Mallow Trout Anglers’ youngster Josh Lane has achieved a remarkable international double, helping Ireland to gold at both the World Youth Fly Fishing Championship and the Four Nations Championship.
The talented young angler, a member of Mallow Trout Anglers, first helped Ireland claim team gold at the recently held World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in Donegal and Tyrone.
Competing under the auspices of the Trout Anglers Federation of Ireland (TAFI), the Irish team came out on top against teams representing ten countries from around the world.
Josh then went on to qualify for the Four Nations Championship, where Ireland faced England, Scotland and Wales under the auspices of the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association (ITFFA).
Fishing on Lough Lene in County Westmeath on July 23, Josh once again helped Ireland to gold, completing an exceptional international double.
The achievement makes the Mallow youngster a double world champion at youth level and represents an outstanding accomplishment in any sporting discipline.
Both championships were contested in extremely difficult conditions, with competitors having to contend with the exceptionally high temperatures experienced across the country in recent weeks.
The World Youth Fly Fishing Championship is the highest level of international competition for young anglers, operating under the world governing body FIPS Mouche. The championship was introduced for juvenile anglers in 2003 and brings together young competitors from across the globe.
The Four Nations Championship has a long history of competition between the youth teams of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Both competitions operate under strict international qualification rules, adding further significance to Josh’s achievement.
For Mallow Trout Anglers, the success represents an exceptional achievement for a young member who has come through the club’s ranks.
And Josh’s success is not the only positive development for the club’s younger members.
Following the recent Munster Youth Championship on the River Bride, Mallow Trout Anglers members Will Fitzgerald, Josh Lane and Anthony Buckley have all qualified to compete at the TAFI Nationals on the River Clare on Saturday, August 15.
Club president Kevin Healy congratulated Josh, Will and Anthony on behalf of the club members and said the success of its young anglers bodes well for the future.
With a new generation coming through the ranks, Mallow Trout Anglers continues to develop young people in the sport.
The club is currently holding fly-casting tuition for boys and girls on the local river in Mallow, while fly-tying classes will restart later in the year once the fishing season has ended.
The club welcomes interested young anglers, who should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For further information, contact Sean Bowen on 087 694 2205.
For Josh Lane, however, the immediate focus will be on adding another title to an already extraordinary summer.