Rank
outsiders
Slovakia are
overjoyed with their
memorable win, their
team performance was superb over the two days and the team tactic of going for the small fish paid off - nobody saw them coming.

A well deserved win.

Silver
medalists
France were
always in contention their consistancy
was top rate, but in a match this close the margin for error was small  enough
to drop into them into second
place.

Since their
European championship
win Russia's confidence
has grown, as can be seen
from their amazing day 1
team result of just 12 points,
just 3 dropped points on
day 2 kept  them away
from a possible
team gold

....it was left to the
class performance of
Igor Potapov...the
new world champion
to show how it's done.

England's
Will Raison
and Denmark's
Simon Jensen
put in a normally
winning score of
3 points over
the 2 days
but it was
tight at the
top..

..this was
Igor's year.

England's
Will Raison
was so close
but was denied
by the Russian
Viacheslav Borisov
on day 1.

A superb day 2
was not enough,
this year it will
have to be
a silver.

For Russia's
Igor Potapov this is
as good as it gets...

...a section win
both days beating
England's Des Shipp
off the next peg to
win sector 3 zone C
on day one.

Day 2
he well beat
England's Stu Conroy
again off the next peg
for a good win in
sector 1 zone B..

..winning in
style.

Greig Brown from
the Channel Islands
pictured here with team
manager Thierre Theaudin
had a dream of a

championships,
top of the bunch
of the rest on day 1
in sector 2 zone A
behind sector winner
Dieter Friederichs (NLD).

Made the most
of a good draw on day 2
to well win the sector and finished in overall 5th

individual position.

Scotlands
class act
Jamie Masson
put in a consistent 4 point
score over the 2 days.

Did very well on
day one with an all
silverfish catch of 5.015kg
day 2 was just off the fish
but still managed to finish
2nd in the sector giving him the 6th individual spot.

The Scottish team again did well finishing 13th overall.

The calmest
man at the
championships
had to be France's
Didier Delannoy, who
just sat down, followed
the team plan and had
a nice days fishing.
Just pipped for
the sector win
by Bukrak (POL)

Day 2 very much
the same, a steady
2.236kg behind
Schoubben (BEL) and
Heidenreich (CZE)

Top Fin
Jouni Lillman
drew in both of the
most prolific sectors,
Day 1 he muscled his
way to 3rd place behind
Borisov (RUS) and
Raison (ENG)

Day 2 saw him
hammer out 8.672kg
again for 3rd place
behind Martinez (ESP)
and Jacobs (BEL)
for a 6 point
championship
total.

England pro
Steve Gardner's
1st day sector win
of 3.974kg did not
seem to bother his
personal sponsor Milo
who came to congratulate
him afterwards, even
though he beat
fellow Italian
Stefano Defendi
off the next peg.

Steve ended
the championships with
a 9.5 point total.

Netherlands ace
Dieter Friederichs
carefully plays another
big Lage Vaart bream on
his way to the conquest
of sector 2 zone A
on day 1.

Day 2 was
 a more difficult area
with fewer fish but the
6 points helped the
Netherlands team to
a respectable 7th
place overall.

Top Welshman
and past indvidual
bronze medalist
Lee Edwards was
typical of many of the good
anglers from sector winner
one day to mid table
the next.

It was not
so much the peg
but the bream were just
drifting around...
..you just needed to
be fishing for them
when they were there.

This is
what you needed,
one of Dieters bream
from a day 1 catch
of 6.761kg but
bream are notoriously
elusive and shy,
catch one and you
might catch another..

..loose one and they
would all be gone
forever.

Irelands
top man was
Mark Lichtenburg
with this fine all
roach catch,
Mark was amongst
the fish on both days
in tight sectors,
a 3rd on day 2 with
4.427kg was his
best result.

Mark finished the
Championshihs with
a 12 point total.

This type of fishing
with both big and small fish
being caught together is
perfect for the puller bung
which gives you that extra
degree of control over
your elastic when needed.

Big fish were lost by
many top class anglers all
over the championships, and
this made the difference
between a medal or nothing.