Hi guys my name is John Waples captain of Sensas Team MAS here is a short profile of my angling career.
I started fishing as a kid with a net or bamboo stick. But did not start match fishing until I was 23 the best thing I had going for me was that I had a lot of friends that where match fishing good talented anglers. If the truth be known I lucked into match fishing. I think that it's like signing on to a apprenticeship say for tool maker you start but you are not qualifyed untill you complete 5 years. So he we go.
I started with a lot of help from a lot of people who where stars in there own rite Dr Dave WhiteHouse a close and valued friend Ken Collins who was Dorking skipper. Who I travelled with and learnt so much. Terry Harrison a class angler who should have fished for England. I was really lucky to join Dorking and when they where such a dominate force. I was lucky to fish with some great anglers and also to be part of a exceptional team we all grew together and had a lot of success. We won a winter league final in Denmark on the he river Skern. We also won the first Captain Morgan Final in Ireland on the river Bann it was a tremendous chapter in dorking so history. When I moved to the midlands I live next door to mr match fishing David Hall who own and run a very successful publishing empire who published angling magazines. who was a personal friend. I had a really rich run off success for 5 years when I lived in the Midlands. I'm won many matches on many different venues. I also joined and fished for Oundle in there best times. We had probably the best team I have ever fished with a team full of stars and match winners every one of them we had a great run we where runners up to Dorking in the 1998 winter league final at Mallory park even though we won more sections the final was on weight Staurt Berrisford doing the damage. We also where second on the Div 1 on the Trent behind the invincible Trentman Dorking where 3rd off end peg sweet justice. We also won many area matches. I have tried to list some of the most important matches I fished and results that I can remember.
I had a dairy of my match results for 20yrs I have listed matches that I consider to be important.
1977 River Trent div 3 national 6th
1979 Dunkley Cup on the river cam 1st overall winner
1979 River. Trent Dorking 3rd team
1980 River Anchomle Dorking 4th
1981 Winter League Final River Skern Denmark Dorking winners
1981 Captain Morgan Final Porterdown Ireland River Bann winners Dorking
1981 Ballinasloe Festival River Shannon 4th overall
1981 NFA regional southern winners Dorking
1982 Barclays Bank 2 day festival Cornwall 1st overall
1983 Barclays Bank 2 day festival Cornwall 2nd overall
1984 Seymo Festival Devon Shillamill 3rd overall
1985 British Sugar Beat Champion North Bank River Nene
1985 Bedford open River Ivel champion
1986 John Bull Bitter/Daily Star 2 day festival 2nd day winner
1986 Sealink International Boa Island individual winner
1986 Team Nene Champs 1st Team and individual winner
1986 Div 1 Oxford Canal 9th overall individual
1987 1st team Ireland river Erne
1987 1 Div National River Trent 2nd Team
1987 River Nene North Bank County Cup Winners Oundle
1988 Winter League Final Mallory Park Oundle 2nd
2004 white Acres Milo Festival 4th overall
2005 Milemead 2 day festival 2nd tied on points with winner
2006 Cornwall County Champs.
I have listed what I could remember, I also did not fished in the 90's as I had a marriage broke down and moved back south I did not keep a dairy again but found brown envolopes for some matches in Cornwall.
and i am proud to be captain of the SENSAS TEAM MAS for the Divisional 2 NATIONAL this year in September.
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