Ladysmith Angling Club are VME League champs

This past weekend (February 18) saw the conclusion of the league stages of the APL, with League 6 taking place at Sandford Nature Reserve, Chelmsford Dam. Ladysmith Angling Club (LAC) were poised to make history, needing a victory in this outing to secure the VME Enterprises League.

But standing in their way was the formidable Breakwaters Angling Club, determined to show why they have dominated the sport for so long. The entire season, up to this point, Breakwaters were never too far off LAC, which made for an interesting outing. LAC had won four league outings and Breakwaters one outing, but due to their consistency, they were in the hunt and in the mood to upset the apple cart.

The recent good rains in the area caused the levels of Chelmsford to rise to over 100%, which anglers knew was going to lead to an even tougher outing than usual.

Nonetheless, all anglers showed up with a spring in their step and determined to tackle the challenge head-on. The weather gods played their part as well by serving up a hot day with just a subtle hint of a breeze now and then.
Fishing was extremely difficult, with anglers reporting many instances of losing fish in the now submerged structures.

The few that made it through had to be carefully brought in to ensure that points were scored for the respective clubs. Anglers had to dig deep till the final moments before weigh-in to try and secure points and victory for their clubs.

The weigh-in is always an eventful part of the day’s angling, as members get together to see the various catches that have been brought in and also to socialise with one another while the weigh-in process takes place.

LAC were scheduled to weigh in first and produced an impressive total of 80 points. All eyes were now fixed on the Breakwaters haul of nets.

After a nerve-wracking weigh-in, they could only manage 70 points, which meant a maiden league victory for LAC! The overwhelming joy of their success could be heard right around the venue and deservedly so! History indeed was made!

The top anglers for the day from LAC were: Y Govinder with 11 points, S Mangroo also with 11 points, and H Bosman with 10 points. The standings for LAC are hotly contested by Y Govinder, leading with 55 points, closely followed by S Mangroo with 46 points, and PR Pandoy in third with 40 points.

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LAC now turn their attention to the finals of the Knockout Challenge, where they take on the might of Breakwaters, who will be smarting from the loss of the league and will be determined to make amends in the final. The final will be held at Richgate Park, Chelmsford, on the weekend of March 11.

LAC will be out to make history again, as they are the defending champions and will not go down without a fight. Such is the nature of this team to overcome the odds stacked against them and prevail victorious.

Much-needed help is required, as the club looks forward to holding their first-ever Open Competition on the weekend of September 1 and 2.

An appeal is made to business owners and the public to get behind the club and help them become an even greater force to be reckoned with in the angling fraternity. Sponsorship and donation forms are available from club members, so please assist in any shape or form.

For further details, please contact T Govinder on 0837191352, R Pandoy on 0828281430, R Khan on 0836269721, E Ramparsad on 0834303377 or C Chetty on 0711687337.

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