous year. Individually Flt Lt Tomala swept the board, winning both the Summer and Winter Leagues. RAF Lyneham won the summer league and Brize Norton the winter league. The league’s teams were also highly successful in the Inter-Unit championships, with Lynheham first and Brize Norton second. Other notable events included a 6-day angling ‘expedition’ to a number of widely spread and diverse venues, and the league held a sponsored charity match, raising almost £1000 on behalf of the British Forces Foundation.

e. Scottish Angling League (SCAL). As always, the SCAL had more than its fair share of hurdles to cross to make it a valid and active league. The lack of venues, long distances to travel (in some cases involving a 10 hour round trip) and limited number of stns was exacerbated by the continuing Foot and Mouth disease restrictions at the beginning of the season and operational deployments. Despite these challenges, some 52 anglers were active members of their respective stns, and a healthy local match programme was followed.

f. Vale of York League (VOYL). The VOYL league was again totally dominated by RAF Leeming, with 41 of the Leagues 43 anglers coming from the stn. Disappointingly, the summer league was fished by an average of 9 anglers, which was a close-run series, with SAC Downie ultimately victorious for the second year running. Cpl Sutton, tying on points with Mr Young, but weighing in 7 ounces more over the whole series eventually won the demanding winter league. The league again ‘punched above its weight’ in RAF sponsored matches, with Leeming ‘B’ second, and Leeming ‘A’ fourth in the RAF Inter-Unit Championships.

g. West Midlands Angling League (WMAL). The WMAL is also dominated by a single stn, RAF Cosford, where the bulk of its 24 members are based. Four teams competed for the team event, won unsurprisingly by Cosford. Individually, K Porter won the league, with D Brown in second and K Atkinson in third.

SUMMARY

4. That each of the leagues was able to run a full league programme under difficult circumstances is down to the hard work and dedication of a small number of individuals in each league. However, over 320 anglers are still out on the banks at least once a year, and the challenge remains to improve on this total and get them out on a more regular basis. On the representative side, the squad becomes stronger and more professional each year, keeping up with the very best teams in the country, and, as importantly, maintaining a clear dominance over the Army and Royal Navy teams.

A S CORBETT
Wg Cdr
Chairman RAF Coarse Angling