A fantastic day was had by everyone at Barford Lakes for the School Games Angling Finals!
This event saw 16 teams of three young anglers from Yr7-13 competing as part of the 2016 Norfolk School Games. This is the biggest school sports event ever held in the county with over 18,000 youngsters competing in 23 different sports.
Barford Lakes near Norwich proved to be a perfect venue for the Angling Finals, with three fish-filled lakes and lots of bites from species of all sizes. Thankfully the early morning rain quickly passed and the young anglers fished in good conditions with plenty of fish cruising around and splashing on the surface.
Lots of species were caught, including carp, tench, bream, roach, rudd and perch. It was also great to see a variety of methods being employed, from whip fishing at close range for silverfish to a more stealthy and patient big-fish approach with feeder tackle. Some of the more experienced anglers also tempted quality fish by fishing a waggler towards the middle of the lake with loose fed pellets.
The West Norfolk SSP trio put in a great team effort on Match, Pleasure and Top Lake to win the event with six points, just ahead of North Norfolk SSP and Breckland SSP (A) who both tied on seven points.
Top individual on the day was Zak Worby who caught an impressive net of quality carp and F1s on Pleasure Lake for 56lb 11oz – a great effort in just three hours! Just behind was Josh Smith who tempted an equally impressive 44lb 15oz haul. Third place and the best weight on Match Lake was Ewan Clark with a very hard-earned 29lb 2oz catch.
It was a superbly run event by Active Norfolk and Sarah and all the team at Barford Lakes were fine hosts. Reigning UK Champion Jon Arthur was also there to present lots of prizes, pass on advice and ensure everyone caught some fish.
A brilliant day and lots of smiles all around for the future generation of anglers!
Team Result
1 West Norfolk SSP – 6pts
2 North Norfolk SSP – 7pts
3 Breckland SSP (A) – 7pts
4 Norwich East SSP Team 1 – 8pts
5 Norwich East SSP Team 3 – 9pts
6 West Norfolk SSP – 10pts
7 West Norwich & Dereham SSP – 11pts
8 South Norfolk SSP – 12pts
9 South Norfolk SSP – 15pts
10 Norwich East SSP Team 2 – 17pts
11 East Norfolk SSP – 17pts
12 Norwich SSP B – 17pts
13 North Norfolk SSP – 19pts
14 Mirror East Norfolk SSP – 19pts
15 Breckland SSP (B) – 19pts
16 Norwich SSP (A) – 21pts
Top Individuals
1 Zak Worby (West Norwich & Dereham SSP) 56lb 11oz
2 Josh Smith (Norwich East SSP) 44lb 15oz
3 Ewan Clark (North Norfolk SSP) 29lb 2oz
The School Games are part of the national Sainsbury’s School Games initiative, which aims to inspire more young people to take part in sports. They are organised by Active Norfolk School Sport Partnerships (SSPs) and sponsored by the Sportspark. Visit www.norfolkschoolgames.co.uk to learn more about this great event.