News

Steve Hemingray to sit out on Day One

Drennan Team England has announced the team for the first day of the World Championship, with last year's silver medallist Hemingray missing out.

The team will be Sean Ashby, Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne, Des Shipp and making his World Championship debut, Callum Dicks.

England will be looking to add yet another gold medal to their tally, but the demanding venue is certainly going to prove a tough nut to crack for the team.

Held on a man-made channel that serves as flood relief between Lake Dubrava and the River Drava, the anglers have had to cope with a torrent of a venue with exceptionally strong flows.

The channel is controlled by a hydro-electric power station and due to heavy rain; the flow has been extremely strong to prevent flooding.

Extremely large flat floats are required to achieve any kind of presentation with floats between 40g and 60g being needed just to run through. The flow means it is virtually impossible to hold a float still, which in itself poses several problems for the anglers.

Primarily the window of opportunity for a bite is extremely short. Each run through lasts between six and eight seconds, meaning the anglers have to repeat the process up to 600 times in the four-hour match. With only a handful of bites being on offer it is a serious challenge.

It is an extremely physically demanding venue that has left all of the anglers drained after each practice session.

We will have reports and results throughout the weekend so stay tuned for more.