As background information I should explain that the Competition of which I shall be writing had been running for some years in its present format before I began attending. It began in 1975 as a Beach fishing match for staff of Barclays International, continued with invited guests from other parts of the Barclays Group and finally became a full Inter-district match when International’s Sports Club was merged with the “main” Bank Sports Club. There appears to be no good reason why the trophy fished for each year is, in fact, a representation of a leaping Salmon – not a fish normally caught from Britain’s beaches!
This trophy is named for the man who originally donated it to Barclays International, George Elce, formerly the Manager of Barclays International’s 168, Fenchurch Street, London office. The full title on the engraved plate on this trophy is “The 168 George Elce Sea Trophy”. I have managed to obtain a full listing of the winning teams shown on it and this appears as Appendix 1 to this memoir together with venues, locations of hotels and ‘Runner up’ teams where I have been able to ascertain them. Please do not go looking at the Appendices first – it might spoil the fun!
Mr Elce’s taxation affairs were, from our arrival in Peterborough in 1993, until 1998, dealt with by David T. who, coincidentally, has probably been part of the winning team more often than any other single individual still fishing for this trophy. David keeps him in touch with the fate of the trophy each year and passes on information concerning the (sadly) diminishing numbers of people that he would remember taking part in the early days. I do not think that George himself ever fished for his own trophy.
I first became aware of this competition while working at the Trust Company office in Norwich. The Norwich District of the bank had a quite active Sea Angling section under the leadership of Colin P., a clerk at Lowestoft Central branch, and I attended some of their own matches in response to local circulars. One of these, held at North Beach, Great Yarmouth in the autumn of 1981 was “billed” as a selection match for the team to compete in the National Competition.
While I did not catch very much at all and would not have qualified, I gained the distinct impression that the team had already been selected and that advertising it in this way was merely a ploy to satisfy the local Bank Sports club that democracy was at work! I did, however, hear a great deal about the competition which, at that time, was held on Chesil Beach each year with accommodation provided in Weymouth. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had out-fished all of the ‘regulars’ at that match resulting in Colin having to select me!
I gathered that while the fishing was to be taken very seriously the opportunity for a good time with “the lads” was not going to be wasted. I have tried to keep this order of priority in mind during my years of taking part and I think that if you ask “regulars” whether they think of BarclayTrust (or whatever we may be called now) as a team of serious anglers or people who turn up for a good time the answer would probably be “both”! I would count that a great success.
Incidentally, the annual Norwich District selection match gradually grew by word of mouth to include “guests” from other regions including Basil S. (for many years the organiser of the “National”) and myself (as a former “resident” of that District).
After a while this was opened up to nearby Districts extending through East Anglia to London and became known as “The East Coast Trophy” match.
To those of us not able to go fishing on any kind of regular basis this provided a useful “opener” to the Autumn/Winter season, giving us an opportunity to loosen up casting muscles and find out exactly what tackle needed replacing before the main event that is the subject of the rest of this tale.
