Competitions
09 August 2025
ENGLAND WIN SILVER IN ‘FREAK’ WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
ENGLAND’S U20 squad have won the team silver medal at the World Youth Championships in Spain – missing gold by just one point!
Jason Kirk’s side – sponsored by Beechfield Headwear – continued their incredible run of success with an impressive day two comeback which saw them score just 10 section points from their four anglers.
Coupled with the 16 from day one, they leaped from fourth overnight to second and were just a few fish shy of winning. Home nation Spain claimed gold with 25 points, England finished with 26, and Poland third on 27.
The England U20’s remarkable run started with team silver in Slovenia in 2022, and was followed by gold in Portugal 2023, and gold in Serbia in 2024. This latest silver medal cements them firmly as the No.1 ranked U20 team in the World.
Fished on the Guadiana River at Merida, our U15, U20, and U25 anglers faced millions of tiny fish and a race to catch over 1,000 of them, along with bonus carp, during their two, four-hour matches.
Winning weights topped 33kg and, coupled with near 40 degree heat, it made for a tough championships for all our boys.
It was the U20 squad of Josh Duffy, Tommy Higginbottom, George McHugh, Barnaby Newman, Alfie Nicholls, and Alfie Swieton who fared the best.
Speaking from the bank, team manager Jason told us: “It’s a freak venue. We’ve never been anywhere before where we’ve had to catch upwards of a thousand fish or more.
“The lads worked hard all week and were doing something which was completely alien to us, but the practice paid off and we came so close to that treble, but I can’t be disappointed with that result. I’m so proud of all the boys.
“Three of our lads never had a bonus fish in either of the two matches so it was all about speed – for example, Alfie Nicholls had 1,220 fish in four hours today. That’s incredible!”
England’s youngest team at the World Champs – the Guru England U15 team – lay in fourth overnight, behind Italy, Spain, and Hungary.
Day two saw a switch around at the top with home nation Spain scoring an incredible six points from their four anglers to win gold with a total of 16 points.
Italy slipped to the silver position with 22.5 points overall, and Hungary third on 31 points, only seven points ahead of England in fourth on 38.
The U15 squad consisted of William Day, Kai Hurley, Charlie Isaacs, Jenson Ludgate, and Eathan Wexler.
Mark Downes’ U25 side managed to pull back some places on their 12th overnight with a solid team performance that earned them 10th overall. Even the home nation’s U25 team found this a tough nut to crack finishing in sixth place with Poland, France, and Italy taking to top three spots in a high-scoring competition.
“A huge congratulations to the Beechfield England U20 team, management, coaches, and supporters,” said Steve Fitzpatrick, Angling Trust Head of Competition & Team England.
“The three teams have the best managers and coaches in the business, and incredible support from parents, sponsors, and supporters too – you all make a big difference and are much appreciated by the Angling Trust and our anglers.
“None of our England teams have faced a World Championships quite like it before, the number of fish being caught and needed to be caught was off the scale.
“All the youngsters will all have gained valuable experience which will undoubtedly make them stronger for next year’s World event in France.
“We’re proud of you all!”
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