Page 33 - Studio International - May 1974

might have a disease one day and want to meet thousand. It's like a football match. They do fished her for bream I wouldn't fish for pleasure
somebody in the angling world and I would whistle. They do boo. It's like the Olympics. laughs. There would have to be something
hope they'd do the same for me. I'm not saying I You walk behind the Union Jack through the behind it. And if she beat me, I'd pack up
can go every single time, but when I can do centre of the city or town wherever you're going fishing. But if I beat her it would have to be a
anything for them I will do it, and also to fish. There's no money in this competition. lot of money to hurt her for opening her mouth.
schoolchildren, junior anglers — I'll do anything They pay for you to go there and hotels and She's only trying to pull me down for certain
for these people, because they're the people who everything, but you don't get expenses or time reasons, unnamed. But if she wants a go let her
want to know and learn and can learn very off work or anything like that. Prestige and put the money down and I'll back it and we'll
quickly, and they will always look and say 'Oh adverts, this is where I'd make money out of it. have a go. No person in their right mind can
well, I met Ivan Marks' even if they never made Twelfth's not bad, but it's like everything else: take an international on when not known.
it. As a person I'm not known. They know the twelfth in the world ? What do you say ? But it's A lot of women go fishing. Sylvia Kemp's
name. The international side consists of five a team event and as a team the last two years I've very very good. She doesn't say she's better than
anglers from England who are picked for fished it we've finished second and third. It's men, she doesn't say she's not so good, but if she
England on their performance through the interesting. You meet so many people. They wins the lads clap her in and if she loses she's
season. There's a special committee picks the automatically know you. They know of there next week. At the moment women are very
team and the last two years I've been fortunate Robin Harris, Ivan Marks, Kevin Ashurst, very good and they're sporting, but at the
enough to be picked. We call it the World Billy Lane and the people who have fished on moment in a small field they wouldn't win. It's
Championship and if you win it you're the the continent but we don't even know them. like tennis, athletics or anything else.
World Champion. It takes place all over the We'll know one or two of the big names — I can only get pleasure out of fishing if there's
world. Last year it was in Challon, in France, Van der Meer, Tesse — but some of the people a job to be done. You've got to have patience,
and I finished twelfth. The year before it was in we won't even have heard of. control of the line and eyesight. People can
Prague, Czechoslovakia. This year it's in Maureen Anderson ? [Maureen Anderson, a throw the line in and let it go faster than the
Belgium. It goes from country to country. The fellow angler, has challenged Ivan Marks to current, which anybody can do. But you must
fish are the same: I've caught roach in Challon outfish her — Ed's note.] Yes, she's challenged me slow it down, slower than the actual current,
and Prague. America's about the only country to a match. It's not a sore point, I just laugh at it. that's the skill. It's a combination of the type of
that's not in it. More people follow angling on Take ten-pin bowling. There's got to be a top line and the control. There's no skill in that. But
the continent, watching it. You don't get a big man in England. Now he's proved himself top. eyesight's the most important thing, soon as that
crowd here. Last year I had between two or Would he take me on for nothing to give me a goes you've had it. I'll be fighting for the top till
three hundred behind me in the National. In chance to beat him ? Because I could have a lot my eyesight's gone. q
Prague, behind eighty anglers, there was of luck and beat him and he could have a lot of
probably somewhere between fifty and seventy bad luck too. But I'll go so far as to say: if I Photos: above and on p 239 by Rory McEwen
219