Continuing our in-depth look at the 2014 World Championship, we move onto the action from Day One.
Yet more heavy overnight rain meant Croatia’s Dubrava Canal had risen at least another 30cm overnight, so the anglers were sat further back up the slope, with the prospect of it rising even further during the day.
Big Crowds
An estimated 10,000 spectators turned out in force to watch this prestigious event. There would have been much more had the weather forecast been good! It shows just how popular fishing is in Croatia and it was great to witness.
Callum Dicks’ Debut
A number of eyes were on Callum Dicks who was representing Drennan Team England in a World Championship for the first time. The former England youth international was cool and calm and performed well enough to be England’s top points scorer over the two days. His physical fitness was an obvious advantage for the extremely demanding conditions. With just two minutes before the end of Day One to go, he also showed no signs of nerves after standing on his seatbox to subdue a foul-hooked barbel, which he skilfully scooped with just seconds to spare!
Barbel Drama!
The Netherlands’ Jo Adriola drew a massive crowd as, after several heart-stopping moments, he somehow managed to net a 4.6kg barbel that was accidentally hooked in the dorsal fin! It crucially helped his team to a convincing Day One victory…
Sky Sports
The intrepid Andy Ford and his Sky Sports crew were present to cover the event for England’s weekly fishing program, Tight Lines. As expected, five-time World Champion Alan Scotthorne drew one of the biggest crowds over the two days.
On The Rise
These far-bank steps show you just how much the water level was rising. The next day, the water had risen even further to halfway up that central hand rail. The day after the event, the water was reportedly almost level with the top of the slope!
Lost Kits
There were a number of poles broken in the taxing conditions. This top kit was seen floating down the middle of the river. Stewards collected it with the help of a boat and were surprised to see a 1kg fish was still on the other end. The top kit was later returned to its Macedonian owner. We are not sure if the fish made it back to the water!
Top Performer
After a shaky start for the team, the ever-consistent Alan Scotthorne was Drennan Team England’s best performer on Day One with an impressive 13 fish for 5.5kg.
However, fish size made a huge difference in this event as it was sadly only good enough for 5th in his section on the day.
The team had a mountain to climb if they wanted to retain their 2013 World Championship crown…