Hanningfield Reservoir played host to the second leg of the prestigious 1999 European Fly Fishing Championship recently.

This International Championship over three legs - the first staged in Belgium in April - and the final, third leg, scheduled for October - attracted 60 competitors from the UK and Europe, with Team Hanningfield winning the event.

Comprising of Chris Ogborne, Jamie Simpson and Janet Parker, Team Hanningfield benefited from both good homework on practice day despite the thundery conditions, with Chris Ogborne also with the best catch of the day of a 6lb 13oz grown-on rainbow trout.

Brian Joslin, Fisheries Manager for Essex & Suffolk Water was delighted with the results and added, "Hanningfield is now well established as a premier competition venue. In this competition, we produced a rod average of three fish per angler which gives the fairest possible result - exactly what the championship organisers desire."

Picture, top: The picture shows Team Hanningfield, the winners of the second leg of the 1999 European Fly Fishing Championship (left to right): Chris Ogborne, Janet Parker and Jamie Simpson.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.