After a three year break due to the Covid pandemic the BFCC returned to Jersey for a weekend of fishing and casting. The event was held in gloriously sunny conditions with a steady, but swirly breeze. The competition started off with the accuracy event followed by the T38, S55 and T120. After the lunch break the #5, #7 and ST27 were cast in the afternoon. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 125.06; Ross Bannerman 125.00; Kevin White 120.02; Tracy Thomas 111.11; Michael Petterson 85.04; DC Swart 82.01; Bob McGinnigle 70.06; Luke Kilwin 59.00.

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 142.05; Ross Bannerman 127.07; Tracy Thomas 124.05 ; Kevin White 123.05; Michael Petterson 96.08; Bob McGinnigle 82.03; DC Swart 79.08; Luke Kilwin 60.09.

B100 (#5 + #7): Michael Petterson 182.00; DC Swart 161.09; Bob McGinnigle 152.09; Luke Kilwin 119.09

ST27: James Evans 164.03; Tracy Thomas 144.01; Kevin White 131.09; Ross Bannerman 130.10; Michael Petterson 105.07; Bob McGinnigle 82.01; DC Swart 60.06; Luke Kilwin 59.08.

S55: James Evans 205.10; Tracy Thomas 167.05; Ross Bannerman 159.09; Kevin White 136.10; Bob McGinnigle 118.00; Luke Kilwin 112.05; Bob Mallet 109.10; DC Swart 105.08.

T38: James Evans 182.02; Kevin White 154.01; Ross Bannerman 153.06; Tracy Thomas 132.00; DC Swart 108.00.

T120: James Evans 229.08; Kevin White 173.02; Tracy Thomas 161.02; Ross Bannerman 151.00; Bob McGinnigle 144.06.

Accuracy (points): Ross Bannerman 53; James Evans 47; Kevin White 42; Tracy Thomas 29; Bob McGinnigle 21; Cameron 11.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 8; 2nd Ross Bannerman 19; 3rd Kevin White 21.

Records: Tracy extended her senior (50) #5 Trout Distance record.

The weather forecast for the Derbyshire event held the prospect of some record breaking casts given the strong breeze predicted, however it was apparent that this was not going to be an easy day for the competitors when the direction switched three times in the time it took to set out the accuracy rings. As the day proceeded the wind turned out to be very problematic with all events affected by a combination of headwinds, shearing winds and flat calms. The competition started off with the accuracy event and then, after much head scratching when discussing the best casting direction, the tapes were set out for the T38, S55 and T120. After the lunch break the #5, #7 and ST27 were cast in the afternoon. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 112.09; Kei Okamoto 112.04; Tracy Thomas 107.11; Mike Heritage 104.08; Stewart Ross 103.03; Mick Copeman 100.06; Stephen Lindley 75.01.

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 125.09; Tracy Thomas 124.00; Mike Heritage 118.11; Kei Okamoto 108.08; Stewart Ross 106.09; Mick Copeman 104.09; Stephen Lindley 76.04.

ST27: James Evans 149.07; Kei Okamoto 135.06; Mick Copeman 131.01; Tracy Thomas 123.05; Mike Heritage 119.09; Stewart Ross 117.02; Stephen Lindley 90.02.

S55: James Evans 175.03; Kei Okamoto 165.04; Stewart Ross 154.02; Mick Copeman 153.06; Tracy Thomas 149.07; Mike Heritage 128.06.

T38: James Evans 175.09; Mike Heritage 152.08; Stewart Ross 137.11; Tracy Thomas 136.03.

T120: James Evans 191.08; Mike Heritage 175.00; Stewart Ross 162.05; Tracy Thomas 146.01.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 50; Mike Heritage 45; Tracy Thomas 43; James Evans 43; Mark Pywell 29; Ian Griffin 16.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 10; 2nd Kei Okamoto 21; 3rd Mike Heritage 24.

Records: Tracy beat her senior (50) accuracy record and Mike Heritage beat the V70 accuracy best.

The Willesborough event had a distinctly international feel with competitors attending from Spain, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands – a huge ‘thank you’ to all who travelled so far to attend. Although lovely and warm, the weather on the competition day was not ideal with a variable breeze that was blowing in different directions at the same time according to the flags placed in the casting lanes. As such, the results were influenced somewhat by whether the caster got lucky (or unlucky) with the breeze. The competition started off with the accuracy event followed by the T38, S55 and T120. After the lunch break the #5, #7 and ST27 were cast in the afternoon. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 128.02; Jose Nieto 124.07; Bart de Zwaan 121.04; Jerome Savril-Maillard 120.09; Mick Copeman 119.05; Laurent K 119.02; Malik Mazbouri 115.07; Tracy Thomas 110.10; Francois Bietry 108.09; Howard Bishop 103.07; Mike Heritage 95.01.

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 132.08; Jerome Savril-Maillard 129.03; Bart de Zwaan 127.00; Mick Copeman 124.00; Laurent K 124.00; Tracy Thomas 121.05; Malik Mazbouri 120.07; Mike Heritage 119.00; Jose Nieto 115.07; Francois Bietry 107.04; Howard Bishop 101.11.

ST27: James Evans 138.10; Jerome Savril-Maillard 133.07; Laurent K 133.04; Francois Bietry 128.02; Howard Bishop 127.04; Tracy Thomas 126.05; Bart de Zwaan 124.05; Mick Copeman 118.01; Mike Heritage 115.00.

S55: Bart de Zwaan 197.11; James Evans 177.08; Tracy Thomas 158.04; Laurent K 155.03; Mick Copeman 150.02; Howard Bishop 146.07; Jerome Savril-Maillard 146.00; Francois Bietry 135.04; Mike Heritage 119.07.

T38: James Evans 165.08; Jerome Savril-Maillard 163.05; Malik Mazbouri 158.00; Bart de Zwaan 153.08; Francois Bietry 145.04; Laurent K 145.01; Howard Bishop 142.11; Mike Heritage 141.01; Tracy Thomas 128.08.

T120: Francois Bietry 220.01; James Evans 193.07; Jerome Savril-Maillard 182.05; Bart de Zwaan 180.04; Howard Bishop 171.04; Laurent K 159.07; Mike Heritage 159.04; Tracy Thomas 148.10.

Accuracy (points): Jerome Savril-Maillard 54; Bart de Zwaan 51; James Evans 51; Francois Bietry 45; Laurent K 43; Mike Heritage 41; Tracy Thomas 35; Howard Bishop 15.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 11, 2nd Jerome Savril-Maillard 22, 3rd Bart de Zwaan 24.

Records: Tracy extended the women’s senior 50 #5 trout distance record as well as claiming the Senior 50 accuracy best.

Another new venue for the BFCC, Brecon in beautiful South Wales, with some great trout rivers that provided some excellent fishing either side of the competition day. On the day casters had a light breeze but had to contend with it swinging direction regularly, so it was rarely aligned with the measuring tapes. The competition kicked off with the accuracy event followed by a break for a very tasty bacon baguette. The T38, S55 and T120 were next up, followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 in the afternoon. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 124.03; Nick Moore 121.01; Dan Rees 116.01; Steve Parkes 112.04; Mike Heritage 106.06; Tracy Thomas 105.03; Kim Tribe 94.04; Geoff Lawrence 80.00

Virtual #5 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 123.04

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 134.07; Steve Parkes 130.00; Dan Rees 126.03; Mike Heritage 126.02; Tracy Thomas 125.06; Nick Moore 123.10; Kim Tribe 102.02; Geoff Lawrence 97.09

Virtual #7 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 127.00

ST27: James Evans 161.11; Nick Moore 150.06; Steve Parkes 146.01; Mike Heritage 140.02; Tracy Thomas 138.07; Stuart Tod 123.04; Dan Rees 119.01; Geoff Lawrence 94.07

S55: James Evans 196.06; Steve Parkes 181.01; Dan Rees 168.10; Tracy Thomas 150.02; Mike Heritage 147.02; Stuart Tod 146.11; Nick Moore 127.04; Geoff Lawrence 123.03

T38: James Evans 183.10; Stuart Tod 168.01; Nick Moore 161.05; Mike Heritage 159.03; Steve Parkes 144.09; Tracy Thomas 144.03; Dan Rees 140.11; Geoff Lawrence 117.01

T120: Stuart Tod 200.10; James Evans 194.04; Steve Parkes 186.09; Dan Rees 170.06; Mike Heritage 168.03; Nick Moore 163.05; Tracy Thomas 161.02; Geoff Lawrence 149.09

Accuracy (points): Dan Rees 45; Mike Heritage 40; James Evans 35; Nick Moore 29; Steve Parkes 28; Stuart Tod 18; Tracy Thomas 15; Geoff Lawrence 7

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 10, 2nd Steve Parkes 24, 3rd Dan Rees 28.

Records: Tracy took the women’s S50 #5 trout distance record as well as extending her S50 #7 trout distance best.

In a change to the normal calendar order the Dodleston event kicked off this year’s BFCC season. I think everyone agrees that this is an excellent venue for casting with its wide open field. Worries about the March UK weather disappeared with the forecast of a beautiful sunny day and the competitors were thankful for a steady, brisk wind also (but perhaps not for the accuracy event). The competition kicked off with the difficult (given the side wind for some targets) accuracy event. The T38, S55 and T120 were next up, followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 after a refreshment break. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 136.01; Nick Moore 119.10; Steve Parkes 118.03; Mike Heritage 104.03; George Clarke 96.10; Tracy Thomas 95.04; Andy Henderson 90.07; Stuart Tod 89.09; Matt Clarke 87.10; Nigel Conlon 81.09; John Lomas 76.01.

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 150.00; Steve Parkes 134.09; Nick Moore 133.05; Mike Heritage 124.10; Tracy Thomas 123.04; Stuart Tod 103.06; George Clarke 103.05; Andy Henderson 101.10; Matt Clarke 100.01; John Lomas 95.06.

B100 (#5 + #7): Nick Moore 253.03; George Clarke (Junior) 200.03; Andy Henderson 192.05; Matt Clarke 187.11; John Lomas 171.07.

ST27: James Evans 177.03; Nick Moore 159.11; Mike Heritage 157.02; Steve Parkes 154.03; Stuart Tod 151.06; Tracy Thomas 146.07; Matt Clarke 141.05; George Clarke 121.03; Andy Henderson 99.00.

S55: James Evans 230.00; Mike Heritage 186.05; Steve Parkes 181.07; Tracy Thomas 177.07; Stuart Tod 165.08; Nick Moore 163.02; Matt Clarke 124.00; Andy Henderson 123.09; George Clarke 106.04.

T38: Stuart Tod 188.10; James Evans 186.10; Nick Moore 165.01; Mike Heritage 165.00; Steve Parkes 158.04; Matt Clarke 155.00; Tracy Thomas 144.07; George Clarke 134.03; Andy Henderson 118.04.

T120: James Evans 239.05; Stuart Tod 222.09; Steve Parkes 215.00; Tracy Thomas 189.07; Nick Moore 188.10; Mike Heritage 182.04; Matt Clarke 161.04; Andy Henderson 149.02; George Clarke 127.09.

Accuracy (points): James Evans 39; Nick Moore 30; Stuart Tod 28; Tracy Thomas 23; Steve Parkes 20; George Clarke 14; Matt Clarke 12; John Lomas 8.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 8, 2nd Nick Moore 23, 3rd Steve Parkes 25.

Records: James Evans takes the #5 S50 record from Kei and the ST27 S50 record from Ross. He also extended his overall records in the #7 (taking the #7 S50 at the same time) and Salmon S55. Mike Heritage extended his V70 records in the ST27 and Salmon S55 as well as beating the S70 T38 record previously held by Mike Marshall. Tracy Thomas extended her overall women’s record in the ST27, Salmon S55 and T120 as well as setting a number of S50 age records.

Badges: George Clarke (aged 14) was delighted to get a 40 yard badge casting the ST27 and Roy Lemmon was equally pleased with his 25 yard badge – well done to both.

The fifth and final BFCC competition of the year was held at Bentley Cricket Ground in Essex. The weather forecast for the day was not good with torrential rain predicted for early afternoon. There should have been a decent breeze blowing, and there was some air movement but none of the casters could agree in which direction it was blowing! So much so that one of the two parallel lanes was abandoned early on as no one wanted to cast in it. With the imminent rain it was agreed that the event order would be switched around with the full line events being cast first. It was also decided to go straight through all the events without a break to try and get finished before everyone got too wet. The following distances are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 125.11; James Evans 122.11; Kei Okamoto 122.00; Tracy Thomas 115.03; Andrew Bagshaw 115.03; Mick Copeman 113.06; Mike Heritage 106.08; Howard Bishop 103.00; David Fisher 92.07; Geoff Lawrence 82.03.

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 135.10; James Evans 130.10; Tracy Thomas 121.10; Andrew Bagshaw 121.10; Kei Okamoto 121.00; Mike Heritage 120.11; Mick Copeman 113.10; Howard Bishop 106.10; David Fisher 102.03; Geoff Lawrence 98.08.

ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 142.00; James Evans 141.10; Howard Bishop 133.01; Kei Okamoto 127.03; Tracy Thomas 127.02; Andrew Bagshaw 126.04; Mike Heritage 122.05; Mick Copeman 120.09; David Fisher 103.04; Geoff Lawrence 95.00.

S55: Kei Okamoto 191.08; James Evans 186.06; Mike Heritage 171.02; Tracy Thomas 162.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 139.00; Geoff Lawrence 138.10; Mick Copeman 124.11; Andrew Bagshaw 123.04; Howard Bishop 111.03.

T38: James Evans 176.02; Andrew Bagshaw 160.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 149.09; Kei Okamoto 146.08; Tracy Thomas 142.08; Howard Bishop 140.10; Mike Heritage 137.03; Geoff Lawrence 109.00.

T120: James Evans 214.04; Kei Okamoto 202.09; Tracy Thomas 172.09; Andrew Bagshaw 164.10; Howard Bishop 152.10; Geoff Lawrence 137.04.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 58; Zhongxiang Zhu 49; Mike Heritage 44; James Evans 32; David Fisher 24; Tracy Thomas 17; Howard Bishop 16.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 14, =2nd Zhongxiang Zhu, Kei Okamoto 20.

Records: Mike Heritage smashed his V70 S55 record by over 20ft and also increased his V70 accuracy best. Tracy Thomas extended her overall women’s T120 record. Well done to both.

The Dodleston venue was selected to replace the Oswestry event (due to issues with the grass not being cut in previous years). The ground was ideal for the casting comps and instruction given its large area and lack of surrounding obstructions for the wind. Unfortunately the strong wind hoped for by the competition casters (but perhaps not the instructors) was not forecast but we did have a consistent, light southerly. The competition events kicked off with a very exiting accuracy event where Kei broke the overall record – he held this record for all of 4 minutes before TC grabbed it back. The T38, S55 and T120 were next up, followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 after a refreshment break. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 133.01; Kei Okamoto 130.01; James Evans 127.06; Steve Parkes 123.07; Tracy Thomas 112.00; Mike Heritage 110.06; Andrew Bagshaw 105.06; Stuart Tod 96.00; Paul Brown 91.09; Andy Henderson 86.10; Geoff Lawrence 84.06; Stephen Lindley 80.10.

Virtual #5 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 128.11, Nick Moore 120.02

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 138.04; James Evans 135.00; Andrew Bagshaw 129.07; Steve Parkes 125.10; Kei Okamoto 125.02; Tracy Thomas 123.05; Mike Heritage 120.07; Paul Brown 110.01; Stuart Tod 107.09; Stephen Lindley 94.09; Andy Henderson 94.07; Geoff Lawrence 94.06.

Virtual #7 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 135.02

B100 (#5 + #7): Paul Brown 201.10; Andy Henderson 181.05; Geoff Lawrence 179.00; Stephen Lindley 175.07.

ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 151.10; Kei Okamoto 149.08; Mike Heritage 147.06; James Evans 143.01; Andrew Bagshaw 140.01; Steve Parkes 137.07; Stuart Tod 131.08; Tracy Thomas 129.00; Paul Brown 109.10; Andy Henderson 106.03; Geoff Lawrence 73.05.

S55: James Evans 190.03; Kei Okamoto 186.11; Steve Parkes 176.02; Stuart Tod 172.06; Tracy Thomas 155.05; Paul Brown 151.00; Mike Heritage 150.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 141.09; Andrew Bagshaw 118.00; Geoff Lawrence 117.04; Andy Henderson 116.04.

T38: James Evans 176.05; Stuart Tod 176.05; Andrew Bagshaw 169.00; Kei Okamoto 162.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 148.02; Tracy Thomas 140.07; Steve Parkes 133.06; Paul Brown 128.03; Andy Henderson 116.05; Geoff Lawrence 110.00.

T120: James Evans 210.06; Stuart Tod 200.08; Kei Okamoto 199.02; Andrew Bagshaw 174.00; Geoff Lawrence 172.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 170.07; Steve Parkes 170.06; Tracy Thomas 165.08; Andy Henderson 164.02; Paul Brown 147.07.

Accuracy (points): Zhongxiang Zhu 61; Kei Okamoto 59; James Evans 49; Tracy Thomas 39; Mike Heritage 32; Stuart Tod 29; Steve Parkes 22; Andy Henderson 19; Andrew Bagshaw 16; Paul Brown 13; Geoff Lawrence 10

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 15, 2nd Kei Okamoto 20, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu 23.

Records: Zhongxiang Zhu extended his Overall Accuracy record and Kei extended the S50 target in the same event. Kei also beat the S50 #5 record previously held by James Evans with cast of over 130ft. Mike Heritage beat the V70 ST27 record, previously held by Mick Copeman, by over 10ft. Well done all!

Badges: John Lomas was delighted to upgrade his 25yd badge acquired a few years ago to a 30yd badge – well done John.

Another new venue for the BFCC in beautiful Derbyshire near the River Wye – many thanks to Don Stazicker for organising the hire of the cricket ground and pavilion. The weather conditions for the competition events were typically tough; very light breeze that would often drop to nothing and occasionally switch 180 degrees. As such, the results should be viewed with that in mind. As usual the competition kicked-off with the accuracy and then moved on to the S55, T38 and T120. In the afternoon the #5, #7 and ST27 outfits were cast. A special mention goes to Lasse Karlsson in Denmark who entered an enormous cast in the virtual ST27 – far in excess of anything cast at the event and further than the current BFCC record. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 120.01; Zhongxiang Zhu 117.07; Mick Copeman 110.10; Kei Okamoto 109.04; Stewart Ross 109.01; Andrew Bagshaw 108.08; Tracy Thomas 105.11; Stephen Lindley 89.00

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 127.07; Kei Okamoto 127.04; James Evans 127.02; Stewart Ross 120.04; Tracy Thomas 113.10; Andrew Bagshaw 110.03; Mick Copeman 107.07; Stephen Lindley 95.03

ST27: James Evans 140.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 138.10; Tracy Thomas 135.01; Kei Okamoto 133.06; Andrew Bagshaw 132.09; Stewart Ross 131.04; Mick Copeman 120.07; Stephen Lindley 106.11
Virtual ST27: Lasse Karlsson 185.08

S55: Kei Okamoto 192.10; James Evans 188.01; Stewart Ross 173.02; Mick Copeman 150.08; Tracy Thomas 148.10; Zhongxiang Zhu 132.01; Andrew Bagshaw 131.05

T38: James Evans 167.05; Andrew Bagshaw 159.10; Kei Okamoto 153.02; Zhongxiang Zhu 146.04; Stewart Ross 132.10; Tracy Thomas 120.06

T120: James Evans 202.00; Kei Okamoto 184.09; Andrew Bagshaw 176.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 174.07; Stewart Ross 173.05; Tracy Thomas 152.05

Accuracy (points): Zhongxiang Zhu 57; James Evans 44; Kei Okamoto 38; Tracy Thomas 23; Andrew Bagshaw 12; Stewart Ross 12.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 11, 2nd Kei Okamoto 19, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu 20.

Records: Zhongxiang Zhu beat the Overall Accuracy record previously held by Kei – well done TC!

This was a new venue in the south west for the BFCC replacing the Cullompton venue. The conditions for the competition events were very tough; everything between blazing sunshine and torrential rain, flat calms to head winds, side winds and occasionally a helpful wind. As such the results were a bit all over the place depending on whether the caster got lucky with the weather when it was their turn. As usual the competition kicked-off with the accuracy and then moved on to the S55, T38 and T120. In the afternoon the #5, #7 and ST27 outfits were cast. The results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 124.08; Mike Heritage 104.08; Kei Okamoto 98.03; Tracy Thomas 94.10; Tony King 90.10; Rob Doyle 90.06; Stuart Tod 89.06; Stewart Ross 86.11; Tony Wills 71.00.

Virtual #5: Jose Nieto 129.01; Zhongxiang Zhu 127.10

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 131.01; Kei Okamoto 121.04; Tracy Thomas 109.10; Mike Heritage 108.05; Stuart Tod 105.00; Rob Doyle 95.11; Simon Pritchett 94.10; Tony Wills 93.10; Stewart Ross 93.05; Tony King 88.06; Dave Green 85.09.

Virtual #7: Zhongxiang Zhu 132.01

ST27: Tracy Thomas 126.09; Stuart Tod 126.09; James Evans 125.02; Mike Heritage 115.08; Stewart Ross 113.09; Tony King 113.00; Kei Okamoto 112.00; Rob Doyle 108.06; Tony Wills 68.00.

Virtual ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 140.03

S55: James Evans 204.11; Kei Okamoto 195.00; Stewart Ross 169.06; Rob Doyle 160.00; Stuart Tod 155.10; Mike Heritage 151.00; Tracy Thomas 136.07; Tony King 119.11.

T38: Kei Okamoto 168.02; James Evans 163.06; Rob Doyle 141.07; Stuart Tod 139.10; Stewart Ross 133.01; Tracy Thomas 121.09; Tony King 115.00.

T120: Stuart Tod 216.06; James Evans 192.06; Kei Okamoto 191.05; Rob Doyle 175.01; Tracy Thomas 155.00; Stewart Ross 150.08; Tony King 144.06.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 45; James Evans 40; Tracy Thomas 39; Mike Heritage 27; Stuart Tod 21; Tony King 20; Stewart Ross 16.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 12, 2nd Kei Okamoto 19, 3rd Stuart Tod 28.

Records: Mike Heritage beat the S55 V70 record previously held be Mick Copeman – well done Mike!

Badges: In timed sessions against the tape Simon Pritchett cast over 35 yards and Dave Green exceeded 30 yards – well done both.

A short film from one of our members that shows the essence of a BFCC Meeting – taken at the recent BFCC Meeting in Mells, Somerset on 4th July 2021 (Thanks Larysa)