Water champion result

16/05/2005

Anglers from the North East landed prestigious prizes and trophies at a national fly fishing competition.

Northumbrian Water’s six-man team were placed third overall in the Water Industry Game Fishing Championships (WIGFiC) -  hosted by Wessex Water at Sutton Bingham reservoir near Yeovil – missing out on the top trophy by just two points.

It was the second consecutive year that Northumbrian Water’s team has won the third place trophy in the competition sponsored by Saint-Gobain Pipelines and Hardy & Greys Ltd.

Some 100 fly fishers from throughout England and Wales representing the big ten water and sewerage companies and the Environment Agency regions and head office took part. Northumbrian Water was also the only water company team in the top seven places.

Northumbrian Water’s Brian Lillie was third individual and a section winner, also for the second consecutive year, catching a limit bag of eight trout before the competition finished to add a time bonus to his score.

Andrew Scott, fifth individual, and Alistair Baker, fourteenth, also bagged up for Northumbrian Water to add a time bonus and other team members Phil Wagget, David Forster and Alan Bolton all caught several trout each to add to the team total. Northumbrian Water’s Craig Botterill also won the reserve competition.

Team captain Alistair Baker, said: “This was a tremendous team effort for the second year running. We are very proud to have made the top three against such strong competition which included many international and expert anglers. It was particularly pleasing to fly the flag of success, not only for Northumbrian Water, but also on behalf of the entire water industry.”

Picture Caption (back row, left to right) Andrew Scott; Alan Bolton; Brian Lillie; Colin Skellet, Wessex Water Chairman and Chief Executive; Phil Wagget; Alistair Baker (front row) David Forster (left) and Craig Botterill.

 

Further information from Alistair Baker, Comnmunications and PR manager on 0191-301-6851.